Rob Brydon teases his celebrity doppelgänger could have been Gavin & Stacey's Uncle Bryn
Welsh actor and comedian Rob Brydon has teased that his celebrity doppelgänger could have been Gavin & Stacey's beloved Uncle Bryn, had he not taken on the role. In a festive episode of the Dish Waitrose and Partners' podcast, presented by Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, Rob revealed that he had almost passed on the role and jokingly remarked that it could have gone to English actor Ben Miller.
In past interviews, the two actors have discussed that they are often mistaken for each other. During the Dish podcast, with the episode aired on Wednesday, December 11, Rob Brydon discussed family life, his favourite and least favourite food, as well as Gavin & Stacey.
He also explained that he was close to rejecting the role of Uncle Bryn. While chatting to Nick and Angela, the 59-year-old actor shared that he had concerns about being typecast due to a similar role he played in the Welsh series, Marion and Geoff.
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He then said: "At that stage in my life, about 2006, 2007, I was still thinking, 'Oh, well, you know, I've got to be...' I hadn't started doing Would I Lie to You?" Rob admitted that he had aspirations of being a versatile actor who could take on any role, but eventually decided to focus on projects that he enjoyed.
He went on to discuss his decision to become the host of Would I Lie to You? and how family life influenced his career choices. Despite the allure of filming on location, he preferred roles that allowed him to stay closer to home.
He said: "I started having my two boys in my first marriage, and so you don’t want to then be away shooting films or dramas, it’s glamorous, but the reality is anything but. You are miles away from home, getting up at the crack of dawn, you don’t see your family. So I wanted things that would keep me closer to home".
Referring to Gavin & Stacey, he added: "And I knew that the script was just superb. So off we went and thank god I did. If I hadn’t, can you imagine?" Nick Grimshaw jokingly suggested that the role may have gone to the music legend Sir Tom Jones, while Rob suggested it could have gone to his "doppleganger" Ben Miller.
Rob amusingly revealed that he is often mistaken for Death in Paradise actor Ben Miller, and speculated that if he had turned down the role of Bryn, Ben would have been a likely replacement. He quipped: "It'd be Ben Miller, wouldn't it? It'd be Ben - I always get mistaken for, mistaken for Ben."
As it happens Miller, who is one half of comedy duo Armstrong and Miller with Alexander Armstrong, has a Welsh mother and back in 2015 he appeared on BBC One Wales’ Coming Home when he found out he was also distantly related to Abraham Lincoln.
In the podcast, Brydon also expressed his love for the character of Bryn and the cast of Gavin & Stacey. He said: "The actor also discussed Gavin & Stacey. He said: “From my point of view, what an absolute treat to be a part of a thing that is so beloved, because you could have your hit show, but this, people want it. I haven't seen [the final episode] yet, I’ve only read the script, I think it’s going to be really good.
"I just don’t want to tempt fate. We had such an emotional time making it. Some people might say, 'you’re just an actor'. 17 years of doing this, everybody loves everybody, there’s nobody who doesn’t get on with anybody else on it - we all love each other.
"And there we were, knowing it was going to be the very last episode and so there were several times, I’d feel myself kind of filling up as I looked around and see these people that I have been on this journey with over all these years. It’s brought so much to all our lives. To be in that, with a character I find so easy, I mean Bryn to me is like putting on a pair of comfy slippers. It was very little effort required".
For nearly 20 years, the Welsh actor has made us laugh - and at times cry, with his fantastic performance as Uncle Bryn in the BBC comedy series. But this Christmas, the actor will star alongside the stellar cast of the show to say their goodbyes in the last ever episode, which will be aired at 9pm on Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25).
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale will be aired on Christmas Day at 9pm on both BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
