Antnee does a Gwyneth; Young Brookside actor (and co-stars) in tears at Soap Awards.

Byline: Laura Davis

WHEN the teenage boy with the face of an angel burst into tears on stage his audience cried with him.

It was the first time Raymond Quinn's co-stars had witnessed him sobbing for real.

Yet for months they had watched his award-winning tears of fear and sadness at the hands of bullies on the set of Brookside.

Hundreds of soap stars with decades of acting experience rose to their feet as he collected the award for Best Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards - echoing the reception Gwyneth Paltrow got when she cried during her acceptance speech at the Oscars in 1999.

While many other 13-year-olds would be too concerned about their ``street-cred'' to weep openly in front of millions of viewers, Raymond remains unfazed.

Currently starring in arguably the most shocking storyline to hit Brookside Close in recent years, he is thrilled to have reduced an auditorium of stars to tears earlier this week.

``I was really surprised. I didn't have a speech prepared. I was crying and had my hands over my face,'' said Raymond, who plays Anthony Murray in the soap.

``I felt really honoured to pick up the award and it's fantastic to have people who have been in the profession for so long saying they are proud of me.''

Raymond joined Brookside over two years ago and has since captured the nation's hearts with his portrayal of the lovable ``Antnee'' who is driven to drowning one of his classmates - the vicious bully Imelda Clough.

Raymond, from Childwall, said he was undaunted by acting such unsettling scenes, which saw the programme win the Best Storyline award.

``I thought it was a really good storyline because it was something I could get my teeth into,'' he said.

``When I do the scenes, I think about other things to help me. If I have to be scared, I think about scary things and, if I have to cry, I think about sad things.

``The scene I won the award for is the one where I get pulled out of the house by the Clough family. I thought about being pulled away from my own mum and that made me feel upset and angry and when I get angry it makes me cry.''

Although Raymond has not been the victim of bullying himself, he has suffered some teasing from jealous classmates at Gateacre Comprehensive School.

``I've had the odd person calling me names but I just laugh back at them,'' he said.

``Since the storyline began, I've had a lot of letters from people saying what they went through when they were bullied.

``Anybody getting bullied should say something because you can't keep it to yourself or it'll get worse. That's what Anthony did because he was too scared, but it doesn't work.''

To balance his acting career with school work and his hobbies, including skateboarding, singing and dancing, Anthony has a hectic schedule carefully executed by his mother, Valerie.

``Around 99pc of my time is spent on Raymond. I'm always organising things for him, sorting out his lines, highlighting, making sure he gets to where he has to be on time,'' she said.

Raymond is the youngest of three sons, the older two are 23 and 32, and both followed their father Ray into the floorlaying trade.

Valerie said: ``I didn't want Raymond on his knees.

``When he started acting, I wasn't worried about his schooling at all because he's a bright lad.''

Although a little worried about the disturbing nature of Raymond's latest scenes, Valerie was confident he would not be upset by them.

``I was slightly concerned but Raymond handles himself very well. He seems able to switch off when he comes home,'' she said. ``He has to because as soon as he gets in he has to catch up on his schooling.

``I was so proud of him when he won the award that I was crying and laughing at the same time. I cry every time I see it on TV.''

Since the soap awards, critics have pointed to Raymond as a rising star, but for now the teenager is content to stay in Brookside Close.

``I'd like to be in Brookside as long as possible. I enjoy it so much,'' he said. ``I've lots of ideas of how I'd like Anthony to change. I'd like him to be a nice, normal boy again. I'd like him to be the new Tinhead and become naughty.

``I don't want to go anywhere else yet but if I had to say what I would like do later on I would say an all round entertainer - someone like Gene Kelly.''

CAPTION(S):

VICTIM: Raymond as Anthony in Brookside with mum Valerie; TEARS: Raymond Quinn accepts the award for Best Dramatic Performance for his role in Brookside; TEARS: Gwyneth Paltrow; DISTRESS: Anthony being attacked in the school toilets