Compston says using native accent makes characters more charming
Line of Duty star Martin Compston has said he thinks using his native Scottish accent on other roles helps make characters appear more charming.
The actor, originally from Greenock, is best known for playing the role of Detective Inspector Steve Arnott, who is English, in BBC drama Line Of Duty.
He regularly disguises his strong accent for the characters he plays on TV, but his latest role, in ITV drama Our House, allows him to use his own accent.
The 37-year-old, who plays Bram Lawson, told ITV’S Lorraine: “When you start a project like that, it’s just easier to use your own voice.”
Our House follows Fi Lawson as she discovers that all of her belongingshavebeenremoved from her house and new occupantshavemovedin.thesituation worsens when Fi is unable to contact her estranged husband,bram,andtheirchildren.
Compstondescribedtheshow as “a classic ITV thriller – you know Suburbia, a bit creepy”.
Healsosaidhethinksthescottish accent helps make characters appear more charming.
“For Bram, on paper he does someterrible,terriblethingsso we kind of needed to make him charming and I think the Scottish accent kind of helps with thataweebit,”hesaid.speaking about his heritage, Compston saidhowhappyheistobeapart of forthcoming Amazon series The Rig.
The show, which is due for release later this year, was filmed entirely in Scotland.
He said: “It was great to work on something in Scotland with such ambition, so I’m excited for it.”
Compston revealed that he got his Canadian co-star, Emily Hampshire, hooked on Irnbru–ascottishcarbonatedsoft
drink–duringthefilmingofthe show, adding: “So I got her one to sip and she was hooked!” he said.
Compston is also involved in making a new BBC documentary in Scotland, for which he said he is “tentatively learning Gaelic”.
He told Lorraine: “We were talkingaboutwheredoesgaelic sitinmodernscotlandandthen wetookittothebbcanditreally evolved from there.”