CORNELIUS Macarthy is disarmingly honest about his prior knowledge of the roles he is playing at York Theatre Royal this year.

First it was black labourer Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and now it is Peter Pan in Mike Kenny’s new adaptation of JM Barrie’s story about the boy who refuses to grow up.

“Again, as with Mockingbird, I didn’t grow up with Peter Pan. I knew of Pan but I didn’t read the book as a child, so it was another new discovery for me, though not as new as Mockingbird,” says Cornelius.

“And when I started reading the book before doing this production, it was quite scary as everyone seems to claim to know who Peter Pan is until they have to contemplate describing him, so it’s like I’m playing a concept, as essentially he could go anywhere.

“He’s not like any other character, he is different from the rest, whereas everything is set in place for Tom in Mockingbird, but for Peter Pan, nothing is in place so you have to be more patient.”

Artistic director Damian Cruden had no particular actor in mind when he decided to stage Peter Pan as this summer holiday’s family show, but then he realised the right man was already in the building: Cornelius Macarthy.

“We first worked together in 2004 and physically he hasn’t really changed at all since them,” says Damian. “He does have this quality about him where no one can guess his age.

“But there was also a point when we were rehearsing Mockingbird, and the second time he went through his key speech, I was keenly aware of the vulnerability Cornelius can bring to a role.

“And then, just after Mockingbird opened, Cornelius asked, not in a leading way, who was playing Pan? I hadn’t really thought about it at that time, but now I thought, ‘Yes, Cornelius’.”

Defining what Damian considers to be the important characteristics that Cornelius instils in Pan, he says: “The maleness is important to it, and the vulnerability that Cornelius portrays as a performer is really vital, and so is his ability to bring something unpredictable to it – and Cornelius is also very conscious of how to build a character through the body.”

The actor quietly absorbs Damian’s analysis, then responds: “You have to trust your director and without you, Damian, I couldn’t do Pan. I follow my instincts in my acting, and that can go wrong, but that’s where Damian is important, to pull me back.”

Peter Pan runs at York Theatre Royal from tonight until September 3. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk