Coronation Street star looks unrecognisable in major Netflix drama
CORONATION Street star stunned fans by looking unrecognisable in a major Netflix drama role.
Soap fans spotted a familiar face in the TV mini Netflix series, Missing You.
The series follows Detective Kat Donovan’s (Rosalind Eleazar) and how her world unravels around her when she finds her estranged fiancé on a dating app.
This leads Kat to reopen the unsolved mystery surrounding her father’s Clint Donovan(Lenny Henry) murder.
Her investigation leads to a series of shocking discoveries that threatens to upend everything Kat thought she knew about the people around her.
Based on Coben’s best-selling 2014 novel of the same name, the five-part limited series, which switches the story’s setting from New York City to Manchester.
Eleazar told Netflix’s Tudum: “She gets revelation after revelation, and she doesn’t really have time to breathe.
“You almost want her to just stop and take a breath, take stock and move forward. But she doesn’t.
“She literally doesn’t have a moment to reflect on how much trauma she has been through, and how much trauma she’s still going through.”
However, soap fans spotted a familiar face in the TV mini Netflix series.
Actor Will Barnett appeared as character Claude, also known as Tyler Jefferies in the ITV soap Coronation Street.
He appeared in series one, episode three of Missing You entitled ‘Never Too Much’.
The episode synopsis reads: “Defying Stagger’s direct orders, Kat continues to look into Dana’s case – and learns that she might not have known Josh as well as she thought she did.”
Will, now 25, looked worlds away from his soap character, as he looks a lot more maturer with facial hair, a bald head and smart attire.
Will starred in Corrie as teenager and trouble maker Tyler Jefferies from March 2018 to December 2019.
On the soap, Will was just 19 years old with a clean shaven youthful look and short ginger hair.
Soap characters who've been recast
Soap operas are staple viewing for many people, but even some of the most famous characters have been played by different actors. Here are some examples from over the years.
- Tracy Barlow: Kate Ford took on the role of Corrie legend Tracy Barlow in 2002. Before Kate, three other actresses had played Tracy – most notably Dawn Acton from 1988 to 1999.
- Nick Tilsley: Ben Price has been playing Gail’s oldest child in 2009, but the former Footballers’ Wives star is the third actor to take on the part.
- Sarah Platt: Although Tina O’Brien debuted as Sarah Platt in 1999, she is the third actress who has played the iconic role of Sarah Platt.
- David Platt: Completing the line-up of Gail’s children, David was initially played by Thomas Ormson for a decade before Jack P. Shepherd took over.
- Daniel Osbourne: For almost a decade, the role of Ken Barlow’s son Daniel has been portrayed by actor Rob Mallard. Before Rob joined, two other actors had previously played Daniel.
- Bethany Platt: Fans know Lucy Fallon as Bethany nowadays but before her, three other actresses had stepped into the character’s shoes.
- Kirk Sutherland: Before Andy Whyment took on the role of Kirk, he played by an uncredited actor in his very first appearance.
- Todd Grimshaw: Gareth Pierce stepped into the role of Todd back in 2020, becoming the second performer to play this part.
- Summer Spellman: Harriet Bibby became the second actress to play Summer, taking over the role from Matilda Freeman in 2020.
- Ryan Connor: Ryan Prescott currently plays the long-running character, but Ben Thompson and Sol Heras had earlier portrayed the role.
- Martin Fowler: Although Martin was the first baby born on-screen in EastEnders, he hasn’t always been played by the same person. His current portrayer, James Bye, is the third actor to star as the character.
- Peter Beale: Seven actors have portrayed Ian Beale’s elder son, with the current actor, Thomas Law, in his second stint as the character.
- Ben Mitchell: Ben has been played by a total of six actors – with Max Bowden bowing out of the role in March 2024.
- Bobby Beale: Before Clay Milner Russell, Ian’s younger son had been played by four other actors.
- Freddie Slater: Bobby’s best mate, Freddie Slater, had been previously played by twins Alex and Tom Kilby before Bobby Brazier took over in 2022.
- Chelsea Fox: Former Coronation Street actress Zaraah Abrahams took over the role of Chelsea in 2020. The character had been first played by Tiana Benjamin from 2006 to 2010.
- Lauren Branning: Jacqueline Jossa took on the role of Lauren in 2010, succeeding Madeline Duggan who’d played her from 2006 to 2010.
- Johnny Carter: Johnny has been played by three actors since debuting in 2013 – most recently, Charlie Suff has taken on the role.
Tyler was the son of Jed Moss and Vicky Jefferies, for a time he was the leader of a teenage gang which terrorised the residents on the cobbles.
Tyler began hanging around with Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) and later introduced him into the ranks of a gang.
The negative influence that Tyler and his gang were having on Simon’s behaviour started to show as he joined them in causing havoc for the residents of Weatherfield by vandalising parked cars and being rude to his neighbours on the street.
Eventually Simon’s father, Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), discovered Simon’s involvement with the gang – after he was witnessed by Roy Cropper (David Neilson) helping to mug Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls).
Feigning remorse, Simon turned on the tears when confronted by his father and admitted that while he was with the gang, it wasn’t him who had mugged Audrey.
While Audrey believed that he had been led astray by the gang, Simon showed little sympathy and bragged to Tyler about how he had got away with the mugging.
Tyler and his gang continued to loiter on the corner of Coronation Street.
When Carla Connor (Alison King) advised Simon to leave the gang, Tyler became aggressive and began to threaten her to stay away.
On this occasion, Carla was successful in leading Simon away from the gang.
However, this had little impact and within a day, Simon had joined Tyler in throwing a brick through a car windscreen parked around the corner from the Rovers.
In a terrifying escalation, Tyler shot Peter from the car that he was speeding away in but thankfully only with a paint gun.
Nevertheless, Simon received a text saying that next time it would be a real gun.
Simon bravely gave evidence against Tyler who was given a youth rehabilitation order and imprisoned.
Tyler returned and ended up getting Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) pregnant, who later had an abortion and Tyler moved away to Ireland shortly after.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and is available to watch from 7am on ITVX.