Interview - Paul-Ryan Carberry: Actor's golden opportunity to step into the shoes of Billy Liar

Paul-Ryan Carberry has done things a little differently. At 23, the young actor has bypassed the first step and, since leaving Mountview Performing Arts Academy in 2008, has landed impressive roles one after another.

"I'm very aware that I've been a very lucky boy," says Carberry, taking a break from rehearsals of Billy Liar at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Carberry is playing the title role in the Courtyard theatre production which opens the new season for the Leeds theatre.

Carberry's first job straight out of theatre school was as the lead in All the Fun of the Fair, a musical which starred David Essex.

"That was an amazing job to get straight out of drama school. I suddenly found myself playing the lead in a national tour of this fantastic play with an amazing cast."

He also found himself working with someone else of whom Yorkshire can be proud – Skipton born and raised director Nikolai Foster, who has gone on to become one of the hottest young directors around today.

Despite his lack of professional experience Carberry impressed enough for Foster to cast him again and, following his second job, at Manchester's Exchange Theatre, he landed the role of Young Scrooge in the Christmas production at Birmingham Rep, in the theatre's big festive show, directed by Foster.

At the moment in his career, every job is the biggest of his career, but that would probably be true of his next role, even if he had a few more years of experience under his belt. "It's one of those things where you know of the play by reputation," says Carberry. "I hadn't read the novel or seen the film or anything, but I knew of the play." The story of Billy Liar came from the novel written by Leeds writer Keith Waterhouse, who wrote it in 1959. A year later Waterhouse and Willis Hall adapted the story into a play which became a huge success, starring Albert Finney. Tom Courtenay went on to play the title role on film.

The hero of the story is Billy Fisher, creator of worlds. To some he is a fantasist, but it is his fantasy world that helps young Billy to survive his hard, working class, northern upbringing, while his creative dreams take flight in his imagination. "Oh yes, the importance of what I'm doing is very apparent to me," says Salford-raised Carberry. "Being here in Leeds, where the play is essentially set, the fact that it's the 50th anniversary production. It's a gift of a part."

Next week Tom Courtenay will be at the Playhouse, talking about his experiences of playing the role.

Carberry, presumably, is intimidated at least to some degree by the magnitude of what he is taking on: it is one of those stories and plays that inspires a deep love and passion, particularly in the North and very particularly in Leeds.

"It's a Northern piece, I think, and is about the Northern family and that's something I think we can all relate to. Whichever side of the Pennines, Northern families are the same," says Carberry in answer to a question about a Lancastrian taking on a part so rooted in Yorkshire.

But of the part itself?

"I haven't watched the film. I just can't afford to do that. I've read the novel, which has been really helpful because it's written in the first person, it's just him talking. It is beautifully articulate – there's a line that has been a big key for me where Billy says something about the emotion being back inside, back where it belonged. The imagery is so vivid – you have this background that is quite bleak and grey and you have this protagonist throwing splashes of colour across the landscape – that is a great image to remember.

"But I don't want to see the film until after I've done it because you are bound to pick up on some of what the other actor has done, his choices with the part and I want to avoid that.

"Some people might come expecting to see their Billy Fisher, but it's not my job to second guess what they want to see. Whatever happens, win or lose, I want it to be my performance."

West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, to October 2. Tickets 0113 213 7700.

Acclaimed Yorkshire-born actor Sir Tom Courtenay is to speak about his role in Billy Liar with Guardian journalist and novelist Laura Barton at West Yorkshire Playhouse on Friday, September 10, from 5pm.

The "in conversation" event is in conjunction with the Playhouse's 50th anniversary production of Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall's Billy Liar.