THEY say that art imitates life but it was the other way around for Liam Mower.

He was just 12 when he made his big break as Billy Elliot in the West End musical.

But Liam's journey shares more than a few parallels with the character of Billy Elliot, played by Jamie Bell in Stephen Daldry's film, as both end up working with Matthew Bourne on Swan Lake.

Ten years later and Liam is now facing his next challenge as Edward Scissorhands, Bourne's adaptation of Tim Burton's classic gothic fairytale.

Luckily for Liam, there are no parallels with his life this time around but the roles of young male ballet dancer and artificial boy are actually not as different as you might think.

Both characters struggle to fit in and both stories deal with prejudice and isolation.

"That’s what I love about working with Matthew Bourne as not only do you get to do so many dance styles, you get to act and be a character and part of a story," said Liam.

"It’s an amazing opportunity. I watched Edward Scissorhands when I was really young and when I revisited the movie to do research for this I did take an awful lot from what Johnny Depp did with the character.

"The story is a little bit different but the themes are the same. The Edward in the show is very much based on the character in the movie.

"So I did draw a lot of inspiration from the movie but also from a lot of other things. Matthew had told me to look into a lot of silent movie stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton because Edward is so animated.

"He’s a new person and he has to learn to live and grow as a person as at the beginning of the show he has to learn everything from scratch and that starts with walking.

"I liked the style of the movie and, watching it as a little kid, I understood the story really well.

"Anyone can take something from it though. There are adult themes and childhood themes and that is what is so great about the movie and that is echoed in the show.

"Kids love because it is quite magical but there are very dark and adult themes in it as well."

So what has it been like working with Matthew Bourne, the director and choreographer who has reinvented and helped change the perceptions of dance theatre?

"It’s been really fantastic," Liam added.

"Matthew is such a great person to work with and it’s nice to call him my boss. It has been an ambition of mine for a while to work in his company and it has been a really creative experience.

"I was 19 when I got my first job with the company and it was a dream come true to do his work and try different styles.

"What is amazing about the work is that it is so varied. If you compare the shows they are all so different in terms of dance style and storyline.

"His work is really heavy on narrative and so if you come to a Matthew Bourne show you should definitely expect to be taken on a journey."

Liam's first taste of the stage was when he played an orphan in his school's production of Oliver. Just two years later he was playing Billy Elliot.

The 22-year-old said: "When you’re that young you take everything in your stride and take every day as it comes. I never used to really get nervous or affected by things. It’s only now as I’ve got older that I do get nervous and I guess I care a lot more now as I’ve got more of an understanding of how important it is.

"But I loved being on stage. I don’t think that’s ever changed. The experience and opportunity opened a lot of doors for me.

"I had to grow up quickly as I was one of just a few kids surrounded by a lot of amazing performers."

- Edward Scissorhands is at Liverpool Empire until Saturday. For our review of the show, turn to page 55

DAVID MORGAN