Acting grad Matthew Khan: Waterloo Road was a 'sink or swim' moment

Acting graduate Matthew Khan says portraying an abusive and coercive boyfriend on Waterloo Road (BBC) has, at times, been “unnerving”.

Matthew, who graduated in 2020, plays the part of Jared Jones who is the perpetrator in a toxic relationship.

We spoke to Matthew – whose other credits include A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (BBC) - about preparing to play Jared, returning to Waterloo Road and life after LIPA.

Tell us about your character in Waterloo Road, Jared Jones?

So, Jared arrives at Waterloo Road in Season 14 from being at a deaf school (he's hard of hearing, same as me). But he has no intention of looking back and throws himself fully into establishing himself as the new 'king' of Waterloo Road.

Within day one he has a new girlfriend, has charmed the teachers, has shown his work ethic and seems like a golden student. He never takes no for an answer, is driven, dedicated, and full of charisma.

Unfortunately, the darker side of these attributes start to reveal themselves in Season 15 as more and more of who Jared really is underneath that veneer begins to surface.

How have you prepared for the role?

I prepared like a mad man! I feel very strongly that the work that we create can have a real world impact, more so than facts and numbers. Stories that people empathise with can really change perspectives and hopefully, if we do our job right and the story justice, help people, otherwise why else are we doing it?

With this storyline of coercive control and abuse, I spoke to people I know who have lived experience of it, hearing their stories. I thought back on people I'd met who I learnt after the fact were these violent men and questioned how they could seem so different on the outside to who they were behind closed doors. I read books, listened to podcasts, watched YouTube videos of so-called 'role models' promoting these toxic behaviours that young boys are being indoctrinated in to, and really tried to understand Jared's perspective.

He, at least consciously, doesn't believe he's a bad guy, so what are these learnt behaviours, where has he picked them up from, how can he justify actions which are so violent? It was unnerving to get into the bones of this character to say the least.

How did you feel when you got the role in Waterloo Road - and was the plan always for Jared to be a returning role?

You know what, I felt a huge amount of pressure. Initially it was just going to be a four episode part, but when my agent called it became 12 episodes. I also learnt sign language for the part as Jared uses it sparingly.

The combined pressure of wanting to be authentic so as not to offend the deaf community whilst also knowing where the story is going and doing that justice was a lot. But there's a quote from Tom Holland I think where he says "pressure is a privilege" - it definitely was that. To be given that trust and faith by the producers to do this means you just have to throw yourself in, sink or swim.

Image: Matthew at LIPA in Gecko's An Invent Works Parts 1 & 2: The Show. Photography Tracey Gibbs

What has been your biggest challenge since leaving LIPA and what has been your highlight?

The biggest challenge since leaving LIPA – which is probably the same challenge I had while studying at LIPA – is mistakenly taking everything people say as gospel, whether that's advice, criticism, rejections etc. It's really useful to be vulnerable and open and take on what everyone is saying, but there are so many conflicting ideas that it can get overwhelming.

I've actually just started teaching with a focus on just asking ourselves the question "is this useful, is this helpful, at least right now?" And if it's not helpful right now, feeling free to put up some boundaries.

Highlight since leaving - probably travelling. Going outside your comfort zone, tuning into what YOU really want, in a roundabout way really helped my acting become freer. Whether it's super far away or even just in your local coffee shop, just opening your eyes and taking everything in as if it is new can make it new. Curiosity is key for me.

What was the most useful thing you learnt at LIPA?

That's hard. Obviously, the technical stuff is great, objective analysis and outside/inner work is my go-to with every character, every tape. But the biggest thing I took from LIPA was the reflective, kind of mindful side of things which probably came from Matt Dudley's voice lessons. Tuning into yourself, the stories that you are telling yourself, the doubts, and just being aware of them can really start to dissolve those blockages and free yourself up as an actor and find trust in yourself.

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Watch series 15 of Waterloo Road (UK only)

Top image: Matthew in Waterloo Road. Photography BBC/Wall To Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Charlie Swinbourne