Coronation Street's Ali King & Chris Gascoyne Speed Round (2018)

Photo by SS / The Acumen Group / (c) 2018

The Acumen magazine team usually ask a series of short response questions, known as the Speed Round, to end celebrity interviews. The function of the Speed Round is to determine whether or not we’ve made the subjects comfortable enough to divulge more candid information about themselves or their beliefs. None of the questions are particularly risqué or controversial, but do offer insight into the performers, rather than the characters they portray. For Ali King and Chris Gascoyne, who portray Coronation Street’s Carla Connor and Peter Barlow, Acumen decided to have them do the Speed Round, together. In addition to their marvelous abil ity to complete each other’s thoughts, (they really are like an old, married couple), I was curious about how well they knew each other off-set. To our delight, King and Gascoyne brought humor and fun to their responses. Enjoy!

Name the last book you read

Chris: People of the Abyss by Jack London which is a great book. I read a lot. I’ve started to try and paint now, but I’m useless. I need to know how to build up the canvass.

Ali: Well, we can paint together.

Chris: Well, we could try. I’m not very good at it.

Ali: I’ll show you how, Chris. As for what I’ve been reading, (pulling the book from her tote) The Year She Stole by Jonathan Harvey, who’s one of the Coronation Street writers. It’s very good.

If you weren’t acting, what would you do for a living?

Ali: Massage…I’m good at massage. I’d like to own a little coffee shop with those lovely chairs that you can sit in and lean forward. That would be a nice, calm place for people to meet and have coffee and get a massage. I’d love to get qualified for it and it’s one of my favorite things to I’d like to do.

Chris: I’d like to…

Ali: Work at my massage shop?

Chris: I think I’d like to have a little coffee shop with you!

Tattoos and Piercings?

Chris: All of my tattoos are real; most I got when I was pretty young. No piercings though.

Ali: No tattoos as yet, and only the ears pierced. Oh, I used to have a bellybutton ring, but that’s gone now.

What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self today knowing what you know now about life?

Ali: Know how beautiful and young you are and embrace your spirit and go do whatever you want to do because you can do it. Don’t be scared of getting out there or of asking for help. Appreciate the body you’re in; and hang around nice people who are kind to you because kindness is so underrated.

Chris: I agree with that. And just don’t be scared to do things because it’s all over one day. It doesn’t feel like it, but one day you’ve gotten old and you’re like ‘What am I doing?’ I guess, above all else, have fun. And I don’t mean fun in the sense of drinking and going mad, but in the sense of happiness and laughing a lot, and not caring about the judgements of other people.

Name your one guilty pleasure

Ali: Playing pool and having a pint.

Chris: Watching I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here… (laughing). I hate all that, but it’s the one thing I do watch, and I find it fascinating. I couldn’t do it and I admire the fact that these people are doing it, but also wonder what they’re doing at the same time. I love that I get slightly excited when it’s not so far away and the line up is coming out. Yeah Ali, you never knew that about me, did you?

Ali: No, I never would have said that in a million years, so it really is a guilty pleasure.