The star of the spine-chilling vampire drama reveals five secrets from the set

1

Saying the words ‘I am Count Dracula’ for the first time was thrilling. You think, ‘Am I allowed to say that?’ It’s like playing with something forbidden, messing with the crown jewels. During the shoot, we released the first photo of me as Dracula (pictured) and people had differing expectations. When you’re shooting you don’t think about it, but when you go home it gets on your mind. 2

Of all the Draculas, the one that inspired me most is the Klaus Kinski version in the 1979 film Nosferatu The Vampyre. The loneliness of Dracula really got to me – I thought about what it must have been like on a Tuesday afternoon in November 1718, and you haven’t had company in your castle for 200 years. I also read some internet forum discussions between people who think they’re vampires – that was eye-opening. 3

The second episode is set on a ship – The Demeter – which they built at our studios. It was huge and constructed diagonally across the soundstage in order to fit. It blew everyone’s minds. They also created a huge, sweeping spiral staircase. Never in my life have I been on such an amazing set.

4

My first cloak didn’t swish well and we spent a long time finding the right one, which we did, but it was heavy and I had to drag it around for days.

5

Luckily I’m not squeamish – there is a lot of blood and gore. Towards the end of episode one there’s a scene where I’m naked, covered in blood and slime – yes you get to see Dracula’s backside – but it all helps you get into the scene. When Dracula’s been feeding and has blood in his mouth and all over his fangs, it’s not especially nice to have fake blood dribbling down your chin.