EastEnders newbie Matt Lapinskas talks to Soaplife about being the latest Moon landing on Albert Square EastEnders are really putting the sizzle into summer with the arrival of yet another hunky new Moon. Anthony is Tyler’s big brother and 22-year-old Matt, who plays him, tells Soaplife: "I'm absolutely over the moon. It's been my lifelong ambition to be in EastEnders." What kind of a guy is Anthony? "Tyler uses his fists but Anthony relies more on his brains and prefers to talk his way out of trouble. He has no problem getting the women, but he always over-complicates things." Were you nervous about joining such a big show? "Very! I shot a couple of episodes of E20 before I started EastEnders so that broke me in. I'm lucky because Steve McFadden [Phil] is my mentor and he's been showing me the ropes. He sat me down and told me all the dos and don'ts. Basically he said you have to behave and keep focused." How do you feel about having David Essex playing your dad? "Not as excited as my mum and auntie who were like, 'Oh my God, David Essex!' David is so chilled out, just like his character Eddie. He's such a nice guy and we have a good relationship off-screen. It's the same with Tony [Discipline] who plays Tyler – we're the same age and he's like a real brother to me." What kind of relationship does Anthony have with his scheming half-brother Michael? "He idolises him. He doesn't understand what the problem is between Eddie and Michael. When Michael tells him it's a big shock…" Does Anthony have his eye on any Walford women? "I'm not sure he's looking at the moment. If he tried to get with any of the current ladies I think they'd get bored with him. His main interest is in the family business. He wants to prove to his dad that he is the man to take it over." Will you watch your first episode? "We were going to hire out the local theatre and I invited about 100 people. But they can't get a live TV licence so it looks like I'm going to be inviting around 100 people to my house instead!"
