Chart-topping X Factor winner Matt Cardle is to make his acting debut after singing star Beverley Knight picked him to join the cast of Memphis the Musical in the West End.
Cardle, 32, won the ITV talent show five years ago and had a No 1 with his first single, When We Collide.
He will now take on the lead role of Huey Calhoun — loosely based on radio DJ Dewey Phillips, who defied segregation in the American South to promote black music in the Fifties.
“It’s a great unknown for me, especially the acting side,” he said. “I haven’t been so scared of anything since X Factor. But anything that scares you is good for you.
“I’ve been a musician all my life and I never thought I would go on X Factor and look where that got me? So I’m super-nervous but also excited.”
Knight, who is continuing in the role of Felicia, said it was a great addition to the cast. “We all know he has a fantastical voice — I think many will be wonderfully surprised by his ability on stage,” she added.
Cardle, who lives in west London, was working in the studio on his fourth album when he received an invitation out of the blue from Knight and the Memphis team to see the production: “I fell in love with the character and I fell in love with the show.”
He said that he identified with Huey Calhoun and the story of musicians trying to get their music heard, because he had spent years working to break through. “It’s that age-old musicians’ struggle. I can totally relate to that.”
The first-time actor said he faces challenges before he joins the show on July 6, as “I’ve never learned a script.”
But he said he had been reassured he has enough talent to hone, and added: “To perform alongside Beverley Knight every night is a huge honour.”
