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

Daily Mirror

4 days ago

Ex-Hollyoaks star Ryan Mulvey now plays Corrie's teenage tearaway 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.
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Played brilliantly by Corrie newcomer Ryan Mulvey, 19, since joining the cobbles in February, he's convincingly developed the character from being a bullying young offender to a hurt, confused and rejected teen.
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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.
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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.
'Brody is absolutely heartbroken,' says Ryan, who lives with his family in Altrincham, Cheshire. 'He has loved this man – Mick – all his life, even though he was a bully himself and for him to say he doesn't want anything to do with him, is shattering.
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"He looks for love and a security blanket from Kit, but he has told Brody he doesn't want anything to do with him either.'
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.
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He and his mum Heidi, who works for the National Grid, could not be prouder or more supportive 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 grandad used to play for Blackburn and my grandma, Carol (his wife) enjoys football more than all of us! There's a running joke in the family that I have never played football but I always get cast in a game!'
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And it is a football match that Kit - who has a change of heart towards Brody - dangles as a carrot to get the son he barely knows on side.
Viewers will see him take the lad to a game in the coming weeks - but it will take a lot more than that to win over the wayward teen.
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There will be twists and turns and plenty of rebellion in their relationship - something Ryan understands.
For, rather than jumping at the chance of following his family into the beautiful game, he, too rebelled against a career in football.
He says of his dad and granddad: 'They were both very good players, but I was stubborn as a kid.
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'Every person – because of dad and grandad – was like 'you are going to be a footballer'. But, as a kid, I pushed it away and said I wanted to do the opposite.
'It's a shame, as I could have the best mentor ever, but everything happens for a reason and I love the job I do now. Playing Brody in Coronation Street is a dream come true.'
And his dad was never a pushy parent.
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He continues: 'Mum and Dad have always been so incredibly supportive of me being an actor. I remember around the age of six being at a swimming lesson and everyone was asked what they wanted to do when they grew up. Some said join the army or be a footballer, but I said '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.
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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.
'Kit decides to take him to this football game, but Brody doesn't want to be there and Kit doesn't know how to look after this teenage lad.
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'Yet, even though Brody doesn't want anything to do with him, he is definitely interested. To have a role model he is proud of would mean a lot.'
Ryan is looking forward to all the contradictions at play between Kit, a cop, and his son, a young criminal, who's been brought-up by a violent, wife-beating thug.
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'They are chalk and cheese,' says Ryan. 'But, at the same time, they can both be sly and cheeky to get what they want!'
And he's having a blast filming the scenes.
'Corrie is like an amazing mad house' says Ryan. 'It's been so surreal and a total whirlwind, but it's lots of fun and I am loving it. It's like a treadmill that you just need to keep running on, but you thrive on the treadmill at the same time. I've learnt so much on the job and I've also learnt to be kind. Yes, you work long hours, but I couldn't do this job without the support of everyone who works on the programme.'
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Meanwhile, his biggest fan is his gran Doreen, who could not be prouder.
He says: 'She has been watching Corrie for 65 years and she loves it so much. She is over the moon that I am 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.
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'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.'
Sue Devaney, who plays Debbie Webster, has also been on hand to give Ryan great advice.
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He says: 'I was really stressed out quite early on when I had back-to-back scenes.
'Sue came in and told me to 'wear it loosely'. She told me to have fun and enjoy it all – she was right!'
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.
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'I am single,' he says. 'When I am out with the boys, the girls offer us drinks. 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.
'I am awful on my phone,' he confesses. '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. My friends call me grandad because of it!'
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As for the future? Ryan is very happy to keep things in the here and now.
'I am having such a great time and Brody is a brilliant character to play,' he says.
'He is complex, but the best characters to play are complex ones. People have good and bad days and Brody definitely does! He is still going through puberty and his emotions are temperamental.
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'Nobody should have a person who looked after them say they don't love them. Nobody deserves that and I feel sorry for Brody.'
For Ryan, working on Corrie has made him grateful both for the opportunity and for having such a lovely family in real life.
He says: 'I am taking every 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 also know I am very lucky to have such a close family. It's very special.'