The right place at the right time never rings truer than it does in television. So it was that actor Domhnall Gleeson was in possession of the scripts to, by screenwriter Victor Levin, but the complexities of deal-making meant the series was still in limbo.
resides in a space of enormous emotional darkness that is antithetical to “sitcom”, it could have been an American. “For the most part, it always makes me cringe when I hear that people have to do chemistry reads,” Gleeson says. “I understand why, but if you get two actors who care about the work in the same way, even if their methods of working are different, you will create chemistry because you’re both there for the same reason.”It also pivots on the camera, Gleeson adds. The cinematographer and the directors are critical.
The tone of the series is complex. Your instinct is to assume it’s a British romantic comedy with a few dark twists, but the dark twists are very dark and, at times, the comedy seems in short supply. But to call it a “romantic tragedy” undersells one key detail: Alice and Jack are in love, and maybe just are meant to be together.Are you trying to rip parts of me to bits, I ask Gleeson, as we discuss the series’ tougher scenes.