Leeds Rhinos captain bitten by acting bug

The 26-year-old forward has taken a role in Connected, a multi-episode radio show produced by Leeds-based Red Ladder Theatre Company.

Ward got his first taste of acting two years ago when Rhinos visited Melbourne for the World Club Challenge and he - along with then teammates Kallum Watkins and Ryan Hall - made a cameo appearance in the television soap Neighbours.

“That’s when I first caught the bug,” said Ward.

“From there I had the chance to do a bit of live theatre, Arts in the Arms, at the Cardigan Arms pub in Kirkstall Road.

“That was something I did at the back end of pre-season.

“I did an eight-minute duologue with an actor called Paul Fox, which was written by Chris O’Connor.

“Now the same writer, who works for Red Ladder, has involved both of us in a radio play that’s set from when we started hearing whispers about coronavirus and then progresses through the stages which we’ve all experienced.

“It is being written as we go, which is really interesting.”

There aren’t many experiences to match playing top-level sport in front of a live crowd, but for Ward, acting produces the same sort of buzz.

Arts at the Arms gave him a taste for it and he recalled: “I remember the feeling I got before going on and I was sat there through the course of the night, for two and a half hours, watching everyone else doing their thing.

“I remember thinking ‘why am I here, what am I doing here’? A surge of adrenaline and nervous energy took over me and I went out and did the bit of acting and felt amazing from it.

“I got such a buzz and such a high so I jumped at the chance to do something so special in terms of this radio play which is really relevant to what’s going on now.”

Ward plays Danny, a “26-year-old sparky, a bit of a wind-up merchant”. He said: “He’s a Liverpool fan and takes the mick out of his mate for being a Leeds United fan.

“It’s all relevant stuff to the coronavirus, but surrounded by different storylines that pan out as you go - and also a lot of banter and jokes. It’s a bit of me in there.”

The first two episodes are available now. Episode three was due to appear on Ward’s website - mantalitymagazine.com/podcasts - today, with another set for Friday and Ward is hopeful the show could be picked up by other platforms, including the BBC.

“It’s pretty exciting because there’s going to be episodes going out every week,” he added.

Players including Keith Mason and Rob Parker have gone from rugby league to acting and Ward understands the attraction. He said: “Acting is something I definitely want to dabble in and try out and experiment with.

“I am having an opportunity to do that now and I know it is definitely something that could replace the high and the buzz of playing.

“That’s really worth thinking about and getting involved in, even if it’s at a small level - though I’d aim to go bigger.

“The process of learning the lines, learning something new, developing a character and then performing it is a real buzz.

“I missed out on doing performing arts as a youngster because I was always on the rugby field.”

Ward’s former teammate Jamie Jones-Buchanan, now an assistant-coach at Rhinos, is on the board of Red Ladder and has acted in past productions, including rugby league drama Playing The Joker and Leeds Lads.

“I’ve been asking him for advice,” Ward said. “I remember the full team going to watch him in Leeds Lads and he acted and sang in front of the whole of the team.

“Big respect to him, I don’t know if I’d be able to do that, ever. He has set the bar.”

Meanwhile, Ward is still feeling the effects of the head injury which sidelined him after Rhinos’ first game of the season, in February. He confirmed: “It’s still frustrating me, but I am on an upward curve - I am going to get there eventually.”

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