Neighbours legend Guy Pearce, 55, on the tense thriller showing us the shady world of espionage during the Cold War…
Did you know much about that whole Cambridge spy ring? I was aware of the Cambridge Five [UK spies who passed information to the Soviet Union during WWII] and the lengths they’d gone in betraying not only their friends and family but their whole country…
Tell us about the drama…
The fascinating thing is that we look at it through the relationship between Nicholas Elliott [played by Damian Lewis] and Kim Philby [Guy Pearce]. It really focuses on two guys who’ve shaken hands and gone, “I’m your friend for life” – in the end realising that’s not the case. That is very powerful. What would this betrayal feel like?
What made you want to sign up? I’d had a delightful experience with the director, Nick Murphy, working on [2019 BBC miniseries] A Christmas Carol and he knew that pretty much anything he wanted me to do in the future I would just agree to.
Let’s talk filming highlights?
The whole thing for me is always what I take home – it’s about the people I work with… And of course, I got to meet [bestselling author and writer of A Spy Among Friends] Ben Macintyre, which was intriguing. He said to me, “So, what’s your take on Philby?” I said, “Why are you asking me? You wrote the book!” That was quite a funny moment.
Did you enjoy the 1950s vibe? Personally, I just love looking at all the stuff from that period. You arrive on set and there’s seven cars from the ’40s and ’50s parked in a row, I just immediately swoon. I have a little collection of old cars myself that I really enjoy. Also, the costumes – men’s fashion was so delightful and sophisticated. I was really swept up in it all.
We see a bit of singing from you in a pre-sequence scene?
I sang Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight? but I haven’t seen it myself – I’m hoping they’ve kept my voice and haven’t dubbed me with Robbie Williams or Justin Bieber, they might have done… But no, I love to sing – I’ve always sung.
And you’ve nailed the accent… Delving into British accents doesn’t feel like the biggest stretch for me [Guy was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire – and his mum is English], plus I’ve played King Edward VIII [in 2011 film The King’s Speech]. I felt like it was a world I could step into somewhat seamlessly, though I said, “Anything that comes through sounding too ‘Melbourne’, you must let me know…”
We last saw you on the Neighbours farewell episode… Well, as you can see, I’m sitting here by the Ramsay Street sign. I thought they were quite rare but they gave one to everybody. “Common as muck”, as my mother would say – but I’m still happy to have one and
I’ve got to figure out where
I’m going to stick it.
How much fun was that to film? It was great. I didn’t want to feel like a token relic that was wheeled out, so they gave me a legitimate reason to be there – and it really was an incredible experience. Lovely for all sorts of reasons.