We live in an age of measuring ourselves against other people. That’s the sole reason for things like Instagram
Touching comedy Trying, about a pair of wannabe adoptive parents, is back for a second series. Star Rafe Spall chats to Danielle de Wolfe about social media and competitive parenting
SOCIAL media’s ability to permeate every part of our lives means we are comparing ourselves to others – and probably feeling bad about it – like never before.
And while the online one-upmanship was restricted by the pandemic, as influencers swapped aroundthe-world trips and luxury hotel stays for home baking hacks and parenting how-tos, it hasn’t gone away.
“We live in an age of comparison,” says actor
Rafe Spall.
“We live in an age of measuring ourselves up against other people. That’s really, to me, the sole reason for things like Instagram.”
It’s a stark reflection of 21st-century life from The Big Short and Life Of Pi actor, whose latest project, returning Apple TV+ comedy Trying, addresses the competitive nature of the digital age.
“You’re going, ‘Oh man, that person’s got a rockin’ bod on a beach, that’s made me feel bad,”’ continues 38-year-old Rafe, son of Bafta-nominated Harry Potter star, Timothy Spall.
“And also, ‘that dinner they’re eating tonight is a bit better than mine; that makes me feel rubbish’.
“The people posting that stuff are trying to elicit envy. It’s a weird thing – the culture that we’re living in.”
It’s a phenomenon the actor has had plenty of time to reflect upon, given his character’s ongoing story arc.
Rafe and his co-star Esther Smith (best known for her roles in Cuckoo and Black Mirror), star as Jason and Nikki, a couple who are eager to become adoptive parents.
“They are definitely, like all of us, victims of that cultural comparison,” reflects Rafe of the issues faced by the on-screen couple.
“We find the characters having been approved by a panel – and now they’re being matched with a child and there is a certain amount of competition for these children, as coarse as that sounds.”
Rafe hopes though, that the audience will feel supportive of Jason and Nikki, no matter what problems they face.
“Whether it’s familial difficulties or difficulties with friends, they’re just two people that you root for, that you care about, that you hopefully identify with,” he says.
Faced with the realisation adoption isn’t the simple process they initially thought, Rafe reveals that the latest series sees the couple pitted against “people who may have nicer houses, may have fancier jobs, and may have ostensibly achieved more”.
He adds: “I think we all know how that feels.”
Although Trying’s premise is
a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows, the show, as Rafe goes on to note, is about so much more than just parenthood.
“Even though we do have an idea about the thrust of the adoption storyline, everything else is up for grabs,” says Rafe of the second series.
“Andy (Wolton, the writer) in this series, has written a lot
more for us, as well, because of what we brought to the characters. So that’s been collaborative and lovely.”
The production was shot in England, at the height of the pandemic, with filming being completed in December.
“We were able to safely deliver a show where hopefully, when watching it, you wouldn’t know that it was shot in a pandemic,” Rafe recalls.
“Obviously safety is paramount, but you have to remember that making a good show is equally important.
“And I don’t think the quality of the show has suffered, or was compromised, with all of the other safety measures behind the scenes.”
Trying season two is on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 21