TALK OF THE TOWN Red Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd meets

HE GRIPPED THE NATION WITH HIS HARROWING PORTRAYAL OF A SERIAL RAPIST IN ITV’S LIAR – AND NOW IOAN GRUFFUDD IS RETURNING TO THE FOLD. HE TALKS TO LAURA CRAIK ABOUT PLAYING ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST HATED MEN, LIVING WITH ANXIETY AND WHY HIS DAUGHTERS HAVE TAUGHT HIM SO MUCH…

Chatting to him over the phone, Ioan Gruffudd sounds like a dead ringer for Rob Brydon – or, more accurately, Uncle Bryn, the beloved character in the BBC One comedy series Gavin & Stacey. This is in no small part amplified by the tenor of our conversation, which begins with us discussing, in naive Bryn-like style, the wonders of technology, and how freakishly clear Gruffudd sounds, given he’s speaking all the way from Brisbane. ‘It’s extraordinary, isn’t it?’ booms Gruffudd. ‘Mint Baileys,’ I say in a Welsh accent. ‘Whatever will they think of next?’ Thankfully, judging by the raucous laughter on the other end of the line, he gets the joke.

Gruffudd is in the capital of Australia’s Sunshine State shooting season three of Harrow, the Aussie drama in which he stars as a forensic pathologist. Dark and complex as his character is, he’s Pollyanna when compared to Andrew Earlham, the dastardly surgeon Gruffudd has reprised for a second series of Liar, the much-loved ITV thriller that graced British screens in 2017, captivating up to 7m viewers. Fans will be delighted to learn that in series two, the tension barely abates, despite viewers knowing already of Earlham’s guilt in raping schoolteacher Laura Nielson, played by Joanne Froggatt, and the fact that now, he is dead.

Picking up from the cliffhanger of the first series’ finale, the new season focuses on a whodunit storyline that traces Earlham’s motives. This time, Gruffudd admits the pressure was on. ‘Because we set the bar so high, coming back to a series that was so successful was always going to be tough,’ he reflects. ‘It’s a totally different series in the sense that it’s not a cat-and-mouse game now. It’s a bit like a Greek tragedy, in that we told you what happened and who the players are, and now we’re going to tell you the story of how Andrew met his demise, and also the story of how Laura becomes the prime suspect in his murder. You can’t compare the second season to the first, but I think it’s equally, if not more, dramatic and compelling.’ If my sneak preview of it is anything to go by, I can certainly attest to that.

The biggest challenge of playing a character that Gruffudd once described as ‘the most hated man in Britain’ was trying to see Earlham as anything more than an abuser. ‘When you approach a character like this, you can’t think in those terms. You have to represent the character honestly and, well, put your feelings to one side. As an actor, it was a challenge to essentially be myself – and I mean that in the sense of being polite, charming, a pillar of the community – and be that person through the whole season, even though the audience knows what he’s up to. It was sinister to remain that sort of charming person on the outside, while we knew what he was really like on the inside.’

He was shooting in Australia when the first series aired, ‘So I missed out on all that delicious fun of being vilified,’ he laughs. ‘That was probably for the best, because when I saw the reactions in the newspapers, it was kind of extraordinary to be on the front page, with headlines saying, “Is Andrew really a liar?” But I’ve had some crazy interactions. I was on a ferry coming back from one of the islands just off Brisbane and somebody came charging at me, saying, “Oh my God, you’re the liar – you did terrible things to those girls!”’ That must have put a bit of a damper on his day, I suggest. ‘Actually, it’s sort of exciting,’ he concedes. ‘When people have responded the way you wanted them to respond, you’ve clearly done your job as an actor.’ Shocked and outraged as viewers were by Earlham’s actions, it didn’t stop some, or perhaps a lot of them, finding him attractive, with Gruffudd occupying the same strange territory as Jamie Dornan (who played Paul Spector in BBC Two’s The

‘YOU HAVE TO REPRESENT THE CHARACTER HONESTLY’

‘I’M NOT SO CONSUMED WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS OF SUCCESS’

Fall) and James Norton (who played Tommy Lee Royce in BBC One’s Happy Valley). Whatever dark psychology lies behind finding oneself attracted to fictional psychopaths, it’s not one Gruffudd professes to understand. ‘Well, I think only you guys can answer that,’ he laughs.

Gruffudd’s desire to act, he tells me, began as a young boy. Born in Llwydcoed, near Aberdare, to teacher parents, he moved to Cardiff as a child, where he landed a part in the popular Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm, aged 11, while still at school. ‘I was very fortunate,’ he acknowledges. ‘I got to fall in love with acting by having a go and doing it.’ After school, he successfully applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1996, and quickly landed the part of Oscar Wilde’s lover in the biographical film Wilde, swiftly followed by the part of heroic fifth officer Harold Lowe in Titanic.

‘It was a very exciting time, but it was Hornblower that was life-changing,’ he says, referring to ITV’S long-running war drama in which he landed his first lead role as Captain Horatio Hornblower. ‘For ITV to take a chance on a complete newcomer was a massive break.’

Now more than 30 years into his screen career, I wonder if he finds it easier to decide which roles to say yes to: is there something in particular he looks for? ‘It’s an instinctive thing,’ he says. ‘There are jobs I’d love to do, but they would mean taking myself out of my family life for months.’ That’s something he says he’s increasingly mindful of.

Gruffudd has been married to actor Alice Evans since 2007 and they met on the set of 102 Dalmatians. ‘We were shooting in London, in Shepperton Studios, about 20 years ago. It was a sad time for Alice, because her mother had just passed away. I met this person who was mourning, and in a dark place. We spent a lot of time together, but she was living in Paris. Then, we got together about a year later.’ The pair now live in LA with their two daughters, Ella, 10, and Elsie, six.

‘It’s funny how we change. As actors, my wife and I had this beautiful nomadic lifestyle before kids came along, and now it’s almost a crushing feeling, getting on a plane to go anywhere and leaving a family behind. Whereas in the past, it was always an exciting endeavour.’ He admits that after he finishes shooting in Brisbane, he’ll try to find a job in America. ‘I’m going to have to recalibrate everything, so I can go home on the weekends, or not take a lead role, so I can have time off. It’s all these new considerations.’

No doubt it’s being sensitive to these considerations that has given Evans and Gruffudd a seemingly strong marriage in the somewhat fickle world of Hollywood. His wife’s Instagram feed is full of loved-up photos of Gruffudd hugging his daughters in the Californian sunshine. ‘You just have to be there and be present at all times,’ he says, musing on the secret to maintaining a long-term relationship. ‘If

you’re away from home, then use phone or text or Facetime. Just try to be present even in those captured moments, and make those moments count.’

Difficulties notwithstanding, he also recognises the benefits of being married to someone in the same profession. ‘We understand the process of film-making. If you can’t get hold of your partner because they’re physically on set, or on a boat, or in a forest with no signal, or out at dinner with the cast, there’s an understanding of how difficult it can be to be at someone’s beck and call.’

It’s clear that Gruffudd adores parenthood, describing living in a household of girls as ‘an absolute delight’. ‘I’ve always been comfortable in the company of women. I’ve got along with every actress I’ve ever worked with. So having a house full of them is just a wonderful energy to have around, and they keep me on a very even keel. I’m a very good listener and a very good mediator.’

He also reveals that they help him cope with what he describes as ‘my own personal anxiety that I suffer from. They’re amazing for that.’ He has spoken candidly in the past about the panic attacks he used to suffer on set, and how, aged 40 [he’s now 46], he sought therapy to help deal with the anxiety of a mid-career slump.

‘Now I know what the signals are, I can manage it better,’ he says. ‘It’s never stopped me from working. It’s something that’s evolved. The end of my 30s was when it started to manifest itself, and I think that probably came hand in hand with becoming a father, and the evolution of life, and getting older. I’m fortunate in that sense, in that it’s not debilitating. There are people who are far worse off than I am.’

Over time, his version of success has changed. ‘Earlier on, success was often about what other people might think. Now, it’s… I dunno, it’s getting through the day,’ he laughs. ‘I’m still working, I’m doing what I love, I have a beautiful wife and family who are amazingly supportive. Being able to act, play fantastic roles and provide for one’s family are my marks of success. That’s not to say I’m not as ambitious as I ever was, or as driven. But I’m not so consumed with other people’s ideas of success.’

He recently finished directing an episode of Harrow (‘I absolutely loved it’), and explains that the process helped him make peace with the rejection that’s part of every actor’s life. ‘When you’re on the other side of the camera, you see the process of how one casts an actor. All the things I was consumed and upset by had zero to do with the way I played the part. Decisions are made in a split second, the moment they see you on screen. It’s helped enormously to realise that it’s not a direct competition. You could be the best actor in the world, but you’re just not right for that role.’

‘A HOUSE FULL OF WOMEN IS JUST A WONDERFUL ENERGY TO HAVE AROUND’

His honesty is both refreshing and inspiring, and is something he hopes others will learn from. His advice to anyone suffering from mental health issues is to talk about them. ‘Be open. It’s not a taboo. If you just ask the question of somebody, you’ll find that somebody is probably suffering worse than you, or just as bad as you, or has a relation who’s suffering. Whatever it is – an illness, pain, depression, alcoholism – everybody has their story. We’re all suffering on some level, and trying to work out our existence. We’re all in this together.’

The second series of Liar airs on ITV in March