The star of Vardy vs Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial has shared the special reason why he couldn't turn down the chance to play Wayne Rooney.
The comedy adaptation of the libel case that captivated the nation arrives at the Liverpool Empire on Sunday. Nathan McMullen plays Wayne Rooney in the show and the actor revealed he was initially confused when his agent got in touch about the role.
He told the ECHO: "My agent said there's a nice audition tape in your inbox and sent a .gif of Wayne Rooney. I thought 'what's that' but I couldn't get into my emails at the time.
READ MORE: Wagatha Christie star says Coleen Rooney's Scouse testimony will have crowd on their feet
"That night, he sent me another .gif of Rooney and I was like, 'why on earth does he keep sending me Wayne Rooney stuff?" Nathan's questions were answered when he found out he had the opportunity to audition for the role of the legendary footballer.
The actor admitted the offer came at an awkward time in his career as he had just finished another project and was hesitant as to whether he wanted to take on a new part so soon afterwards. However, the Misfits star is a huge Evertonian and said the opportunity to portray a Toffees' legend was impossible to turn down
He said: "I realised this could be the closest I'll ever get to playing for Everton so I'm gonna have to do that." The 34-year-old has strong Merseyside roots as he grew up in the region and his mum is from Walton.
The Doctor Who actor also portrays Jamie Vardy in the play and he revealed how he alters his authentic Liverpool accent to transform into the two former England internationals. He said: "With [Wayne], it's ever so slightly enhanced because my accent is quite soft. I've got to do quite a few other accents in the play as well so the process helps to pull away from Scouse and transition to more of a northern accent."
The internet exploded when Coleen Rooney dropped her bombshell tweet that accused Rebekah Vardy of selling stories about her. The play is edited from seven days of High Court transcripts and features the "juicy bits" from last year's trial, with the addition of two pundits, who narrate the proceedings.
Nathan also plays one of the two analysts in the play and claims this bring a fresh perspective to the case. He joked: "We're your Jamie Carragher and your Gary Neville." He added: "The pundits allow us to have breaks in court and entwines this courtroom drama with the world of football where these women both come from."
The show has thrilled audiences in the West End and Nathan said he can't wait to perform it in front of a Liverpool crowd this weekend. He said: "It's such a warm and welcoming city and everyone who visits feels that as well. The audiences you perform in front of are generous in that way.
"They're not afraid to vocalise how they feel, how funny they find something or how shocking they find something. When you're on stage it's lovely to feed off that immediate response."
Vardy vs Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is on at the Liverpool Empire for night only on May 28. You can find details on how to get tickets here
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