Danny Dyer delighted by Rivals reaction
Danny Dyer is pleased with the response to his character Freddie Jones in the Disney+ series 'Rivals'.
Danny Dyer has been amazed by the response to 'Rivals'.
The 47-year-old star portrayed Freddie Jones in the Disney+ series based on Dame Jilly Cooper's raunchy novel of the same name and believes that the role has disproved his "hard man" image.
Asked if he expected fans to react so strongly to the character, Danny told the Metro newspaper's 60 Seconds column: "No! It's a revelation. And it was all last-minute dotcom. I couldn't do it originally.
"(Producer) Dominic Treadwell-Collins is my very close friend and somebody I've worked with on 'EastEnders'.
"I've been sort of labelled as a hard man. It's all b******* really, I think it's because I swear a lot and walk in a certain way, but actually, I'm a very sensitive man, a feminist, I'd like to think.
"But Dominic brought in my character Mick Carter to 'EastEnders', who's this alpha male wearing the pink dressing gown. He just knew I'd be perfect for Fred."
The offer came so late that Danny didn't have time to read the script but he was pleased that his "kind" character was well-received.
The 'Mr. Bigstuff' actor recalled: "I didn't have time, no, so I got the email and thought, well, it's Dominic, I love him.
"Then I started to find out who Freddie was. Obviously, it's also got Rupert Campbell-Black, who is, like, the sexiest man alive, this very posh Tory again, even though that doesn't sound sexy.
"But I wanted to try and make kindness sexy. A kind man, who sees women for what they are. And it actually f****** worked.
"With 'Rivals', people fell for the kind man and went, 'Oh, my God, I want a Fred in my life'."
Danny played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in 'EastEnders' between 2013 and 2022 but claims he hasn't been asked back for the BBC soap's upcoming 40th anniversary despite his alter ego's popularity with viewers.
He said: "Well, listen, I get this every day still and it's very much a compliment to me. You know, there's a lot of people that have come and gone in that show and are just forgotten. But people still feel that they want Mick back.
"So look, they haven't asked me. That's all I can say."
