He is best known for playing hapless Barry Evans in EastEnders.
Yet Shaun Williamson was clearly keen to banish the image of the foolish soap character when he appeared on Loose Women on Friday, during which he met with the cast of Netflix makeover show Queer Eye.
The 52-year-old Extras star appeared on the show where he started off the scenes in an ill-fitting shirt before he was transformed into a slick bomber jacket.
Who’s that guy? Shaun Williamson was clearly keen to banish the image of the foolish soap character when he appeared on Loose Women on Friday, during which he met with the cast of Netflix makeover show Queer Eye
Appearing on the show as a project for the Fab Five – of which four were present – he was transformed to shed his old look.
He spoke to the audience about how hard it is to shed the association with Barry due to the fact he was so well-known on the show.
He said: ‘It’s literally not gone away. We were lucky to get the end of the big audiences because there were less leisure opportunities in those days. We got 20 million an episode on a bog standard Monday night so it hasn’t gone anywhere’.
Tan France, the show’s fashion expert, revealed they had pushed his hair away from his face and given it more volume to add to his look.
Way back when: The 52-year-old Extras star appeared on the show where he started off the scenes in an ill-fitting shirt before he was transformed into a slick bomber jacket (pictured as Barry)
Wow! Appearing on the show as a project for the Fab Five – of which four were present – he was transformed to shed his old look
He said: ‘We made sure his hair didn’t look like Barry’s. He looked much older than he was and I don’t think Barry would ever have worn this. You look 20lbs lighter, you look younger.”
Talking through the look, he said: ‘The most dramatic change is his outfit. I don’t think Barry would ever have worn this. You look 20 pounds lighter and younger.’
Culture expert Karamo Brown spoke about how hard it can be to shed an image: ‘We all get into that rut where people call you a title.
Dramatic: Talking through the look, he said: ‘The most dramatic change is his outfit. I don’t think Barry would ever have worn this. You look 20 pounds lighter and younger’
‘I want him to separate work and personal life. You are not Barry – you are Shaun and you are excellent.’
Last year when he headed into the CBB house, Shaun cheekily joked he would have ‘Barry from EastEnders’ written on his gravestone.
He said: ‘Hello I’m Barry from Eastenders. No I’m not that was 13 years ago – let it go Shaun. Hello. I still get what I called ‘Barried’ in the street.’