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There’s plenty to take away from our chat with Russell Tovey, star of new four-part drama The Sister. From his big break in The History Boys to coming of age in cult sitcom Him & Her, and now his latest role as a man haunted by his past, Russell manages to vanish into his characters yet deliver unforgettable performances. Ahead of the ITV thriller’s finale, Backstage chatted to him about his enduring love of stage work, feeling the energy in a role, and the inspiration he’s found in adaptability.
On theatre as a place to grow
“The biggest transition and the biggest growth I’ve had is through doing plays. Theatre has been like a benchmark throughout my whole career and it’s been plays where I’ve learned the most about myself. That’s where I’ve learned most about acting, audiences, how to tell a story and all of that. I guess I’ve been challenged most by plays – by the endurance of doing a show eight times a week, physically and mentally keeping it fresh. Learning how to keep connecting to an audience, how to stay true to the character. Plays and the theatre have been fundamental and I will always choose a play over anything else.”
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Why he couldn’t shake off his latest role
“Sometimes you take roles home, sometimes you’re able to shake them off. Sometimes it’s really intense on set but between takes you can have a laugh. But for Nathan [in The Sister], I couldn’t wind him down. I really inhabited the role and I was stuck with him. The way I work and my process for learning lines is that when I get given sides for the next day I learn them, go to bed, wake up and they’re there. So for this, I’d be driving home or getting driven home, reading my scenes and be like: ‘OK, panic attack; OK, you’re crying; OK, that’s another panic attack.’ And you’re really in it. I had to do that because I would hate to have got to a stage where I’m watching it now and wishing I’d been more authentically in the moment.”
On finding the energy of his character
“[For Nathan] it was about finding out where his energy is at every point in his life. When he’s young, he’s ambitious, he’s a bit of a puppy dog, he’s more cheeky, and he’s more awake. It’s like his eyes are brighter. I wanted to make him vibrant; I wanted to show that so you feel the fall, you can see him crushed. When he’s realised what’s happened, he descends. That’s an energy that sits in the bottom of your stomach, like a load you carry around. And later, when he’s decided not to kill himself, I wanted to find an energy where he was trying to get back to what he had but can’t, and [his energy] is in a different place again. It’s where you sit in your body. I think I knew where he was in the story when I felt that in my body.”
On being a geek and finding inspiration in adaptation
Never apologise for your enthusiasm, whatever that is. If you like digging up shells, or swimming. If you like climbing trees, if you’re into that and want to know everything about it, don’t apologise. So many people run away from enthusiasm because they feel ashamed or embarrassed. But I felt so much happier when I embraced the fact that I am a bit of a geek instead of trying to be cool.
Something I’ve been inspired by lately is the ability to adapt – the fact that we don’t sit still and wait for things to blow over. I did a photoshoot at the beginning of lockdown through Zoom. This guy had a bit of mirror and two bits of perspex and was shooting the screen. I was like, ‘what am I doing?’ But the photos came back and they were amazing. I found that so inspiring because as artists, we adapt, we keep going, we keep telling stories because that’s what we need to do. We don’t sit around, we forge ahead, and we go: ‘Right, what’s the challenge?’ And say: ‘I’m going to rise to that; I’m going to win this, and I’m going to beat this.’
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