We spoke to the actor about all things Mr Loverman, what he looks for in roles and what the future holds.

Coat & Trousers Canali / Polo John Smedley / Shoes Grenson

You are starring in Mr Loverman, which is very exciting. What were your first thoughts when you were introduced to the script?

My first introduction to Mr Loverman wasn’t actually in the script, it was the novel that the television series is based on. The novel was sent to me pretty close around the time that it was first published. And I read it and loved it. When I was talking to my agent, I mentioned that I had just read this book called Mr Loverman and that there was a great part in it and if ever anyone got to the point of making it into a television series or a film, if we could keep an eye on it because it’s something that I fancied. That was a good few years ago.

Wow, you’ve kind of spoken it into existence, didn’t you? 

I hope so. And also they’ve reissued a new edition of the novel and me playing Barrington is on the cover of this edition of the novel, which is really full circle and nice. 

Full Look Ami / Glasses Black Eyewear

I love that. Did you re-read the book before filming? 

I absolutely re-read the book. It’s one of the fantastic things about Nathaniel’s adaptation of the book. I love how Nathaniel Price, our writer, is loyal to the book and how he’s captured the particular kind of idiosyncratic nature of the book and Barry’s voice and voiceover and Carmen’s voice and voiceover. The structure is pretty close to the book. And so it was really important to me to reacquaint myself with the book. I think I read it twice back to back in preparation for playing it before I got to the script because there’s so much in the book that was never entirely going to make it to the screen in the eight episodes that we had. It was just by way of having a more rounded and complete idea of Barrington and his relationship with Morris, but also his relationship with his wife and his relationship with his kids and his relationship with his grandchild. I just wanted to be as informed as I possibly could and there was no better material than Bernadine’s book. 

Totally understandable, it’s always good to get a more thorough overview. What is your favourite thing about Barrington? Obviously he’s both charming but also quite conflicted internally, and he just wants to live his true self. 

My favourite part of Barry is his contradictions, if I’m absolutely honest. It’s the fact that, as you say, he wants to live as his true self, but he is quite enjoying the lie, or he seems like he’s enjoying the lie in the sense that he takes great pride in supporting his wife and kids and providing for them. He likes the illusion of being a successful, heterosexual family man. He takes advantage of that. And he loves Morris. I mean, I think that on one level that was the single most important thing I had to get right playing Barry is for the audience to be absolutely certain of his love for Morris or otherwise it all really falls apart. But despite loving Morris, he can’t, or he doesn’t for a long time, isn’t able to do for Morris what Morris has done for him, which is pretty much live his whole life for this one other person, which is a very broad definition of what Morris has done. But it is still a true statement that he has given himself completely to Barry and Barry hasn’t quite yet given himself completely to Morris. 

Yeah, very true. He wants to though, haha!

He does want to. He does desperately want to. It’s just, he can’t. Well, it’s obvious he just can’t deal with all that comes with that. 

What do you hope audiences take away from Mr Loverman, particularly the Caribbean community? 

I hope they have a good, fun time watching it. I hope they are drawn to the story. I hope it makes them laugh. I hope it makes them cry. I hope it makes them have conversations within their families and within their circle of friends and within their community and with the wider community that they wouldn’t necessarily have had without seeing Mr Loverman. I hope that it sparked conversation and I think that’s to a certain extent a big wish, but it is part of the point of telling this story. It can’t be anything other, it’s not told nearly often enough for us to be kind of blasé about it. I would hate for it to be anything less than something that, you know, not for the whole world, but for any number of people. If it allows one person to have a conversation with their family or their loved ones that raises the conversation about who they love and how they love and why that’s important and should be embraced, then I’m happy.

Full Look Ami / Glasses Black Eyewear

How has the book community embraced you? Because obviously, when a series from a really popular book gets turned into a series, some people from the bookish community can be skeptical. 

I don’t look at, or read reviews at this stage of the proceeding. I’ve got a vague sense that it’s gone down well but I don’t have specific examples of how the show has been received either by the viewing public or by the reading public. I mean, when I was back in London and we were doing screenings before it was released there was nothing but support from both those watching and people who were coming to it having not read the book and people coming to it who had read the book and loved it all seemed to have good reactions to what we made of it.

That seems like a good approach. But from what I can see, it’s gone down well anyway! What was it like working with the cast and the crew? On screen, the chemistry looks really great. Were there any memorable moments behind the scenes that stood out to you?

There are many. One of them is walking into the Walker House for the first time and we shot that in two or three different locations. So the exterior of the house was around Victoria Park in Hackney, but the interior of the house was a set. And the job done by our production designer, Chris, and his team. They were amazing. And what was amazing about it is that we constantly kept forgetting that we were on the set because of the touches and what he had made of it. The generation of us that is me, Ariyon and Sharon, we’re the first generation born here, born in Britain. Our memory of growing up in that house and what it looked like and what it smelled like and what was hanging on the walls and what the importance of the different rooms were, were beautifully brought to life by our production team. So across the board, there was so much of our job that was done for us by the cast and crew being encouraged to, but also helped to do their best job. And I remember walking past a window and seeing myself in full Barry for the first time and it just completely took me by surprise because it just, it wasn’t me, it was him. And for an actor, that’s such a gift. Because then you can just concentrate on your job in a slightly different way. That is really a strong memory for me. 

Coat Ugg / Shirt Wax London

Oh, I love that. That sounds really, really special. Looking back, your filmography has been pretty impressive. Like obviously The Walking Dead, Save Me. Nowadays, what do you look for in a role and how has your approach to choosing characters evolved over the course of your career? 

Well, it hasn’t actually changed that much, to be absolutely honest. The characters I want to play are always characters that have some kind of inner conflict. I’m always interested in characters who can live as strongly and as expressively, whether they’re saying something or saying nothing. Barrington’s a very good example of it. As long as I have options I will pick the one that challenges. I’ll pick the one that’s unexpected. I’ll pick the one that scares me. I’ll pick the one that is exciting and engaging and see what comes out the other side. 

Ditto. I think sometimes it’s good to have a character that scares you, isn’t it?

I’m not really interested in playing characters I can do standing on my head. I don’t want to get bored and I don’t want to get lazy. So they have to challenge, they have to scare. 

Full Look Ami / Glasses Black Eyewear

Yeah, that is absolutely fair enough. But for Save Me, you created the show and you executive produced it as well and you also executive produced Mr Loverman. Are there any plans for creating and producing more shows or films for you in the near future or generally? 

Yeah, I’m working on a couple of things that I’m kind of writing that I may or may not be in and may or may not produce or may or may not direct. It depends on who ends up making them, when we get them made, and if I’m available or able to do it. So yeah, I’m in a kind of exciting place at the moment as far as projects that I’m looking at as just a jobbing actor and projects I’m looking at as in a more involved, creative space. So yeah, I’ve got a few things that I’m juggling and I’m waiting to get a clear sense of what we’ll be doing next year, and which one we’ll be doing first. 

Wow, that sounds like you’re booked and busy.

Trying to be booked, trying to be busy. 

Haha, sounds like a mission accomplished!

Mr Loverman is now streaming on BBC iPlayer.

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