‘KEIRA IS SO EASY TO WORK WITH’

Set in Hamburg immediately after the end of WWII, The Aftermath stars Aussie actor Jason Clarke as British army officer Lewis Morgan, a man struggling to cope with the loss of his son while his wife Rachael (Keira Knightley) is being tempted by a German widower (Alexander Skarsgard). Jason, 49, opens up about playing husband to Keira’s character for the second time.

What attracted you to

The Aftermath?

I’ve always loved that period of history [which] we don’t really know that much about – what happened at the end of World War II. I found the idea of playing Lewis really intriguing – in most stories he wouldn’t forgive, but he finds a way to understand that he is part of the problem and that’s why his wife has an affair and looks for support elsewhere.

What sort of experience did you have while making this film?

You always want to play a character that you’ve never done before and I loved playing this man who found a way to forgive and to be honest with himself. And working with an English and German crew was wonderful – I’m an Australian along for the ride. [Laughs]

Was it a hard character to play?

You can draw on your own sense of being a father. I’m a father now [Jason has two children with French actress Cecile Breccia] and it’s unimaginable thinking of kids suffering and just coming through it and being brave.

You’ve worked with Keira before on Everest. Did that help when you worked together on

The Aftermath? Keira was my wife on Everest as well and I think we knew each other’s styles really well. I’ve always liked Keira, but the last, say, five years, she has gone deeper and deeper. I think she is a fantastic actress and we never over did it – we just sat together, worked together and supported each other. She is always easy to work with and brings so much. We had some wonderful scenes together.

THE AFTERMATH In cinemas Thursday