Ralf Little continued .... So what changed then? I'd never really considered acting as a career, even though I got my first TV job when I was 13. It was only a hobby, just like playing football. Then, when I was 17, I took three months out of my final A Level year to do the Royle Family. I went back to school and got the grades I needed and started at medical school nearly a year later. But I literally started medical school in the same week that The Royle Family came out in September 1998.  | | Ralf Little as Jonny and Sheridan Smith as Janet in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps |
And all of a sudden, within four weeks, instead of having to turn up for auditions on spec and hoping for the best, my agent was getting phone calls saying "We'd like to see Ralph for this.' I was still having to audition though, but I was being asked to go for them. I thought that I would wonder for the rest of my life what would have happened if I didn't do it, so in the end it was almost like there was no choice. But at the time I agonised over it for a long time. It's only with the benefit of hindsight that I don't really think I had a choice! The Royle Family became so successful so quickly. Were you surprised?
Ralf: Yeah - but the implications for my career weren't as sudden as you'd think. I didn't even quit medical school outright - I deferred for a year. I told them I was ill! But I had to be very careful. In the first four weeks I was disappearing for three days at a time to go to London so I had to keep on telling them that I was ill. That's the only reason you're allowed to keep missing that much university. But of course, when it's medical school, all the lecturers that you're having to excuse yourself from are doctors - so you can't just reel off a list of symptoms! I reckon that I learnt more than any other medical student in those first four weeks because I was having to study medical dictionaries to find plausible illnesses! I deferred for a year because I was still a bit cynical and a bit sensible and I thought that if things didn't work out in a year I could go back to medical school. The year came round and then I made a brave decision that I probably didn't give as much thought to as I should have - thank god! What happened?!
Ralf: The deadline came round for renewing my place and I left it until the last day. I was doing bits and pieces but things hadn't really taken off and I thought 'sh*t I've got to make this decision'! In the end I had to turn down medical school. I sent the fax and as soon as I pressed the button I felt this weight lift off my shoulders. It was the biggest decision of my life. Ten minutes later (literally) my agent phoned and said she'd just had a phone call from Coronation Street saying they wanted me to do a permanent part! She said 'I'll tell them no shall I?'! Blimey! To go from the chance of certain employment to the possibility of no employment? Why?
Ralf: With hindsight I think 'well of course tell them no'. It would have been a terrible decision to do Coronation Street. With Corrie you either want to be in it for years or use it to make a name for yourself and hopefully use that to take a step in another direction. Having already made a name in The Royle Family it would have been a step backwards to do something like Coronation Street at that point in my career. Maybe in a few years time - yes - I'd love to do it. But at 18-years-old, all I could think of was security and more money than I'd ever dreamed of and fame.
 | | Ralf Little as Jonny in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps |
I thought 'I know I'm supposed to say no but I can't'. In the end I did say no so I made two of the biggest decisions of my life on the same day. Luckily it seems as though they were the right ones. What on earth did your parents say about all this?
Ralf: They were brilliant. In fact they are the absolute antithesis of Billy's parents. They never pressured me to do anything. They said I could do anything I want, that was the way they worked. So I've never really had a fear about anything which is exactly the opposite of Billy, which is why I find him fascinating. As far as medical school goes, I didn't ask them [my parents] for an opinion and they didn't give me an opinion because they knew that no matter how supportive they tried to be, whatever they would have said would have influenced me in some way and they thought that it had to be my decision. I think that they were trying to make up for the fact that they stopped me from playing football from when I was 12 to when I was 18! I was going to ask you about that because wasn't football a third possible career option?! Rumour has it you're quite good!
Ralf: I can play a bit! You're semi-pro aren't you?!
Ralf: Yeah - I am! But it was never a decision as such in terms of career. But it's always been a bit of a thing of mine - could I have been a pro? When I was 12 I was a really good player and maybe I could have been a much better player. But I'm not saying that I'm amazing or that I could have played for Man U. I did a documentary with my home town team Bury FC and they said you can obviously play a bit but you're too old at 23 - you're not going to make it. That was fair enough. But they did say that if you'd got in the game at 16 it might have been a different story. Did your parents not want you to play then? Ralf: The biggest and only mistake that my parents ever made, and bless them, they are eternally sorry for it, was that they had this idea that rugby was much more of a thinking, intelligent man's game. It was snobbery basically! They thought that that was what I should be playing even though I was passionate about football. But they made me play rugby. I'm not too bitter about it but I wish they hadn't! It has left me with a burning desire to prove to people at every turn that I can actually play footie! So you could have been playing for your team Manchester United - which we'll skim over - but it's OK because they're a bit rubbish now aren't they?!
Ralf: Cheers! How can we skim over them?! No - I never thought I was that good! Anyway, I still don't think I'd have given everything up for it. If I was a pro I'd play less football than I do now anyway, but more than anything else, even if I made it as a footballer, I was never going to be top flight or properly admired for my ability.  | | Ralf Little as Jonny with Will Mellor as Gaz in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps |
Whereas doing what I'm doing now, I love it just as much. I don't think I'm a superstar or anything but I think I'm good at this. If I work hard and learn as I go along and do the right things then I could be right up there as a well respected actor and I could be top flight in this game. Have you noticed how I've glossed over Man United being rubbish?! I suppose you're an Arsenal fan?! No - Liverpool! Ralf: Well you can't exactly talk can you?! No but I don't pretend. Ralf: At the end of the day, what can you say? It's a big club that can say they've had a disapponting season when they've only won the FA Cup! Well, we'll just stop there shall we? Ralf: At least I'm from Manchester! Do you get to go much? Ralf: No I don't. I'll probably p*ss off a lot of full on Man U fans when I say I like Man United and I want them to win but quite honestly watching football - I can take it or leave it although I do get into the big games. But I love football so much, I love playing so much that going week in and week out and watching 22 strangers on a field just frustrates me. I can't do it - I'd rather go and kick a ball against a wall for 90 minutes than watch other people play. So you don't get upset when they lose all the time then? Ralf: Tell me about it! Back >> 
| Pamela Mooman-Outz, San Antonio, Texas, America | Tuesday, 29-Jun-2004 14:03:40 BST |  | | Thanks for this story. It's good to read about someone like Ralph Little who has the courage to go for what he really wants. Bravo, Ralph!! |
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