The Fall: Emmett Scanlan talks serial killers and working with Gillian Anderson

The one comforting sight in BBC2 drama The Fall, where any comfort is very much needed as cop Gillian Anderson tries to apprehend serial killer Jamie Dornan, vanishes in a blink. To see Emmett Scanlan, former Hollyoaks ne’er-do-well, in a police station is reassuring, until you click he’s one of the coppers rather than one of the villains. There’s no shred of security here.

Emmett told us what it’s like to work with Gillian Anderson, why he couldn’t keep a straight face on set, and who was a big admirer of his moustache.

How much are you looking forward to watching this as a viewer?

I’m excited about it – I was down in London for the premiere.

Oh! We were there, too. We didn’t see you.

Ah, I had a long coat on and massive Desperate Dan beard.

Incognito, then.

Incognito. What did you think of it?

It’s outstanding. Such a daring and thrilling piece of television. We haven’t seen something like this on British TV in a while, and we really think that this time next year it’s going to be gold face heavy after the BAFTAs. It must have been pretty special to work on.

Ah, mate, it’s amazing. Allan Cubitt (who wrote The Fall) is a fantastic storyteller and writer. I was given all five scripts and read them in one sitting, although the last page of the fifth episode was missing. I hope the show is as much as a page-turner as the scripts are. The response has been extraordinary and to be part of a show with such a buzz is a massive honour.

We spoke to Allan Cubitt about what happens during the series and, without giving anything away, it’s not very cheery.

[laughs] No, it’s not one of those TV series you’ll watch with your missus and then turn in for the night. With this you’ll probably go to bed after and not touch each other. It’s dark. You want to be part of a project that turns you on, and this is daring. Like Alan has said, you know the killer from the outset and it’s about two hunters, Gillian Anderson’s character hunting Jamie Dornan’s character.

Some of the shots in the first episode were extraordinary, such as the one at the killer’s house that passes over each bedroom. Allan was incredibly hands-on and admirably so. He’s such a beautiful storyteller that the scripts he writes mean that as an actor, your homework is done for you before you even step on set. That’s a massive relief and release but also a huge responsibility to not want to screw it up.

How much of the drama had you read by the time you landed the role?

I initially auditioned for one character and then another character that had a bigger role. I didn’t hear anything of it, and then they gave me the character of DC Glen Martin, who is peppered throughout the series. At that point I’d read all the scripts.

It didn’t matter whether I was cleaning a lens, I just wanted to be part of this. Look at the cast: Gillian Anderson, John Lynch, with his remarkable Eric Cantona looks, and Simon Delaney. He’d make me laugh on and off the set. The problem was that the minute he figured out that I was easy to make laugh, he made it his mission to do that in a particular scene and he was excellent at it.

What was the most inappropriate scene he made you laugh during?

There was a particular scene when all the detective constables working on the case are all sitting around a table with takeaway food, and Gibson (Gillian Anderson) talks about what makes serial killers tick, what makes them breathe, and how to get in the mind of a killer. It’s a beautifully written scene and you have a lot of heavyweights there. It’s a big, serious scene.

Gillian Anderson’s character has a poetic monologue and becomes lost deep in it, which you want to stay in character for [starts laughing]. There was a line that Simon had and his delivery – and I had to look at his character for this line – made me laugh. It got to the stage where I couldn’t look at him in the take. I corpse relentlessly - that’s my Achilles’ heel. I’m deep into a scene or character and then BAM!

Wasn’t a little bit of humour required on set? This is heavy work.

Oh, yeah. Don’t get me wrong – when we laughed it wasn’t like at school and you were sent into a corner. The crew and production was like a family and everybody had a laugh. I think it’s very important to find humour, especially in scenes like that, and in everyday life.

Was it a thrill working with Gillian Anderson?

Having grown up watching her and then to watch her process in real life was fascinating and inspiring. You can’t help but look at that and learn from it. She’s exceptional.

I remember sitting in character listening to Gillian give one speech, and halfway through the monologue I sort of fell out of character and looked around the table as Emmett and thought, ‘Oh my God, how did I get to be a part of this?’. These are actors I love watching and I’m dancing with them on set.

For shows like this, for the beautiful family you’re adopted into, you have to do your homework and you’ve got to be on point all the time. You can’t help but leave a show like this as a better person or a better actor. It’s impossible, otherwise it’s a wasted journey. I think she brings clout to anything that she does – but not just her. The whole cast as an ensemble is great.

Then there’s John Lynch. My God. That guy came over to me in one of the scenes and the director, Jakob Verbruggen, turned to me and said, “This is your boss, you’re supposed to be intimidated by him”. I said, “That ain’t going to be ******* hard”. John then walked over and said, “ Now that is a ‘tache”. That was all he said and I thought, “I’ll take that”. 

You know what’s coming over the series - will you be able to watch it alone or will you need someone with you?

[laughs] I’m very excited about watching it. I’ll be ok.

emmettscanlan: The Fall starts Monday 13th May  BBC Two 9pm Starts tonight! Don’t forget!

emmettscanlan:

The Fall starts Monday 13th May  BBC Two 9pm

Starts tonight! Don’t forget!

Article: Bronagh Waugh on working with Emmett again in The Fall

“I just hope that people can remove them from Hollyoaks, especially as all of our characters have nothing to do with each other. We don’t actually ever meet, although there is one scene where I have to drive past Emmett, and we kind of have a double take moment, which I think was a little nod to Hollyoaks, but all our characters are very different to the ones that we played in Hollyoaks, so I just hope people can see that, and enjoy the drama for what it is.

“So often in soaps people say that they can’t see certain people playing anyone else, but for me my character is so different, looks wise as well, I don’t even wear makeup and just sport this frazzled mum look.

“But we are hoping that we still bring our Hollyoaks fans over to watch it and introduce them to something new that they wouldn’t have necessarily have watched before, and the next chapters for all of us. A lot of people have said since Emmett and I left that they were keen to see what we did next, so it is nice that we actually did it together, and I think the fans will like that too, it’s really nice timing that they will get to see us reunited again on screen.

“We are really hoping that there will be a second series, and maybe then our characters will have more involvement with one another – who knows!”

Read the full interview here.

Article: Emmett Scanlan: I was too sh*t for Love/Hate role

Irish actor Emmett Scanlan has revealed he auditioned for Love/Hate but never got a role because: “I was sh*t!”

The Fall starts Monday 13th May  BBC Two 9pm

The Fall starts Monday 13th May  BBC Two 9pm

The Fall airdate + updated nightclub PA list

The Fall

Although there’s no exact time or date yet, we now know it’ll air sometime the week starting 11 May on BBC2!

Club Personal Appearances 

Home Nightclub Balbriggan (Saturday 27 April)

The Vault - Workington (Friday 3rd May)

Liquid - Colchester (Tuesday 14th May)

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