Actor Danny Miller is currently back in Emmerdale, with his iconic character Aaron Dingle throwing shade on mum Chas (Lucy Pargeter) after finding out that she has been cheating on husband Paddy (Dominic Brunt) with Al Chapman (Michael Wildman).
But things could’ve turned out very differently. Long before Danny Miller auditioned to play Aaron, he tried out for a role in Coronation Street.
The 31-year-old star revealed his brief brush with Corrie as he opened up about his struggle to land acting work in the years leading up to his Emmerdale casting.
“I was going for auditions and getting next to nothing,” Danny recalls.
“I’d had a lucky streak getting Grange Hill when I was 15, and thought everything was going to fall into place and I was going to be getting parts like that all the time. But it wasn’t the case.
“I was the right fit for Grange Hill but not for other stuff, so I was constantly getting knock backs.”
He continues, “I auditioned to play Michelle Connor’s son, Ryan [in 2006] and got down to the last few and had a screen test with Kym Marsh.
“And I auditioned for a Starburst advert not long before Emmerdale and didn’t get that, either.
“I thought, ‘If I can’t even get that, what’s the point?’”
The part of Ryan eventually went to Ben Thompson, although the character has since been recast twice, with Sol Heras playing him from 2012-2013 and Ryan Prescott taking up the mantle in 2018.
Danny, of course, finally got his big break in 2008 when, aged 17, he was cast as Chas Dingle’s estranged son; a character previously played by Danny Webb, sister of former Emmerdale star Charley Webb, who played Debbie Dingle.
He quit the soap in 2012 but returned two years later. He then left for a second time last year to spend more time with newborn son Albert; his first child with wife Steph Jones.
His character Aaron is now back for a guest stint as part of Emmerdale’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
“I never imagined coming back for a long period of time so soon after leaving, so when they called and asked if I’d like to be a part of the 50th anniversary, I was instantly interested,” Danny adds.
“I knew it was a short stint and I knew the storylines, and it was an honour that they wanted me to come back and say ‘Happy Birthday.’”
The actor, who joined the I'm a Celebrity winners list after being crowned King of the Jungle in I’m a Celebrity 2021, says he wouldn’t rule out returning to the soap on a more permanent basis, although admits it isn’t currently on the cards.
“I’ve got a few things on at the end of the year, including a pantomime, and then I’ve got a job next year — which I can’t talk about — so it’s not the right time at the moment,” he reveals.
“But I’m not one of those actors who says, ‘That’s it, I’ve shelved it.’
“Emmerdale is a massive part of my life and always will be. There’s never a chance of me saying that I’ll never go back.”
Emmerdale continues weeknights from 7.30pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings.
