Mason star Luca Toolan reveals celebrity dad’s reaction to his dark role in Coronation Street

Actor Luca Toolan joined Coronation Street in September 2023, playing the part of Mason Radcliffe – a seriously troubled individual who has made young Liam Connor (Charlie Wrenshall)’s life hell with his vicious bullying.

In real life Luca is thankfully nothing like the evil Mason, but he told us he thoroughly enjoyed getting into the mindset of his character.

‘It’s stuff that you don’t get to do in real life but it’s encouraged, it’s play,’ he explained.

‘It’s interesting to delve into a character who is so troubled because it allows you to truly put yourself into someone else’s shoes. I’m a big geek for human psychology. I love to do the work on why Mason is the way he is, his family, his upbringing, his thoughts… Just the way people are intrigues me so much.

‘So to play a character that is so demented and that is so far from what I am, has been a treat. It gives you juice, something you can dig your teeth into.’

Luca does such a good job of making Mason entirely loathsome that he even finds it difficult to watch himself.

‘I hate it,’ he said, and clarified: ‘I don’t mean that in a self-conscious actor way. I hate what he does.

‘I hate it because Charlie [Wrenshall] plays the part so well, he’s got this innocent hurt look to a T. And when I’m watching I get why the viewers feel the way they do. But I guess that lends to the strength of the storyline and the characters. If it can have that effect on me then hopefully it can have that effect on others.’

Luca’s dad, Mike Toolan, is a radio DJ who, according to his son, has ‘mingled with all of the [Corrie] cast at some point years and years ago. My dad’s on the radio, Manchester based radio so at press nights he would have seen them and stuff.’

Mike currently presents a show on Hits radio every weekday afternoon with former Coronation Street star Brooke Vincent (who played Sophie Webster), so he has many Corrie connections.

He visited the Corrie set again recently with Luca and met his co-stars Liam McCheyne (who plays Dylan Wilson) and Charlie Wrenshall. ‘He loved it,’ Luca confirmed.

While Mike is undoubtedly proud of his son, Luca told us that it’s also hard for him and other family members to watch the awful things that Mason gets up to.

‘For the most part I watch it with my dad or with my grandma, or family, I rarely watch it by myself, he commented.

‘They just look at me like “Is this what you’re capable of?”