Meet Danny Hatchard, an EastEnders star, breaking into the world of pantomime here at the Norwich Theatre Royal. Danny is playing the beloved Prince Charming in the production of Cinderella in Norwich. We had the royal chance to sit down with Danny and get to know more about him and his acting career, and how keen he is to grace the stage this Panto season, bringing the Holiday cheer through the tradition of Panto. Take a peek into our chat with Danny, and hear his thoughts about the upcoming show!
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Danny Hatchard. My real name is Danny-Boy Hatchard, but I decided to change it because I’m getting a little bit older now, and I felt like the ‘boy’ needed to go. I’m from the East End of London, and I have been an actor for the last 13 years. And my favourite food is Caribbean!
Besides performing, what one hidden talent do you have?
I’m quite a good cook!
You were in EastEnders. What was that like?!
It was an amazing experience. I joined when I was 21 or 22, and then I left when I was about 25 or so, and I’ve been back a few times since then to keep the story and continuity of the character going – I know a lot of people are big fans of the Carters! And it was an amazing experience and now a big part of my history, I am very proud of it.
And you will never get killed off in EastEnders?
Oh well, you’d never say never. You never know with that show! And even if you did get killed off, you never know. As far as I’m aware, I believe my character is in Devon? Or Dover? Somewhere like that. I always get updated by my friends who still watch the show, so I try to tune in when I can and support the cast and storylines.
Is Caribbean food the food you like to cook?
Ah, No! Funnily enough. No, it’s not. And one of the main reasons for that is because I like to go out and experience the Caribbean foods, and I just feel like, I feel like where it’s such a cultural delicacy. I feel like I can’t do it justice if I’m honest.
So, what is your dish?
I love cooking Italian food. That is my favourite.
Are you looking forward to panto this year?
Very much so! It is my first ever pantomime, so I am very excited to get cracking into it, and to bring some festive cheer to the theatre and to work with such an amazing cast.
And you’re playing Prince Charming… are you going to be as charming as we hope?
Ah listen! I’m a cockney, all cockneys are charming, we are born charming!
You have been to Norwich before, in the full Monte. What are you looking forward to in coming back?
I remember the audience was fantastic; it was a sellout show. There were loads of people at the stage door who expressed how much they loved the show, so I’m really, really hoping that we have an equally enthusiastic audience to come watch Panto.
What is your favourite part of Christmas?
Ah, my favourite part is spending it around the young members of my family and playing silly games!
If you could be any panto character, I know Prince Charming is pretty much up there, but who would it be and why?
Probably Captain Hook in Peter Pan, yeah, I’d quite like to play the baddie… Yeah, I feel like I prefer the booze rather than the cheers.
If you could have any magical item from a fairytale, what would it be?
Oh! Fairydust- so I could fly over to the Caribbean whenever I like, haha!
And finally, why should people come and see Cinderella this year?
People should come see the panto because it is an astonishing cast and most of us haven’t done a panto before. It is going to be exceptionally exciting not just for the people watching, but for those of us on stage!
Grab your tickets to see Danny as Prince Charming in Cinderella now. For more information or to book, visit norwichtheatre.org or call the Box Office on 01603 630 000.
