Chat Ed : OK folks we'll get cracking, shall we? Welcome, Orlando :))
annie : yipeeeee
applet : Hello Orlando matey
Orlando Wells : Hi guys! Hope you're all well, I'm ready for your questions.
Catt : Why are you so God damn sexy?????
Orlando Wells laughs
Orlando Wells : Erm...oh god how do I answer that! You have to blame my parents!
honey : How old are you in real life?
Orlando Wells : I'm 58 going on 14.
katherine : Alex are you anything like your character?
That's a hard question katherine. Yes and no, though Alex is a computer buff and I've not been on the internet since before As If was filmed.
revilo : Are you really gay? If not then was it hard to kiss a guy?
Orlando Wells : revilo, I'm not gay.
Rees : was it really strange to be kissing another bloke, who incidentally is a babe.
Loppie Lue : Did you find it hard to play the role of a gay lad ?
Orlando Wells : The kiss was just part of the job and Adam is gorgeous anyway!
curtis : how do you cope with being a gay icon?
Orlando Wells chuckles
Orlando Wells : I didn't know I was!
Arvind : Well done Orlando for your entertaining portrrayal of Alex. He's something of a novelty in the world of teen dramas in that he's a gay bloke who has no hangups about his sexuality.Were you consious that this would make As If more radical than others dramas, and how did you decide to approach portraying Alex before you began filming?
Orlando Wells : I didn't want to make Alex into a stereotypical camp gay guy. I think he's very easy with his sexuality and I hope that that is the way that most gay people are going.
hadz : PICK ME NIGEL!!!!!!! What acting jobs have you done in the past? How did you get the part as Alex in As If? (OK, so that's 2 questions.. but please forgive me - im greedy!) xXx @L1$0n xXx
Orlando Wells : Mainly theatre before As If. I got the part through a screen test.
Angel0801 : Hello alex - i'm a great fan of urs and and think ur just gorgeous - my question is r u single??????
Orlando Wells : Sadly not, but who knows what the future brings!
Ed : Was it hard to act the emotional scenes when Dan dumped you?
Orlando Wells : Not as hard as I had feared in that I really enjoyed working with Adam who plays Dan and we both enjoyed working together.
Normanski : How does your girl friend cope with seeing you playing a gay guy? or is she 100% cool with it?
Orlando Wells : She's 100% cool with it, she just takes the mickey.
Suzanne : have you always wanted to act? Or was something else your first love?
Orlando Wells : I grew up in an acting family so I guess I have always known I wanted to act, but I also enjoy writing as well. I went to Drama School and studied it that way.
Jack : Do you have any tips to pass onto young actors wanting to get into the industry? Did you have an agent before As If? If so, how did you get one?!
Orlando Wells : I got my agent through drama school and as you probably know, it's a cut throat business so it's good to have a training behind you. I think that you need to be patient. It may not happen tomorrow and success may take a while, but with luck and hard work hopefully you will achieve it.
cameron perkins : What was your safety blanket if you failed or couldnt make it in acting?
Orlando Wells : I didn't have one, because I think if you look at the down side of life and think you are going to fail then you probably will. It was always what I wanted to do.
Loppie Lue : Did you think asif was going to be this big ?
the dippster : What is it like acting on a programme which is becoming such a big success?
Orlando Wells : I didn't think As If was going to be this big. We've already had the second series commissioned. It's very exciting that people seem to be enjoying it so much and that it has had such a good response. So long may it continue! I've grown a beard so people don't recognise me!
Orlando Wells grins
Chloe : Do your friends get jealous of you now you're famous??
Orlando Wells : I think most of my mates think it's funny. This show and my character are achieving such a high profile and they find it funny. Most of them are in the business anyway so they know the ups and downs of life as an actor.
purplesnowflakes : hey orlando! i think as if is great, how did you first get into doing the show and are there any memorable moments youve had whilst filming!?
Orlando Wells : Emily who plays Sooz spent most of the 9 weeks in between takes sleeping then trying to remember her lines. That was funny.
joeyj : Will there be more on the horizon from Dan, or has Alex really blown it?
joni : how would you like to see your character of Alex develop?
Orlando Wells : Re: Dan, I guess you'll have to wait and see but certainly Alex hopes he will return. It's always interesting to plays characters that get into trouble, so the more trouble Alex gets into the better!
Zoe h : hey orlando, very cool of you to do this chat.How long ago was the show filmed? as last week was the episode about you and dan breaking up due to your age, and the consent age was changed while ago - do you still see the other cast members?
Orlando Wells : It was shot from September through to October. I do still see the cast - we're all close mates and we all stay in touch. We all like a drink down the local.
john19 : your protrayal of a gay character is spot on. how do you get the emotions so right?
Orlando Wells : Thank you john19. Before I started the job I did have a couple of long chats with one of my best mates, who is gay, and discussed the difficulties of dealing with it during his teens. However one of the things about Alex is that he is very comfortable with his own sexuality and I hope that comes across.
Daisy Chain Noose : Whats been your favourite story line so far and why did you like playing it?
Orlando Wells : That will probably be the episode coming up soon, episode 14 I think, which is a piss take on the Blair Witch Project. All of us got to shoot certain sequences ourselves and that was great fun. We all tried to make the cameraman, director and crew redundant, and failed miserably I might add.
porcange : The personal perspective given from each character is really different and innovative to any other show around! did the almost diary like scripts attract you at all?
Orlando Wells : Well one of the exciting things about this show is the way it's shot as a kind of fly on the wall documentary/video diary. It's exciting to feel that you have such an immediate contact with your audience, and one of the other things I love about the show is the music.
Keryn : Hey Orlando.....what else did u do for research? did u experience the gay scene clubs or anything? also, sorry im being greedy, wot is 1 of the most valuable lessons u hav learnt from playing Alex so far? thanx.....Good Luck with the rest of it...xXx
Orlando Wells : I didn't go to any gay clubs, but I have been to gay pride marches a couple of times with mates and the concerts up at Clapham Common. However the way I approached Alex is that he is a guy that likes football and going to the pub with his mates and he just happens to be gay. So it's just one aspect of his character. As far as lessons go, I think one of the things that he learns is not to lie in relationships and to try and build up trust and be honest.
Chat Ed : OK folks - our half hour is up now, so last three questions now, thanks...
Martha : i'm a massive fan, what's coming up after as if?
Emma-Lee : Are you filming any thing at the moment ?
Orlando Wells : I've just finished a play down in Exeter. I've been down there for 6 weeks.
And the rest of the year is pretty much taken up with shooting the 2nd series, but before that I'm driving down to Greece, leaving tomorrow for 3 weeks.
Chat Ed : ooh lucky
lilmissgiggles : when is the soundtrack out in the shops? and who is the artist that sings most of the songs? and r u single?
Orlando Wells laughs
Orlando Wells : There are lots of different artists, David Gray, Blur, Toploader and Gomez (to name a few). I don't know when the soundtrack will be out but I know it's coming soon.
Chat Ed : ...and you can buy the CD from the Channel 4 Shop on the website.
Dean NI : so whens the new series on the tele?
Orlando Wells : The next series will shoot from May until November. So I'm not sure when it will be aired, but hopefully not long after that.
fizzy_drink : What do you do when you're not filming... any hobbies?! Thanx for making my wednesday + thursday nights more fun!!!
Orlando Wells : My hobbies are sailing, playing my guitar and having a pint down my local.
Chat Ed : That's it folks! This was the first in a series of SIX As If! chats, so do keep an eye on the TALK section of the Channel 4 website for the dates! Chat Diary will reveal all....
Smelly_Cactus : I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Geoff : I am gay and I think you are beautiful xxxxxxxxxx
heroforhire : thanx orlando!!!!!!!!
Laura as ir rocks : Bye Orlando I love ur name!
AmyW : i love you orlando xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Elle : WE LOVE YOU ORLANDO!!!!! thanks for coming to chat to us and good luck with all in the future!!!
Lizzy : i love u
Geoff : B E A U T I F U L XX
Orlando Wells : Cheers ladies and gents, lots of love, take it easy, goodbye.
Orlando Wells leaves the room
Chat Ed : This was the first in a series of SIX As If! chats, so do keep an eye on the TALK section of the Channel 4 website for the dates! Chat Diary will reveal all....
