Tylan Grant (born 2001 or 2002) is an English actor, known for playing Phoenix Hathaway in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. For his role as Phoenix/Brooke, Grant was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2019 British Soap Awards, as well as Celebrity of the Year at the 2019 National Diversity Awards.
Tylan Grant | |
|---|---|
| Born | Talia Grant 2001 or 2002 (age 22–23)[1] London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Television | Hollyoaks |
| Parent(s) | David Grant Carrie Grant |
| Relatives | Olive Gray (sibling) |
Early and personal life
editTylan Grant was born Talia Vanessa Grant in 2002 in London, to parents David and Carrie Grant.[2][3] Grant also has three siblings; Olive, Arlo and Nathan.[4]
Grant was diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder in 2009, at the age of seven, and has spoken about the difficulties he faced while attending school, due to there being little awareness on the syndrome at the time.[5] In a piece for i newspaper, Grant stated that teachers did not believe that he was autistic, and that nobody at school understood him. He also wrote: "I was scared of loud noises, terrified of certain subjects, I wasn't sure how to make friends or how to keep friendships going, how to cope when I was teased about my afro hair, or how to eat next to someone who sneezed."[6] Grant's mother Carrie revealed that when he was younger, Grant was "really badly bullied to the point where it made [him] mentally ill" and that he was "unable to escape the bullies". Father David added that Grant was hospitalised for mental health issues caused by the bullying, which transformed into cyber bullying while Grant was in hospital.[1] Grant also has dyscalculia,[7] is a trans man[8] and uses he/him pronouns.[9]
Career
editGrant made his professional acting debut in an episode of the CBBC sitcom So Awkward as Greta Masters.[10] Then in 2018, he was cast in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Brooke Hathaway, making his first appearance on 10 July 2018.[11] Grant is the first BAME actor to play an autistic character on a television series.[5] Grant appeared on Loose Women, where he explained that he is different to Brooke, since they have different forms of autism. He added how exciting it was to represent autism.[12] In 2020, Grant's parents appeared in the soap as Mal and Zoe, the adoptive parents of Brooke's newborn child.[13] In 2023, after he had transitioned to a trans man, Hollyoaks changed his character's name to Phoenix, which Grant appreciated.[14]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | So Awkward | Greta Masters | Episode: "Space Over" |
| 2018–2024 | Hollyoaks | Phoenix Hathaway | Regular role |
| 2018 | Loose Women | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2019 | Good Morning Britain | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2019 | This Morning | Himself | Guest appearance |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Digital Spy Reader Awards | Best Newcomer | Eighth | [15] |
| 2019 | The British Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated | [16][17] |
| 2019 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Young Actor | Longlisted | [18] |
| 2019 | National Diversity Awards | Celebrity of the Year | Nominated | [5] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Fame Academy's Carrie and David Grant's child Talia hospitalised after bullying ordeal". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Hollyoaks reveals star Talia Grant's real parents to cameo for Brooke Hathaway's birth scenes". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Hollyoaks spoilers: Talia Grant's real-life parents join cast as potential adoptive parents for Brooke Hathaway's baby". Metro. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Hollyoaks Talia Grant's real-life parents David and Carrie on their surprise guest appearance: "We felt like the kids"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Talia Grant". National Diversity Awards. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Hollyoaks actress Talia Grant: My teachers didn't believe I was autistic". i. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Benyon, Lucy (25 April 2013). "Carrie Grant: Life is always interesting in our house". Daily Express. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "watching one of the biggest trans celebrity out there getting crazy amounts of rude comments on their face and body is crazy depressing to watch as a trans guy :/ idk i had hope for a second". Twitter.com. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Grant, Tylan [@tylangrant] (9 January 2023). "interesting how when i had they/them pronouns it was "too hard" for people to understand and use but now that my pronouns are he/him almost everyone EXCLUSIVELY uses they/them for me…?????" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Talia Grant: What we know about Hollyoaks' first autistic actress". i. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Soap spoilers: EastEnders stabbing clash, Hollyoaks collapse, Coronation Street slap, Emmerdale deal". Digital Spy. 1 July 2018. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Hollyoaks newcomer Talia Grant opens up about her autism on Loose Women". Digital Spy. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Hollyoaks welcomes two very SPECIAL GUEST STARS!". What's on TV. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (25 August 2023). "Hollyoaks star Tylan Grant confirms character name change to Phoenix". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "The Digital Spy Reader Awards 2018: Vote now for your Soap favourites of the year!". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "British Soap Awards 2019: winners in full". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Here are the British Soap Awards 2019 winners in full". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Inside Soap Awards 2019 longlist revealed – which Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks stars are up". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
External links
edit- Tylan Grant at IMDb