If you're not watching Our House, ITV's latest relationship-drama-cum-psychological-thriller, then you're missing out!
We sat down with leads Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey, Sense8) and Martin Compston (Line of Duty, Vigil) to put YOUR burning fan questions to them both. Here's what they had to say.
BuzzFeed UK: Hi Tuppence! First off, in your own words, could you describe Our House as a series?
Tuppence Middleton: Yes! It's a mix between a love story and a thriller. A woman comes home to find another couple has moved into her house, and when she tries to contact her husband, she realises that he can't be found anywhere and her life starts to unravel basically.
BuzzFeed UK: Sounds spooky! This series makes a difference from the brilliant period drama roles we're used to seeing you take on – what is it you like about period dramas so much?
Tuppence: When I was little there were far fewer channels on television and no streaming services, so period dramas really were an event, especially in the UK. It was the thing you'd wait for on a Sunday night, and then you'd have to wait a week for the next one. They felt like such an escape to me! I guess that's what inspired me to become an actor, that escapism and being able to play at living in another world and another era – it's really romantic to me.
BuzzFeed UK: Quite a few of your roles have been based on book characters – do you have a favourite literary character?
Tuppence: I really loved playing Miss Havisham! She's a Dickens character I adore, and I never thought I'd get to play her until I was older, so that was cool to play her as a young woman.
BuzzFeed UK: What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Tuppence: I take excessively long baths, but I don’t feel that guilty about it! I can sit in the bath for easily two hours and just keep topping it up.
BuzzFeed UK: Where is your favourite place in the world to visit?
Tuppence: I really like Iceland. I spent a lot of time filming there for Sense8 and fell in love with it. I quite like to go on holiday to cold places and stay in cabins and be in the remote wilderness!
BuzzFeed UK: Which of your projects has been the most fun to film?
Tuppence: Sense8 for the travel alone was pretty spectacular. We went to around 16 different countries during that series, and I met so many amazing people. That was really mind-blowing! In terms of the characters I've played, my favourites are Hélène from War and Peace, and the character I played in a series called Shadowplay. They were both really fun and nuanced characters to portray!
BuzzFeed UK: If you could act alongside any one of your heroes, who would that be and why?
Tuppence: There are definitely actors I’d love to work with, but I personally tend to fantasise more about working with certain directors. I love Lynne Ramsay, I think she’s so talented, so I'd love to work with someone like her or Céline Sciamma. For actors, I think Frances McDormand and Joaquin Phoenix are pretty great!
BuzzFeed UK: Similar question – if you could work with any one of your co-stars again, including but not limited to Martin, who would that be and why?
Tuppence: Of course Martin! I'd also say Gary Oldman – I loved working with him on Mank – as well as Michael C. Hall and Jessie Buckley.
BuzzFeed UK: You’ve spoken about your personal struggle with OCD, how important is it to see mental health and wellbeing depicted on screen?
Tuppence: It’s super important, especially for those perhaps lesser known or more often misunderstood conditions. Growing up, there was so little information available to people suffering with OCD. I still think there isn't enough out there and it's one of the most underrepresented mental health conditions. I guess that’s why it’s crucial to have more accurate representation on screen rather than just comedy versions. I think people are being more open about mental health in general, and it’s so helpful for people going through the same things.
BuzzFeed UK: Lastly, the people want to know, where does your name come from?
Tuppence: I always want to have a more exotic story! My grandma used to call my mother that as a nickname when she was little, and my parents really liked it as a name. I think my grandma was quite horrified that they were going to call me that, but now she loves it!
BuzzFeed UK: Hey Martin! Tell us about your character in Our House.
Martin Compston: Sure, well Bram is very complicated, which is fun to play but also difficult. He's going through the emotional ringer in this show, but a lot of that comes down to his own bad choices. The story is really about the breakdown of Bram's marriage to Fi, and I got to work on some really emotional scenes with the lovely Tuppence Middleton. However, it's also a classic ITV suburban thriller – pretty creepy, pretty dark, very exciting, and a lot of cliffhangers!
BuzzFeed UK: Was it nice to be able to use your real accent for this project?
Martin: It's a lot easier to just stay in my own accent, but I do enjoy doing others to an extent. With Line of Duty, when I do that voice, I hear Steve. Then I start walking differently and once I put on a waistcoat, I'm good to go!
It's funny because Bram does such despicable things, but he needs to have a charm and viewers need to be on his side, which I think is a lot easier to pull off with a Scottish accent.
BuzzFeed UK: Over your career, which character would you say has been the hardest for you to portray?
Martin: This is definitely up there – it's one of the most emotionally draining characters I've played in a long time. At one point I wondered, what have I let myself in for here because the character's on ~such~ a downward spiral for four episodes, and he just gets himself into deeper and deeper trouble as his life crumbles around him.
As an actor, sometimes those incredibly emotional scenes can seep into you somewhat, but luckily, we filmed a lot of those big emotional parts in one block.
BuzzFeed UK: What's been your favourite role to date?
Martin: I'm not gonna try and avoid it – Line of Duty has been career-defining for me. I loved playing that part, I loved wearing those suits, I loved doing that accent. Yeah, probably that.
BuzzFeed UK: Who are your acting heroes and who would you love to share a set with?
Martin: Stephen Graham and James McAvoy are two people I'd say I look up to, and luckily they've become good friends as well. They do top work, and they go so effortlessly from huge blockbusters to indie films to the theatre. They're also really kind and do a great job at maintaining quiet lives, which I rate, and they're also the only other actors I'm the same height as!
Peter Mullan is another one; I saw My Name Is Joe when I was 15 and it blew my mind. I also just watched Michael Keaton in Dopesick and I thought he was absolutely phenomenal. He can do anything from Beetlejuice to Batman to Spotlight – he's incredible!
BuzzFeed UK: What would you tell your 16-year-old self if you were just starting out? Is there anything you would do differently?
Martin: It's funny, this week I'll be twenty years on from my first ever acting job. There are a lot of clips of me doing the rounds, and I'm just happy that my voice finally broke. I would tell myself to get on accents because – I'm very proud of my accent – but I think it's something you have to have in your toolkit as an actor.
I don't really have too many regrets. There are a few daft films I wish I hadn't done, but I had to pay the bills somehow! People say you should be picky, but as a working class lad living in London can be expensive, and I'd rather be busy on something and actively trying to make it better than just sitting about.
BuzzFeed UK: Speaking of, when did you know you wanted to become an actor and when did you sort of first feel like you'd made it?
Martin: I always loved doing films and plays at school, but it almost wasn't a career option in the place I grew up. Then I went to see My Name Is Joe by accident one day and it changed my whole perception of what cinema could be. By pure luck, the guy who made that movie was casting for a film in my area and I went for an audition and got the part. It was kind of a sliding doors moment because if he wasn’t casting then and there, I probably wouldn't be here talking to you now.
It's taken me a while to take myself seriously in this job, which isn't a bad thing because it keeps you on your toes. I'm nowhere near where I want to be in my career and I still feel like I have something to prove, but at the same time I'm proud that I've been able to lead BBC and ITV dramas and reach that big middle England audience.
BuzzFeed UK: Lastly, who is your all-time favourite Celtic player, and why?
Martin: Obviously Henrik Larsson, The Messiah! We've had some great players, but growing up he was probably the only genuinely world-class player we had. Watching him year after year was an absolute joy. I will never forget, I was at the 6-2 game against Rangers, and I was behind the goal when he took the ball down, dribbled past two or three players, and chipped the keeper. It was like poetry in motion! There were tears streaming down my face after that goal.
Answers edited for length and/or clarity.