Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Layton Williams (Part One)

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

It’s time to Live, Laugh, Layton! This week - Emily and Ray are in Dulwich Park with actor, singer, dancer and Strictly Come Dancing finalist Layton Williams! Layton is quite possibly one of the most charismatic people that we’ve ever met. He’s immensely warm, authentic and knows his own worth - so even though he doesn’t have a dog, we’re pretty much in love!Starting life out on an estate in Bury, Layton went on to play the lead role in the West End production of Billy Elliot. Layton tells us about moving to London - LONDON ?! - and how it felt when he had his voice break while playing a young Michael Jackson in Thriller. Layton’s next project is playing the Iceberg in Titanique. When the music of Céline Dion meets the eleven-time Oscar®-winning film Titanic, you get TITANIQUE - New York’s award-winning splash hit that turns one of the greatest love stories of all time into a hysterical musical fantasia. You can get your tickets here!Follow Layton on Instagram @laytonwilliamsListen to Emily and Raymond’s walk round Dulwich Park with Shirley Ballas from October 2021 here!Follow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever seen that clip online of like the compilation of every time somebody mentions London in Combination Street, they go, London, it's literally that. Like, London is not a thing. It's like, oh, why would you go there? This week on Walking the Dog, Raymond and I went for a South London stroll with actor, singer, dancer and strictly come dancing finalist, the fabulous Leighton Williams. Leighton made, as you'd expect, quite the entrance in Dulwich Park, arriving in a statement outfit on a line bike

and I pretty much fell hopelessly in love with him at first sight. His entertainment career started when he was just 12 years old and he won the part of Billy Elliot in the West End and he's basically never looked back going on to star in TV shows like Bad Education and in stage musicals like Hairspray and Cabaret. But it was his appearance on last year Strictly that really won him a whole new legion of fans.

And if you're one of those people, I think you're going to absolutely love this chat. Leighton is genuinely one of the most charismatic people I've ever met. He's so funny and hilariously self-deprecating. But he's also just got this immense warmth and authenticity about him. I've even forgiven him for not having a dog yet because he loved Ray so much. I think he might put that right very soon. Leighton also told me about his very exciting next project,

which is starring in the musical Titanic, which has been a huge hit in New York already, and it's a fabulously camp mashup of the film Titanic, featuring the music of Celine Dion. It's one of those musicals that everyone's already talking about and rushing to get tickets for, so do look up to see him now before it sells out. It's on at the Criterion Theatre from December 9th,

and you can find out more at Titanic Musical.com. I'm going to stop talking now and hand over to the legend himself. Here's Leighton. And Ray Ray. Come on, Raymond. Very obedient. Thank you. And my dog's good as well.

We're in Dollich Park. You've been here before, surely. Well, Leighton, the last time I came here was with Shirley Ballas. Stop it. Oh, yeah, we're neighbours. Because actually we go to the same yoga studio. Yep. I learnt this from early on.

And then when we were on tour, actually, we used to go yoga together. She'd take me in her car. Oh, we're doing downward dogs of Shirley. Who'd a thunk? Who'd a thunk? I love her. She's got, I think it was a shitsu she had. I can't remember.

But like, we're actually going to be working together again next year. Oh. Yeah, I mean, Shirley. Oh, Leighton, he does this sometimes. Well, it just pauses. Do you know what? He's so tiny. He's a bit of a drama queen.

And he just says, I've had enough. I'm done. But we're working. So we kind of need to keep it moving, don't we? Come on now, Eamon. Let's move in this direction, Leighton, because I can hear men of toil with... Yeah, we don't want that.

All sorts of chainsaws going on over there. My shoe is literally the same length. Like, look at them. They are. Your shoe is the same length. What size shoe have you got? Well, I'm only in eight, but these are just ridiculously shoes. It's more like a fashion thing.

Not really walking shoes, to be honest. No, but that's what... But we're going to get some content now, so I want a lot cute in the park. So, later... Thank you so much for coming on walking the dog. I'm a huge man of yours. I mean, who isn't a huge man of yours quite honestly? I'm sure there's some people that are over it, but thank you.

We're going to talk about all sorts today. Yeah, let's. But firstly, I want to find out about your dog credentials. See, my dog credentials are not, they're not high up in your list, so probably people thinking, why are you even doing this podcast? But we'd like to get out and about. Let's have a walk in the park. And honestly it was just nice to stay in here home today.

So I was like, we're absolutely going for a war with the dogs. But it's strange because I've always had dogs in my life, i.e. brought up with them, my grandparents had them, my mom had them. But maybe recently, now that with my partner, I feel a little bit more settled, I'm like, ooh, maybe I could see it in my future. But right now, I mean, I'm barely in my own house. Do you know what I mean? Life is very busy.

So bringing a dog into the world would feel selfish. And tell me about the dogs you had growing up, because you grew up, this is in... Berri, Marjesty, yeah. Yeah. Oh my God, I can't remember the... I say brand. What's it called? What's the other... What do you say for dog talk? Do you know what I think we should keep sticking with brand? Yeah. I can't remember what brand my nan and grandad's dog was, but I'm pretty sure our dogs were mongrels to begin with.

Oh, and what we could call it. Is that a brand? If it's a mixed breed, we could call it a collab. Oh, co-lab! Oh, co-lab! Or. What's a Mongrel then? That's a collab. Is that a co-lab? But not a good co-lab.

Not a cute one. Like, you know, sometimes H&M do the random ones. I love how that's where we're going with the dog brands. So what brand dog do you think it was? No, I know my mum has them once? You know, the ones with like the can't really breathe with the nose? You know the ones? Pugs.

Yeah. Oh. Yeah, that kind of vibe. There's three of them. Oh, no, I think one died. It's two of them. Okay. Yeah.

Just a lot of craziness as well. And like shout, love my mom. I always have to do that disclaimer before I do a podcast. But you know she isn't doing any dog training. Like they will piss and shit wherever they want. And it's just not cute. So if I was to have a dog, best believe we're going training. We're going to class.

We're making sure that when I say stop. Which way? You stop. Which way should we go later? Let's go this way. Okay. This is the way I usually run. Really?

And when I say usually, I mean, I've done it about three times in the past. 10 years. It's so lovely Dollich, though, isn't it? It is gorgeous. It's leafy. It feels like you're a little bit out of the madness, but you are technically still Zone 2, I like to tell my friends because they think I'm living in like, you know, another country.

Sort of Amish County or something. It feels far because the travel links aren't as cute, but I like that because it's less people. And you can hear a slight buzz, but I don't mind that. I don't mind that, atmospheric. It's atmospheric. I don't want to turn around. Let's turn around.

Oh, look, a poodle's taken a fancy to Ray. Oh, hello poodle. Hello. Hi, how you doing? What's your poodle called? Mani. Mani. Mani's lovely.

It's interested. Look at that. Oh, Ray's crashed and burned. What I like is that Mani's rejected Ray, who frankly is an appropriate size for Mani. And it's gone after the great day. So like he's massive dogs. Ah, okay, so he's comfortable. You know, it is more interesting big dogs because this is what he used to.

Oh, okay. So he loves like Labrador's, like golden retrievers. Not phase. But the thing is, he pills is one of them. Like, no, you're not. Like, you're not that size. No, I think height is an energy. I've got to disagree.

I feel like I'm 6'2, but I'm actually 5'10. Okay. But it's an energy. And that's what I think. feeling? He has a lot of energy. Tall energy. He's called Raymond. Yeah. Oh, it's lovely to meet you.

Love it to meet you. Enjoy a walk. Bye-bye, Manny. Sorry you didn't take a shy to it. Oh, there we go. Pooing now. Should we go around this way then? Can I just confirm that was Manny, the dog we just met that Laiton was talking about, not me. I haven't just decided to go to the bar from mid-podcast. That's what happens when You've got dogs, isn't it? Chitty-chattie. This is how people pull. It's how single people go out with their dogs to find a sexy man.

Do you like that aspect of it? I think that would, if I was looking for that, I think I would probably, yeah, it's quite nice, isn't it? A lot of attention if you've got a cute dog. Do you like sort of, because presumably people come up to you all the time now, Leighton. And how do you find that? It's definitely been a shift. like I've been adjusting, post, Strictly Come Dancing, of course, you kind of put yourself out there to the masses. And I mean, it's sweet. I do find now, especially in Dulwich, like, you know, got all your yummy mummies and this is a little bit of an older crowd, I guess, in some aspects.

And they just love it. So the demographic is definitely a switch. It's funny now because whereas back in the day, you know, the school kids would be the ones wanting a selfie with me. Now they're like taking pictures of their parents with me. and then they don't even ask for one themselves. I'm just like, fair play, we've crossed over. And also I'm 30 years old now, so I'm kind of, I'm also growing up, didn't I mean?

Yeah. So I found that quite interesting, but it's sweet. The mum's lovely and I love them. And the dads. Isn't that low, and the dads? I wanted to go back to your childhood. Yeah. Because you grew up, as you say, in Berrien,

your mom was a single parent, essentially, wasn't she? Yeah, pretty much, just bringing up four of us. I mean we got on, we got by. It wasn't like the most exciting at times, but it wasn't like the worst. We just had a, we had an all right time. Oh no, we're stopping again. What's he doing?

I was that it's like enough that you can just pick up, though. Hello. He's got quite a superior sort of air. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, very regal. Bougie. There were a lot of you, weren't there? Because did you have, isn't it like seven fathers and sisters in total?

So it's really confusing. to break it down but I'll try the easiest way so in our house was four my older brother Josh and then my little sister and brother Reneene Regan so I was like kind of middle second notice but then my dad's side there's another five boys

so in total seven brothers one sister and I was never of the mind I never called anybody half sisters or half brothers are you know when you grow up and you're sharing the same bedroom as somebody like it's just your brother you know what I mean and you're spending the weekends with the rest of your family it's just siblings a sibling so yeah it's a big old family you'd think I was an only child the way

out sometimes but I'm not I'm actually not yes I'm interested in that do you think you have only child energy sometimes I think I mean I think I'm better now but it's it definitely I don't know what I'm kind of when it comes I'm good in groups so I guess only children aren't necessarily as a bit more although I think one of the great things about only children is that because they spend so much time around adults, they're grown, yes. They're really sophisticated, really?

Because he was always just like whining and dining with, you know, his parents and their friends and going to the south of France and eating food that, you know, the 13-year-old shouldn't be eating and he's very of the world now, which is kind of sexy to me. Yeah. And your parents, did they spit up when you were pretty young later? So was it fairly... Yeah, I can't even really remember them together, to be honest.

Really? like not even a memory of mine. I think my mum was like 21 and she had me and my older brother she must have broke when I think about it it's crazy isn't it because she was literally like still I mean barely just not a teen and she had four kids by the time she was what 24 25 um so yeah never really had them together which is fine for me was it yeah I mean Christmas time's always fun because you run around you got loads of houses to go to And the plus When you've got a big family and everyone's got different

You know a few of us have different dads and stuff like that You all just call each other's grandparents, grandparents So at one point I literally had like 20 sets of grandparents No joke You grew up on, it was an estate in Manchester, wasn't it? Yeah, it was and do you know what? Only of like the last few years Yeah

I've realised it was way leafier then I thought Like my mum took me on like a couple of walks a couple of years back and I was like wow why did I not know this part of the kind of area existed it's actually quite beautiful and leafy and you know I heard you talking once and I thought it was really interesting that you were I guess quite a an extrovert were you child and quite yeah I was out there as you can imagine but I knew how to kind of blend in to kind of protect myself if that makes sense and what did that involve blending in Just, you know, acting and doing as you would think people want to view you as, as opposed to what you actually want to be doing.

I find that as a queer kid to kind of to navigate through the world, especially at that point in life in my age. What it was still, I was born in 94, so. And so when you were on the estate, were you a little bit? bit more a little bit tougher wearing tracksuits kind of vibe oh you better believe i had every track suit going all the trip i was a i was a ruffian dare i say but fab one you know what i mean yeah i was just one of the lads i was one of the boys was running around like literally like this would be on the backs we'd be playing manhunt we'd be playing knock a door run i think they call it knock down ginger here yes i know all both of you and my producer sorry we've got two

redos here but like i don't say that they say it in london we say knock a door run we should say that Ellie looks after later. Is that how you'd like to be described? I mean, she can say look after me. Yeah, she looks after me. Of course she looks after me. And Faye my producer looks after me. We've been well looked after. We've got the two redheads looking after us. And we will not be knocking down our gingers. No.

Thank you very much. But we did, I'm afraid, call it knock down ginger. You did, I didn't. But yeah, we played games like that, etc. Just a normal-ish boy. Is there a bit of pressure though with that, that even though you're kind of thinking, well, I'm not fooling everyone, but you know what I mean? That's a sad thing when I look back and like, oh, I wonder what life would have been like

if you could just like 100% just from the get-go. Be like, oh yeah, I'm this, I'd do that and this is the way I like to dress and this is the way I like to express myself. It would make for such more, such an easier life anyway, but you don't even realize you're doing it. It's such a two sets full. one step back you always test the waters for a little bit and then you're oh no okay that didn't go very well let's not do that again you know like it's difficult for a child to kind of get their head around as well

because you can't even articulate what these feelings are and why you're different and why it's wrong inverted commas and did you always feel different from a young age yeah i always knew that i was i was different and especially gay like it didn't like hit me when i was a teenager or something like that i just always knew like i had the girlfriends let's tell you that did you oh i had the girlfriends, I had the girlfriends, so, you know, we made it work. But yeah, they weren't entertaining me that much. Let's just say that. But yeah, you just got to crack on doing.

You know, like when I see that show, um, heart stopper and the way the world is in that, and it's like, wow, like imagine if you could actually have a childhood way it was just so free like that. That would be, that would have been nice. But listen, we, we move and we hope. Well, my mother, who was in the theatre and the most theatrical woman, you've ever met. You would have loved her. She was so camp. She once cried. She'd had a few drinks to me and my sister because she said, what's wrong, mum? It's just my greatest tragedy

that I'll never have a gay son. Oh no, would you? So you know what? If you'd have been born in my family later, she would have loved it. Oh yeah. So you were growing up having this childhood, as you say, but you must have had this slight, kind of burning desire to perform, did you? Was it always, you know, ladies and gentlemen, come into the living room here's the latent show? Oh, yeah. I mean, from, like, young,

I would always be putting on shows in, like, my mine or my neighbors, like, living room, whilst I was all trying to watch the X Factor or something. Do you know, just really just getting in everybody's way, but thinking that I, of course, was the most important entertainment. My mum was quite good, and my grandparents did put me into, like, you know, we tried the swimming out,

and tried the football out. We tried all the different bits until something was like, oh, I like this. And the acting and the performing archers came along. And I think I was around 10, 11 years old. The first time I kind of like went to my first class in Bury. And I was like, oh, this is, it's a fun way to kind of put all of my, my bits and my extraness and my, you know, just my character into something worthwhile. But not even knowing that it would lead to what it has now, you know,

it was just a bit of fun. And you auditioned for Philly earlier. Was it your mom who had sort of how did you know that was happening? And did you just see it in the paper or something? Yeah, my auntie saw it in the paper, my auntalisa. The only reason I started acting actually is because I was jealous of my cousin. Because he always used to come to us every Thursday. And we're like, oh yeah, we've been to this acting class.

And I was like, what is this thing? I was like, I want to go with Darius. I want to go. Lo behold, stole the thunder. You're like those ones on X-Fes. You know when they both come on to audition and the slightly reluctant one, they say, well, I'm not interested in you, but you. I want you. Yeah, yeah. Oh, gosh. No, he did do this thing for a little bit, shout out to them,

but I am, yeah, I just rocked up to this audition. Honestly, mate. It's like, oh, it says, boys of all ethnicities, they're looking for more Billy Elliot's for the London production of Billy Elliot. And at that time, I kind of knew about the movie, right, is. London, when you speak to somebody from my area, have you ever seen that clip online of like the compilation of every time somebody mentions London in Coronation Street, they go, London. And they're like, oh, I'm thinking I'm going to go London

and go, London, like, it's literally that. Like, London is not a thing. It's like, oh, why would you go there? It gives very that. It's that, oh, London. You know it's the capital city, but you don't really know. you've never been, never even got on the train anywhere close to there.

So I remember the first time we went, the audition was in Elephant and Castle and we were driving, can you imagine driving around that roundabout? Like what, 15, 16, 16, 17 years? Yeah, she was driving. How did she get on? Oh, well, we're late, let's just say that. Three hours?

Yeah, good two hours late. But luckily I pulled it out the bag and, yeah, I got the job. It took me a while, though. It took me like a good year and a half to get to the standard because I'd never done a ballet class in my life. never done a tap class like I was very much so. Hello. We met so lovely, little person. Very little person. And this is Raymond. Hello. Do you like the doggy? Yeah, she loves dogs. Really does she? It's lovely to meet you. Bye bye. Bye. She gave you a

lovely smile. The cutest little kid. So go on later. Yeah, so you got the audition and Got the audition. And then you had to move to London. Yeah. And you were how old? I was around 11 years old. Yeah. That's extraordinary, isn't it?

Looking back on that, do you think, wow, I was 11 years old? Yeah. It's so strange because I really, I'm sure I had a couple of moments, but I just took to it so, like, easily. I guess I missed home a little bit, but like, you know, Life was just a bit slap dash, da-da-da, da, da. Like, sometimes in my state, like, there's certain things that children shouldn't be seeing

or witnessing, and it was a little bit like that sometimes. And I felt like when I got to London. London? London. I promise I won't do that every time. Please do. But when I got here, the dust just like settled a little bit. And I was like, oh wow, this might be the place.

Even at that young age, I was like, I think I'd been long in a space like this. Somewhere I can just like be myself, spread my wings and just you met people that you never met before. Like, you know, happy gay people that were living their best lives. But like, no one was teasing them or thinking that they were the devil or awful people. It was just like, oh, there was just such a, just like, everything just opened up. And I was like, my eyes were like wide open. Do you know what I mean? but I was, you know, really, I was working hard

but like on the moments I was like, oh this is, this feels right. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. When you get to space and you're just like, yeah, this is it. Your mom was presumably, that must have been sort of tough for her, but I suppose it shows that was quite a loving thing to do in a way was to give you that opportunity. Yeah.

Knowing that she was going to miss a bit of time, you know, being with you when you were growing up. Yeah, my team. teenage years, I guess, like all my adolescent years and she kind of wasn't fully, she was always there, but like not fully in the picture. But I think that's a sacrifice, isn't it? She knew that I was going to hopefully potentially have a better life in London, making myself happy, you know, building my future. So it was a no-brainer. But yeah, I think they did miss us.

Hope so. And you went to stage school. You went to Sylvia Young. I went to Sylvia Young. So I started Billy Elliott and then I enrolled into Sylvia. so I could kind of do them both at the same time. Which we should say is a very famous stage school, isn't it? Yes.

One of the best in the country, honestly. Yeah, yeah. But that did not go too plan. You got kicked out. Yeah. Why did you get kicked out? They never give me an ultimate, like, absolute answers to why, but picture me, you know, young boy from my state.

I did do a little bit of normal school, like my state school, for year seven, like the first year of school. And I do always look back at that and like, oh, I'm so grateful because life can get quite jaded when you're down here and you're doing all these fabulous things. And then you pluck me out of there and you put me into this private, like, institution where everyone's way more well behaved and nobody even says boo to a goose or like answers back a teacher. Like it was quite normal to be a bit cheeky with the teachers and, you know, I have a laugh.

I was a class clown as well. Like, you know, history. like let's act it out you know I'm at theatre school like jumping on tables twerking with my friends like I was just very that and also to me even though I was at Sylvia's it was still like secondary to what I was doing I was working I was on set I was doing a show so like it wasn't my main focus so I think that for them got a little bit like okay this is just play time for you until you go to work and but for everybody else this is a really you know, this is an amazing institution

and people are taking it seriously and you're not. It's just like, and I think that's why really. It's interesting, isn't it? Because when I was a child actor, and you don't really question it when you're doing it, do you? It just feels so normal to you all that world. Especially when you're a kid as well, because you have very little inhibitions.

You don't really care about what people think and how you look. It's just like, there's no Instagram era as well. So you're just like, let's go. It just feels kind of normal. But I do remember one point, isn't it? Only looking back on it where I think I had an interview I had to do for some TV series or something. And I remember I was getting a bit cocky. Yeah.

And I can remember my sister answered the phone and was sort of pissing about with this journalist. And afterwards my mum was like, why did you do that? And for years I felt slightly guilty about that. And I realised that was the point of which I had to have a little word with myself. Did you ever have anything like that where you felt, were you starting to get a bit in time? entitled maybe? I don't know what the word is. Yeah, I guess like I did at that one point in my life

the world was in my eyes revolving around me. I was the star of the show. Quite literally like my leading a whole company at the age of what, 13 years old. I just filmed my first BBC show comedy with

Olivia Coleman called Beautiful People which was like super fab and camping. I was living my best life in that. So both of them jobs as well was like are imitating life. I'm literally playing characters that are parallel to what was happening in my actual life. So that's always good for, you know, free therapy, I guess. So I was doing all that. And I just, yeah, I was, dare I say an it girl at the age of 13 years old. And I just, I just, I just was living my best life. And the bubble. Sorry, I love these dogs because they always look

permanently a bit angry. A bit cross, yeah. It does look a bit cross, doesn't he? I don't know what kind of dog it is but they've got angry eyebrows and I kind of love it. Angry eyebrow brand dog. Yeah, I can see that and you, you were, did you want... But it wasn't from a bad place. It wasn't, I would like to think some people might disagree with me, but I don't think there was ever like, melis or like evilness in that. It was just kind of like, bah!

Yeah. You don't you? You have your teenage moments, don't you? But we all do. And also, oh, let's, there's a school doing... Cross country? They're doing cross country. That's the word I was looking for.

Fair play. Dullie. Dulwich. Is it there? Yeah, this posh scores around here. Oh yes, this will be, is it Dulwich College or something? See, if I stay in this area, I'd better be earning some money for when I send a good there. Lord, because to keep up, keep up with these bookings. Got those Diet Coke out. Yeah, literally. Can I say I love Diet Coke? So I'm loving your grand part.

You need to get on the DC fam. Can I say, you ended up, Leighton. After that, you got, you got. this part in playing the young Michael Jackson in Thriller? Oh yes. And I was a bit heartbroken when I heard this. Yeah, all in tits up. Well, was it partly because your voice broke? Yeah, and also maybe I like, maybe that was a moment in my,

you know, you said you had that moment where you're trying to do too much. Maybe I almost definitely knew because, think about it, I was leaving Billy Elliott because my voice was starting to go and I was getting older, so I think like 14, so why do I think I can now sing Jackson 5? I can sing Jackson Vi better now. I won't do that for the park because, you know, people are peaceful here. But yeah, it was a silly move.

But for me, I was just like any opportunity to stay in London, like, I think I'd already left Silvers by then too. So like, this was like, oh, I need to stay in the shore because this is my only connection to not having to go back home. Do you know what I mean? So I was like almost kidding myself. Oh, I've just got a cold or, oh, I've just got a cold. Like, not cute.

I literally remember going out, and you know that the music that they used on the X factor, the... Boom, boom, boom! And it'd be like, boom! And I'd have to step out, and it'd be like, bum, but da-da-da-da-da-done. And my voice just, like, left me. It was really sad. That's a really stressful thing to go through as a kid, though. It was.

And I didn't... Actually, from there, I probably didn't sing, like, properly. I just didn't want to sing anymore because I was like, well, if I can't sing Define Gravity in its original key anymore, what the hell is the point? Do you know what I mean? I mean, we've all had those days, dear. What is the point?

Like, there's actually no point. I really hope you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog. If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday. So whatever you do, don't miss it. And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.