Life is truly horrid for Kent actor Steven Butler as he takes on the role of the nastiest little boy of all.
Horrid Henry, the hugely successful series of children’s books and television programmes, is stepping out of the screen and onto the stage.
The job of playing the little horror has fallen to the 25-year-old, from Meopham, who is relishing the chance to rediscover his inner child.
“It’s great but also really strange,” he said. “He’s really horrible but in rehearsals the adult in me kept trying to make him nice. The director Hannah Chissick kept telling me to make him more horrible. With the kids, the more horrid you are the more they love you.”
Horrid Henry is the creation of author Francesca Simon, who published the first book about the little boy’s outrageous antics in 1993. Sales of her novels and audiobooks now stand at more than 10 million and a couple of years ago an animated series began on CITV.
Terrorising
Henry spends most of his time terrorising his little brother Perfect Peter and clashing with the likes of Rabid Rebecca, Moody Margaret and Weepy William.
Butler originally read for the role of Perfect Peter, but the director thought he would be better suited to playing the mischievous anti-hero.
“It was okay to be told I was horrid!” Butler said. “Hannah is amazing because she’s famous for bringing a real energy to work and bringing the child out of you.”
The show has had its critics due to the fact
that Horrid Henry largely gets away with his escapades. But Butler thinks children are simply entertained by his tricks, not inspired by them.
“It has been analysed by psychologists to find out why it’s so popular,” he said.
“Stories about Dennis the Menace and Just William always had a moral at the end, but with Horrid Henry it’s just about the pure fun of being horrid.
“The whole point of the show is that it’s two hours of ‘if I was king, this is what I’d do’. It doesn’t make kids want to be naughty. By the end of it, they’re all naughty-ed out.”
Butler attended the famous Italia Conti School of Theatre Arts from the age of 16 and this is not the first time he has been involved in bringing a popular literary character to life. His voice was used to dub a Ravenclaw prefect in the first two Harry Potter films.
Future plans include playing Peter Pan in
pantomime in Croydon this Christmas, alongside Brian Blessed.
“For the last two years I’ve done mostly straight plays,” he said. “I’d like to do more musicals.”
• Horrid Henry – Live and Horrid! will be at The Churchill, Bromley, from October 8 to 12. Call the box office on 0870 060 6620 or book online at www.churchilltheatre.co.uk.
POSTED: 27/09/2008 17:00:00
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