Darius World

Anything but Idol

Liverpool Daily Post 25 May 2007

Simon Cowell called him corny and he was laughed off the Popstars stage for his hide-behind-a-cushion execution of Britney Spears’s Hit Me Baby One More Time, but Darius Danesh has forged successes to mute even his staunchest critics.

He’s had five top 10 hits, a best-selling book, owns homes in LA and London and his current live-in girlfriend is Hollywood actress Natasha Henstridge.

In 2005, he was the youngest person ever to play Billy Flynn in the West End production of Chicago, and he is currently preparing to star as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls which premieres in Liverpool next month.

Now 26, he appears to have grown up, settled down and chilled out.

The goatee and ponytail have both disappeared, and so has the unrelenting cheesiness which inspired half the nation to balk.

And it just so happens that the most convenient place to interview this 6ft 4ins Glaswegian giant is the tiny changing room of a shop he has been doing a fashion shoot for.

He’s been modelling clothes all afternoon, and it’s apparent that Danesh has been on a charm offensive during the shoot – even the men seem impressed.

The two of us just about squeeze into the cubicle and, as we sit down with our legs virtually touching, he flashes me his trademark dental dazzle.

Love him or hate him, he is disarmingly good looking – the cream jacket he’s wearing emphasises his massive brown eyes and half-Iranian complexion.

Rehearsals for Guys and Dolls are going well, apparently.

“The dancing has been the biggest challenge – I’m learning lots of new moves that I never knew were in me. Surprisingly, my profession as a performer has never included 1940s dancing so that’s been a wonderful new hurdle to conquer,” he laughs.

He is clearly enjoying taking on another character, though.

“I think, as an actor, you have to find those attributes you can most identify with within the character you are playing,” he says.

“For me, its Sky’s fearlessness and his sense of adventure – these are things that my parents would say about me.”

Despite being squeezed out of the Pop Idol final by Gareth Gates and Will Young, Danesh was still offered a Ł1m contract by Cowell. He famously rejected it on the grounds that he wanted to write his own material.

His first single, Colourblind, beat Britney Spears to number one and his debut album, Dive In, went platinum, proving Cowell and many others wrong about what he had to offer.

Unfortunately, just as he was beginning to escape his reality-show persona, his father fell ill with cancer, which had a devastating effect on Danesh.

He has described that time as a dark and contemplative – he felt guilty about not achieving the hopes his father, a surgeon, had for him to become a doctor or lawyer, and the fact this was compounded by the ridicule he suffered as a result of Pop Idol and Popstars.

Incredibly, his father has made a full recovery, and the whole experience has given Danesh a new perspective on life.

Does he think he’s a different person to who he was when he appeared on Pop Idol? The question amuses him and he laughs.

“It’s a hard question – I don’t know whether I’m the same or more mature or immature. I don’t know if those experiences changed me or brought me closer to what I really am. I know that my life has changed.” For the better? “Yes, absolutely – I mean, I didn’t have anything to complain about before but I’m just very happy right now.”

This happiness seems to be seeping from his very pores – he is incredibly enthusiastic and talks animatedly yet slowly, leaving you literally hanging on his every word. There’s certainly no display of the conceit he was criticised for on Pop Idol.

Right now, Danesh is in the midst of writing his third album, splitting his time between LA (where he shares a mansion with Henstridge and her two children) and London.

“I love LA, the lifestyle can be very healthy – I’ve taken up rock-climbing, diving and surfing – the weather’s fantastic so you can spend a lot of time outdoors,” he says. “But the best thing is being able to hear great live music all the time – people like Justin Timberlake, Seal, Black Eyed Peas and James Blunt, it’s all very inspiring.”

So does he see himself more as an actor or a singer?

“Oh dear – that’s like asking a mother to pick between her two favourite kids.

“Me as a performer I couldn’t choose – being in the studio, recording, performing for thousands of people, taking on intricate and exciting characters and performing in theatre, they’re all gold dust.”

He remains tight-lipped as to whether he and Henstridge, whom he met at a pedestrian crossing in LA, are planning to wed. “Our relationship is fantastic, it’s very difficult to be away but we don’t let a little drop of water like the Atlantic get in the way of things,” he reveals.

“She’s been to Scotland and loved it – she may be coming over to Britain to shoot a movie, which could work out very well.”

It’s been a year since he was last in Scotland and he talks excitedly about going back.

“I’m really looking forward to taking Guys and Dolls to Scotland – I miss my parents and my brothers so much – I can’t wait.

“All my family, as well as Natasha, will be in the audience – I’ll be very nervous,” he laughs.

It’s difficult to believe his last comment, you get the impression that nothing fazes him. He is a boulder of charisma, from his walk down to his talk he naturally commands and thrives on attention. And it seems a little unfair that his name still appears to conjure amusement rather than respect.

Admittedly he’s had his fair share of embarrassing moments, from Britney to the time he flashed his particulars at a school concert (while wearing a kilt in the traditional way, he got down on one knee and, well . . . ).

But, having achieved so much when everyone expected so little, maybe it’s about time we gave the big guy a little credit.

# DARIUS DANESH stars in Guys and Dolls at the Liverpool Empire from May 29-June 9