Soap star James Moore has revealed he was close to quitting acting right before joining the cast of Emmerdale.
James, 26, admitted he was ready to say goodbye to his acting ambitions just before he landed the part as Ryan Stocks – the role that saw him scoop the gong for Best Newcomer at the NTAs on Tuesday.
And in an interview with The Mirror, he’s said he’s been living his “best life” since the win.
James, who has cerebral palsy, explained how he almost gave up on acting altogether when people insisted there were no parts he could play.
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He told the newspaper: “You have to have belief and confidence in yourself and not rely on the acceptance of others.
“I’m loving what I am doing. I’m getting great feedback from people, I’ve won this wonderful award – and I am living my best life.”
James dreamed of being an actor since a young age and studied drama at school – but was told time and again there would be no roles for him.
He gave up on his dream for a while and instead studied photography at university. But after watching crime drama Breaking Bad and seeing the character played by American actor RJ Mitte, who also has cerebral palsy, James decided to give acting another chance.
Fast forward two weeks later and James found himself cast in Emmerdale as Ryan Stocks, the long-lost son of Charity Dingle.
He paid tribute to fans of the show in his NTA acceptance speech, admitting that award meant “so much more” to him because it was voted for by the public.
Fans on social media rushed to offer kind words of support for the star while firing back at a small number of trolls who dismissed the win as a ‘sympathy vote‘.
James has since urged people not to feel sorry for him as he’s not struggling with his condition – and if his top performances on-screen are anything to go by, he’s telling the truth.
He told fans: “Please don’t feel sorry for me. I’m not struggling, I haven’t had a hard life especially not for the past few years.”
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