DEADLINE: Youre in LA right now, as a fellow Brit, what do you make of it?
I actually do like it.
I like the weather.
Benedict Evans
I definitely have seasonal affective disorder, I think, so its quite nice to be in the sunshine.
I just moved back to London five months ago.
DEADLINE: What was the process of coming to3 Body Problem?
When I auditioned, it was sort of shrouded in high-profile Netflix projects mystery.
But I was told, youre not allowed to know anything.
None of us know anything.
But obviously, you’re free to Google a little bit, knowing about the books.
you’re free to gather quite a lot of information just from a couple of scenes.
So, I was intrigued by the character, although I knew almost nothing.
But I was immediately intrigued.
DEADLINE: Youd been in the 2019 unaired prequel pilot ofGame of Thrones.
Given that, how was it to work withGame of ThronescreatorsD.B.
They never really made reference to it.
It never really came up.
I was playing an almost opposite character in that I was a bad guy in theGame of Thronesthing.
DEADLINE: How did David and Dan and Alex explain your character of Will in3 Body Problemto you?
They described the character to me and the characters arc in Season 1 as the heart of the season.
And I thought, oh, Jesus, no pressure.
I weirdly kept thinking about a Patrick Marber quote from that play,Closer.
So that was my first instinct, to attempt that.
But hes really going through a very, very particular set of circumstances.
And it wasnt something I could relate to, really.
As Alex just walking around the world, Im not walking around totally at peace with my own mortality.
That would be nice, but thats not happening.
Were not all zen and at complete peace philosophically.
It sounds dramatic, but it did kind of completely change my life.
DEADLINE: How so?
Well, I think in Western civilization, we have a very cautious relationship to mortality.
Im thinking about specifically Varanasi in India.
And I just think Western society is behind on that in a multitude of ways.
It was very personal to me as well.
I got grumpy because it terrified me so much.
I was trying to find an excuse to give myself to not do it.
DEADLINE: But you did.
Because the character, he really loses everything.
He loses his friend, hes lost his career, hes lost the girl that he loves.
DEADLINE: Yes, theyre flying around doing weird, crazy things in alternate realities.
Or theyre seeing numbers and the skys blinking, and just really cool st, and very exciting stuff.
I mean, my scenes were with one other person, and often alone.
Theres nowhere to hide.
Also, the character is already so stripped back.
So, it was a really interesting exercise in simplicity.
Because being on a set, you are always crippled out of the blue with blinding levels of self-doubt.
Thats just part of being…
I mean, I dont know any actor who doesnt experience that.
You have to protect yourself from the distractions.
I think, its a huge part of set life, especially with a character like Will.
It just felt like a very distinct, different track.
DEADLINE: How did you build those connections with your co-stars?
Well, different directors work in ways.
Jeremy Podeswa likes to rehearse.
So, youre kind of pivoting with the different directors.
Theyre really tough scenes and theyre really, really delicate scenes, and theyre very simple.
So usually thats gathered by just going out for gin and tonics quite a lot.
But we talked about the characters and the scenes and stuff a lot.
I love that you did that.
I didHamletandMacbeth, maybe?
But they say very strictly, Youre not allowed to write your own material.
DEADLINE: What name did you give this fictional playwright?
I told the teachers [the truth] later, and they didnt care at all.
What was that like to get shot out of that cannon?
Well, I was of course extremely surprised.
This sounds cliche, but it really was like something that happens to someone else.
I still feel so deeply grateful to her.
Actually, I need to email her.
Were still in touch.
I was so terrified.
And to get an opportunity like that on your first job ever is just beyond a dream.
And just that play, that character, its so labor-intensive.
You are dripping with sweat 15 minutes in.
He doesnt leave the stage for two and a half hours.
Its so emotional, screaming and crying, and it was very intense.
I mean, its a very, very first world problem for people to come up to you.
Its always wonderful and moving but I was just overwhelmed by it as well.
And that meant a lot to me, constantly trying to improve it.
I think I did it about 400 times.
Its kind of gripped me, but I dont want to jinx it yet.
I dont really know what Im going to be obsessed with.
Thats kind of the fun of it, is that I just dont know.
So, I read everything that is sent to me.
It really doesnt matter, because its almost out of my control.
I never really know what it is until Ive seen it.
