In “Faith” he plays the part of striking miner Colin Hargreaves. If there’s anything of Danny in Colin, then his northern accent and happy-go-lucky northern attitude will make this character likeable and genuine.

For a detailed Filmography see the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/

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Stainforthonline Interview

Adge Covell - Danny Cunningham (Colin / Faith)

Adge: Hello. So, you play Colin and you are Danny….

Danny: Danny, Danny Cunningham

Adge: Would you mind telling me your date of birth Danny?

Danny: My actual date of birth is the twenty ninth of the fifth, nineteen sixty nine

Adge: And where are you from?

Danny: I'm from West Yorkshire; I'm from Bradford. Or Braford should I say, there's no D in Bratford (Laughs) I still live up there. I was in London for a while, but I'm back in Yorkshire now.

Adge: What kind of education did you have, and how did you get into acting??

Danny: Just the basic state education really. Errr…, how did I get into acting. Well, my mother used to be at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. When she was younger she was attracted to the theatre. As for myself, well I'm the youngest of six kids, so…., you have to try and stand out a bit. And I used to go and see all the shows at the Alhambra, and I sort of got into it through that, because I used go and see shows that I probably shouldn't have got in to see really at that age. I started off doing amateur stuff, in Bradford, and from there I took it a little more serious, and then I moved down to London, and I went to stage school in London. I used to dance and sing as well.

Adge: How old were you when you went to stage school?

Danny: I went when I was fourteen.

Adge: Fourteen? So, what was your first job after that?

Danny: I actually started working when I was quite young. I started working at about fifteen or sixteen, so I was a kind of a child actor really. I did commercials, the usual things… I left college and I did a couple of musicals at first, but my passion was always with acting. I always wanted to act. And… I just went on from there, I just became a jobbing actor really.

Adge: Is there any particular form of acting you prefer? I mean like comedy, drama or whatever?

Danny: You know, I really don't mind, any…., really. And if… if you can get jobs doing anything…, doing most things, doing comedy, doing straight drama, whatever…, it's the more the merrier really. I think if you can work across the board, then that's all the better.

Adge: What would you say has been your best work so far?

Danny: I'm a little fat northerner…, so I always play little fat northerners really, in a lot of things. I often play the sort of "cheeky chap", which is kind of what Col, my character, is in this. So I often play that part, but I often play a few straight roles as well.

Adge: You mentioned Colin. Could you tell me a little bit about Colin and what his part is in Faith?

Danny: Colin…, Colin Hargreaves, is in his late twenties…, a single lad…., lives on his own…, and he's a miner. He's ever the optimist, is Colin. He'll be there from day one, and he'll be there until the end really. He'll keep his chin up throughout…, he's one of those. He's an "half full" glass, sort of fellah. And he's…, you know…, he's an optimistic lad

Adge: During the actual miners' strike you would have been around fourteen or fifteen. Can you remember anything about that time and if it affected you?

Danny: I remember…., It's really weird, isn't it, because I lived then in West Yorkshire. Which is not a million miles away, but there's no pits there. So…, I'm one of Thatcher's children really. I always knew…., well, I sort of went through Margaret Thatcher's time…, and I never liked her. (Laughs) Even when I was a kid and I wasn't political, I didn't…. err…, I never really liked her. I remember people collecting, out at the supermarkets and in the town centre. I remember that. I remember the publicity on the TV, and I remember watching a lot of it. But…, I wasn't really that involved with it.

Adge: Have you got any mining connections in your family?

Danny: I have actually. My granddad, he…, all his family were down the pits. He was from Pontefract originally. My granddad did it for a bit, and I don't think it was his cup of tea, and then he became a builder. The story is…, something went on in Pontefract, and he had to get out of Pontefract; this is one story I've heard, but I don't know. So, he moved over to Bradford, and met a girl in Bradford and became a builder. Changed his life, so, I don't know what was going on there…

Adge: He changed your life too and saved you from the pits, wouldn't you say?

Danny: Well, I guess so, yeah, It's things like that…, innit…that…, yeah.

Adge: What about your family life? Are you married or single?

Danny: I've got a missus and a kid, a ten year old. A little girl…, Ellie. A little belter!

Adge: That's great. So…, what are you planning next?

Danny: After this job? Well, I'm doing a film with a girl called Sarah Polly. American / Canadian actress. And… err… Tim Robins. I play an oil rigger, and I'm stuck out on an oil rig in the Irish Sea. So, I've moved from the pits to the oil rigs.

Adge: What do you do to relax?

Danny: I'm known to sink a couple of ales! I do like a drink. Usual stuff really; snooker.., I play quite a bit of snooker and pool, stuff like that. I'm an avid football armchair critic.

Adge: Which team?

Danny: Well, I'm from Bradford and I used to go to Bradford City when I was younger. Err, I don't go there now. Errm.., most of the Premiership really. I will put my hands up to been a bit of scum supporter sometimes. I know you don't like that, I can see you wincing already! As a kid, I used to go to Leeds as well, cos it used to be only fifty pence in the boys pen,

Adge: Yeah, I think we talked about that before

Danny: Yeah we did. You're a Leeds fan?

Adge: Yeah, I used to go in the seventies

Danny: Oh, right. It's all right Leeds, but it's full of Leeds fans (Laughs)

Adge: Yeah, har har (Laughs)

Danny: Nah, I'm only joking. I used to go to Leeds quite a bit, but Bradford was my team. I went there quite a lot as a kid. Before, and around the time of the fire.

Adge: Yeah, I remember the fire. It was terrible

Danny: Yeah. I got arrested just after, up at Odsall. We used to go every week, and me and my mate Lloyd, that week, we went cos they were playing at home, and we went to meet a couple of lasses, in Leeds, instead of going to the match. And…, I have connections with people who were involved in that. It was terrible, really terrible…... Yeah, I got arrested at Odsall just after. We were playing Huddersfield and we got arrested for singing.

Adge: For singing?

Danny: Yeah, for singing (Laughs) I'd just done a little bit on Little Shop of Horrors, the film, with Rick Moranis, and I had a bleached white flat top. I looked like Billy Idol…, and this copper was marching me round like. I was only seventeen, so it was only a caution, but… He was marching me round, and all me mates were singing to me. I says to the copper, "What did you arrest me for?" and he says, "Cos you stood out cos of yer silly hair do!"

Adge: Well, I'm afraid I've run out of material, so I'll just say it's been a real pleasure talking to you.

Danny: And you too.

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