TV Times – 03 August 2019

8 TV TIMES

POLDARK IS

PREVIEWED

ON PAGES

40-

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OT

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DRAMA

A

s TV Times meets

Jack Farthing on

the Poldark set in

Bristol, he is – by

his own admission

• ‘trussed up’ in a tailcoat and
  court shoes, having just filmed
  the scene where his character,
  George Warleggan, is knighted.
  It’s not an outfit Jack is keen on,
  and probably the only thing he won’t
  miss about the BBC1 drama when it
  bows out at the end of this series.
  ‘Yes, I won’t miss these heels,
  that’s for sure,’ laughs Jack. ‘They’re
  Cuban in the extreme and I look like
  an antelope, as if I’m trotting along!
  And when I’m angry in them, it’s an
  absolute joke – I’m wobbling!’
  Of course, for fans of Poldark,
  George has been the man we’ve all
  loved to hate. His endless run-ins
  with Ross Poldark, cruel business
  dealings and constant need for one-
  upmanship have had us booing
  from our sofas on Sunday nights.
  But this series has shown us a
  different side to George. His grief
  over wife Elizabeth’s death has been
  so raw and powerful that last week
  he contemplated taking his own life.
  Jack, 33, tells us why George has
  been the character of a lifetime...

How have you found

portraying George’s

descent into madness?

It’s been a challenge for me

as an actor. George has

been struck by Elizabeth’s

death like he’s never been

struck by anything. It’s

been seismic for him, he’s

had to go to some very dark

places and he’s kind of

post-traumatic. There are

still huge challenges ahead

for him – for a great chunk

of this series

he’s definitely reeling and his grief

goes in waves. It’s profound.

Did you do a lot of research?

I met three psychiatrists, one of

whom deals specifically in the type

of grief George goes through. I

haven’t experienced anything as

serious as George, but hopefully

we got somewhere truthful.

George is still in cahoots with slave

trader Ralph Hanson, isn’t he?

He’s never going to be perfect! It’d

be a disservice to him as a character

to strip away his capabilities as a

villain – he’s definitely still villainous,

but there’s more of a sense of him as

a human being this series. At times

he’s unforgivably hateful, but he’s

also like a little puppy!

He’s being set up to marry Cecily,

Ralph’s daughter and Geoffrey

Charles’ love interest. How does

he feel about that?

It’s a business transaction more

than anything else and it’s not

something he’s diving

into with his heart

beating. George is

wounded and is

much more in the

‘I will

never love again’ camp. Then when

Geoffrey Charles falls in love with

Cecily, there are fireworks

because of it. Their

relationship is

much more

open and

honest

this series.

Have things

softened

between

George and

Ross since

Elizabeth’s

tragic death?

Yes, their priorities have

changed. They’re still pitted against

each other but the days of fighting in

the pub are behind them. There’s a

kind of maturity to them, but they’re

still capable of childish behaviour.

They’ve got this traumatic common

ground that they share.

You must be feeling sad about

saying goodbye to George...

Yes, definitely. You put part of what

you own into that character. I don’t

think I’m like George necessarily,

but undoubtedly there are bits of

me that he’s become more like. I’ve

really loved playing him, so it will be

sad to leave him behind, although I

don’t think it’s really sunk in yet.

Can you tell us what your last

scene is like?

It’s satisfying and moving and

clever! Actually, I think my last

word might be ‘goodbye’. I should

have done it to camera, like,

‘Thanks for watching!’

Were you allowed to take

any mementoes?

Yeah, my pockets are full!

Seriously, George’s stuff

is all so ridiculously

extravagant. A golden

marble table in my little flat?

Probably not! Actually, I don’t

know why I took it, but I’ve got one

of these horrible two-piece black

suits, a tailcoat and trousers.

I must auction it!

What’s next

for you?

I’d quite like to

do something

where I can

lounge around

in jeans! It’s

always more

interesting doing

the opposite of

what you’ve just

done, but roles like

George are often the most

interesting psychologically, and

I’d rather be playing someone

like him than a do-gooder!

I don’t want to be in heels

again, though... or

maybe just in heels

in a different way!

HANNAH DAVIES

Poldark star Jack

Farthing on why his

character has been

the role of a lifetime

DRAMA

Poldark

SUNDAY / BBC1 / 9PM

Business deal:

Ralph wants his

daughter Cecily

to marry George

Rivals: George

and Ross

‘I’ll really miss

George...’