Cornwall is the star of new feelgood comedy Fisherman’s Friends
Daniel Mays talks to Georgia Humphreys about surfing, sea shanties and why LA might be on the cards
If there was a word to sum up Daniel Mays’ workload right now, it would be “mental”.
The Essex-born actor, 40, has a new film out – comedy drama Fisherman’s Friends, based on the real life story of the sea shanty group from Cornwall who, after being discovered singing on the harbour, were signed by Universal Records and achieved a top 10 hit.
This month also sees him star in the new series of Porters on Dave Channel, he’s in the hugely anticipated adaptation of Good Omens (due to be released on Amazon Prime in May), he’s just finished filming comic thriller Temple with Mark Strong for Sky One – and that’s just scratching the surface of his busy schedule.
“That’s my next project, there!” he exclaims, pointing to a sizeable script sat on the arm of the sofa he’s perched on.
“Temple ran over by three weeks and I start that next week, so I’m scared I’m not going to get the lines in my head.”
Even though he’s clearly a little weary, down-to-earth Mays is pleasantly easy to talk to.
He seems like – to put it simply – a genuinely nice guy. And I particularly appreciate his enthusiasm when I tell him I’m Cornish myself; he starts asking me the questions instead of vice versa.
“When you come over the [River] Tamar, it’s a different world, isn’t it?” he says.
Indeed, that’s what you get a sense of in the heartfelt Fisherman’s Friends, in which Mays plays fast-living, cynical music executive Danny.
While on a stag weekend in the tiny village of Port Isaac, Danny’s pranked into trying to sign a group of shanty-singing fishermen.
But, after ditching London life for a while, spending time with the band, and getting to know the other locals, he starts to question the life choices he’s made so far.
“He’s someone who’s been completely married to his job, he’s never had a real, steady relationship, he’s always been in the rat race, and knows where he’s going, and he’s become very successful; he’s got the Range Rover and the gadgets and the gold discs,” Mays elaborates.
“Everyone can relate to that, when they maybe come to a crossroads in their life and they think, ‘What is important?’ ‘How successful am I?’”
The role meant five weeks filming in picturesque Port Isaac (ITV’S Doc Martin is shot there too).
Mays followed this with a holiday in the county with his wife Lou, and their kids, 11-year-old Mylo, and Dixie, six – an “idyllic” week, which included him going surfing with his son.
“It’s such a beautiful part of the world and I would love to go back – I will go back.”
Even though he was relieved to leave the Cornish accent to co-stars like James Purefoy and Tuppence Middleton, Mays found the sea shanties infectious (personal favourites of his include ‘South Australia’ and ‘John Kanaka’).
“When we weren’t filming, we would be in the pub and, invariably, we would all break out into song,” he recalls.
“And then I got to sing with the real Fisherman’s Friends at the wrap party when they held a big concert. So, it was a fitting end to it all. It was a lovely experience.”
As for how Mays – the third of four sport-mad brothers first got into the industry, he signed up for the Italia Conti stage school as a young teen, before winning a place at Rada.
Something he’s spoken about previously in interviews is the need for more opportunities for underprivileged, workingclass actors.
“People are much more aware of that struggle now,” he notes, when asked if it’s something that’s improved as his career has gone on.
“There was a period, a couple of years back, when that argument was in the public domain quite a lot; privileged actors that were getting every award under the sun.
“My argument with that, always, is there needs to be people from poorer backgrounds who are writers, directors, producers, the executives in the upper offices that make the decisions, to give working class voices a platform to tell stories. We should always have a place for that. All I’m saying is, there just has to be a balance of things.”
On the topic of what’s next, he doesn’t scoff at the suggestion of heading to LA for roles.
“I would be lying if I said that isn’t something I’m attracted to, because there’s lots of English actors who are doing so well out there,” he says, sharing he’s possibly got a Netflix show lined up.
His tone changes slightly as he adds, warily: “I don’t want to go there and do bad work, though. That’s the only thing, do you know what I mean?”
“When we weren’t filming, we would be in the pub and, invariably, we would all break out into song”
● Fisherman’s Friends will be in cinemas from today