One big Happy Valley family: James Norton could not be closer to Ryan Connah trends now
It's the gripping storyline that lies at the heart of the BBC’s hit drama Happy Valley – the efforts of Sarah Lancashire’s police sergeant Catherine Cawood to keep her grandson Ryan away from his psychopathic father.
But in real life the teenage actor who plays Ryan has forged a touching bond with James Norton, the Hollywood star who portrays dangerous convict Tommy Lee Royce with such manipulative menace.
Sources say Norton has even become something of a father figure to his protege Rhys Connah, who is estranged from his own dad.
In real life the teenage actor who plays Ryan, Rhys Connah, has forged a touching bond with James Norton, the Hollywood star who portrays dangerous convict Tommy Lee Royce
‘It is the most lovely bond that they have, they have loved working together throughout the three series and they keep in close touch away from Happy Valley. It has been so inspirational for Rhys to see James get more and more successful and famous.
Indeed, Connah, now 16, has been full of praise for his mentor, saying: ‘He brings so much to the character, like the energy. You see him on set between takes and he’s such a nice person, and then we’ll start filming and he’ll just instantly switch and there’s this psychopath.’
The pair have shared photos of their meetings on social media, including an afternoon in London where they enjoyed an orange juice when Connah was just seven.
They have also posted heart-warming pictures of themselves together on set. One shows Norton, 37, giving Connah a photo frame containing three pictures of them together, with a sign that reads: ‘The Boys’.
The pair play father and son, Tommy Lee Royce and Ryan, in BBC’s hit drama Happy Valley
Connah was brought up by his single mother, Jennie Hoolahan, 36. Away from acting, he uses her surname, rather than that of
