Heroes & villains
The Wire’s DOMINIC WEST plays a former convict in a dramatic new version of Les Misérables…
FANS OF THE LONG-RUNNING West End musical Les Misérables will find it hard to imagine the story without its heartbreaking score. But an all-star cast, including Dominic West, Olivia Colman and Lily Collins, is bringing the classic tale to life without music in a new six-part drama inspired by the original Victor Hugo novel.
Set in 1800s France, the series sees West play ex-convict Jean Valjean – sentenced to 19 years’ hard labour for stealing bread – as he escapes his past to turn his life around.
West admits he’s never seen the famous theatre show, but calls the novel the best book he’s ever read.
HEROIC CHARACTER
‘I’ve loved playing Valjean – he’s the best superhero ever written,’ says the 49-year-old. ‘If he’s not fighting villains, he’s climbing out on ships’ masts to save a sailor – all while battling his own demons. He’s trying to be the best man he can be.’
Throughout the series, Valjean tries to evade his nemesis, Inspector Javert (David Oyelowo), who we meet while Valjean is imprisoned. ‘It’s a cat-and-mouse game, and the rivalry between them is a very big part of the story,’ says West.
Talking to Tv&satellite Week on set in Brussels, the Sheffield-born actor reveals he deliberately avoided Oyelowo during filming to help create a sense of the gulf between their two characters.
‘If you’re playing someone’s adversary, you tend to avoid each other in real life
– it helps in the acting,’ he says. ‘I remember on
The Wire all the cops stuck together, and the gangsters did, too.’
Valjean is renowned for his strength – despite his long, tortuous imprisonment – and West reveals the role posed physical challenges alongside emotional demands.
‘The idea was to get really buffed up so I did a bit of boxing training in advance, which nearly killed me,’ he laughs. ‘There’s a scene where Valjean carries Marius through the sewers and I was dreading that because the actor who plays him, Josh O’connor, is 6ft 4in. But somehow, we got through it.’
The tale is in safe hands with veteran writer Andrew Davies, who gave us a successful small-screen version of War & Peace and also the classic 1990s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. ‘Les Misérables is a huge undertaking for any dramatist,’ says West. ‘It’s a very thick book – we’re only covering about 10 per cent of it, and the musical can only fit in about one per cent! It’s incredible storytelling, though, and deals with timeless themes like guilt, revenge, the fight against injustice and the plight of the poor.’
The musical is a notorious tearjerker, and West warns us that the new TV version is just as moving. ‘I was in tears every day,’ he reveals. ‘I just couldn’t stop crying.’