Corrie’s Ryan Mulvey has famous football coach dad who trained Marcus Rashford

Ryan Mulvey, the ex-Hollyoaks actor, plays Corrie’s teenage tearjerker Brody Michaelis. On screen he may be having dad troubles – but in real life he has a very supportive and successful father

Rejected by not one but two dads – Mick and Kit – Coronation Street fans felt every moment of teenage tearaway Brody Michaelis’ pain.

Since joining the cobbles in February, Corrie newcomer Ryan Mulvey, 19, has convincingly transformed the character from a bullied, confused, and rejected teen.

Brody was torn apart when Mick Michaelis called from the jail cell where he is languishing after killing PC Craig Tinker, escaping and stabbing Detective Kit Green, to tell him he’s actually Kit’s kid, conceived after an affair with his mum Lou and he wants nothing to do with him.

Devastated, Brody hero-worships Mick who brought him up – even planning to flee from Weatherfield with him and his two little sisters – who are living with neighbours Tim and Sally, after Lou was looked up, too.

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“Brody is absolutely heartbroken”, says Ryan, who lives with his family in Altrincham, Cheshire. It is heartbreaking for him to say he has loved this man, Mick, his entire life, despite the fact that he was a bully himself and that he doesn’t want anything to do with him.

He asks Kit for a security blanket and kisses him, but he also has said he doesn’t want anything from him.

Luckily, Ryan’s family life is the polar opposite to Brody’s and his real dad is not just a role model, but a star-maker.

His father is Eamon Mulvey, who helped train Marcus Rashford, as senior academy coach and player development mentor for Manchester United.

He and his mother Heidi, who works for the National Grid, are both very proud of their son.

Speaking to The Mirror in his first ever newspaper interview, he says: “My life is so different to that of Brody. I am really close to both my parents and my sister, Freya. They are super proud of me.

“Dad coaches at the academy at Manchester United and he has an amazing job. My grandma, Carol (his wife), and my grandpa used to play football for Blackburn, but neither of us do! I’ve always been cast in a game, but there’s a joke in the family that says I’ve never played football.

And Kit, who has a change of heart for Brody, hangs it as a carrot to win the son he hardly knows on the sidelines.

In the upcoming weeks, he will take the youngster to a game, but it will take much more than that to win over the rebellious teen.

There will be twists and turns and plenty of rebellion in their relationship – something Ryan understands.

For he too rebelled against a career in football as opposed to taking the chance of joining his family in the beautiful game.

He recalls his father and grandfather, who were both excellent footballers, but I was stubborn as a child.

” Every person – because of dad and grandad – was like ‘ you are going to be a footballer’. But as a child, I turned it down and said I wanted to do the opposite.

“It’s unfortunate because I could have had the best mentor ever, but everything happens for a reason, and I adore what I do now. Playing Brody in Coronation Street is a dream come true”.

And his father never raised children.

He continues: “Mum and Dad have always been so incredibly supportive of me being an actor. Everyone at a swimming lesson, who I recall, was asked what they wanted to do when they grew up, I can recall at the age of six. Some suggested playing football or joining the army, but I chose to be an actor. It’s lovely now to be waking up every day doing something you dreamt of when you were six years old”!

After studying Performing Arts at Manchester College, Ryan landed the role of JJ Osbourne in Hollyoaks in January 2024 – quitting a year later.

Then came his big break as the tearaway child of neighbours from hell, Mick and Lou Michaelis, in Coronation Street.

And, as the tense dynamic between him and Kit plays out, he says: “There are going to be some great scenes coming up.

Brody doesn’t want to be there, and Kit doesn’t know how to look after this adolescent, so Kit decides to take him to this football game.

“Bryody is undoubtedly interested, despite not wanting anything to do with him,” he continued. To have a role model he is proud of would mean a lot”.

Ryan anticipates all the contradictions that Kit, a police officer, and his son, a young criminal, have been raised by a violent, wife-beating thug.

“They are chalk and cheese”, says Ryan. They can also be cheeky and sly to get what they want, though!

And he’s enjoying the process of filming the scenes.

“Corrie is like an amazing mad house” says Ryan. It’s been a total whirlwind and is extremely bizarre, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s similar to a treadmill you can use to exercise all day long but still thrive on. I’ve learnt so much on the job and I’ve also learnt to be kind. Yes, you put in long hours, but I couldn’t do this without the assistance of everyone involved in the program.

His gran Doreen, who is also a fan, is his biggest supporter, meanwhile.

He says: “She has been watching Corrie for 65 years and she loves it so much. She is thrilled that I’m in the soap!

Ryan admits he is starstruck, too, after getting to work with some of soap’s legendary stars, like Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow.

“My first scene recently with Bill was amazing,” he says. “I asked him about all his earlier days and whether he went out partying! He was amazing and a total gentleman. He told me I was very good, so I am going to take that compliment with me until the day I die.”

Debbie Webster’s portrayal of Sue Devaney was also on hand to give Ryan some great advice.

He says: “I was really stressed out quite early on when I had back-to-back scenes.

Sue intervened and instructed me to “wear it loosely.” She was correct when she said to have fun and enjoy it all.

Currently single, Ryan says he finds it flattering when female fans try to buy him and his friends a drink, thanks to his soap fame.

He claims, “I’m single. The girls give drinks to me when I’m out with the boys. It’s always very flattering! “

But he doesn’t connect with fans on social media, not because he’s shy, but because he’s a ‘grandad’ with technology.

He confesses, “I’m terrible on my phone.” You can get both positive and negative comments – which I take as a compliment as it means you are doing your job right – but I don’t actually go looking for them, as I am not very good on the phone. Because of it, my friends refer to me as “grandad”!

What lies ahead? Ryan is very happy to keep things in the here and now.

He responds, “I’m having a great time, and Brody is a fantastic character to play.”

He is “complex, but the best characters to play are complex ones,” he said. People have good and bad days and Brody definitely does! He is still going through puberty, and his emotions are uncontrollable.

“No one should have someone tell them they don’t love them,” said someone who looked after them. Nobody deserves that and I feel sorry for Brody”.

Working on Corrie has given Ryan both gratitude for the opportunity and the presence of such a lovely family in real life.

He states, “I am taking each new day as it comes.” You never know what is going to happen next but I am so grateful to have been given this chance by Corrie. I am also aware of how fortunate I am to be so close to my family. It is very unique.

Source: Mirror