MUST-SEE TV
Counterpart060 | W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K
In Season One, Howard Silk (JK Simmons)
a lowly offi ce worker was introduced to
his parallel self out of the blue – a tough
operative for the other side. So, began a
Kafkaesque nightmare for the men and a
meaty dual role for Simmons as they came
to terms with their differences and explored
one another’s worlds. In Season Two with
Howard locked away in a secret compound
the focus shifts towards his wife’s crisis as
she emerges from a coma with no memory
of her previous life. Olivia Williams, who
plays Emily Silk enjoys playing the dual
role, says: “Throughout my life and career,
people inexplicably say that they fi nd me
intimidating. I don’t know why! Emily was
hit by a car and she was unthreatening,
and nobody had any fucking idea what
she was up to. It’s so much fun to play one
person who is unthreatening and has passed
through society unnoticed and the other
person who just trusts what she’s told.”
Harry Lloyd, who plays Peter Quayle, a
director at the Offi ce of Interchange, chirps
in to say: “I enjoyed playing a character who
is doing everything he can to kill all the
drama and get out of every situation that
he’s in! Every step I take forward in this
journey is a step in the wrong direction so
actually it’s a fun and different exercise to
try and actually do as much to do as little
as possible.” He’s a character who has been
offered every privilege in life and risen to
the top thanks to his relationship with the
daughter of a government offi cial. After a
revelation that an army of counterparts are
hell-bent on taking down his society Quayle
begins to realise how much responsibility
rests on his shoulders.
Nicolas Pinnock takes on the role of Ian
Shaw, an operative who plays by the rules
and quells personal relationships to reach his
targets. “I think Shaw does everything by the
book. Everything has to be in order or else he
knows that things will be in complete chaos
in his life. The main plot of the story is going
one way and he’s kind of going another.
There’s an element of him that wants to go
along with it all, but he can’t. He really has
to keep a lid on it because he knows if he
doesn’t it will all just explode.”
Each actor carried out their own personal
research before fi lming. Lloyd read Graham
Greene’s Our Man In Havana, which he
says “was useful as it was about someone
who isn’t a spy but gets caught up in it and
learning the rules of engagement.” He also
watched lots of fi lms: “I think visually,
Counterpart defi nitely borrows from a lot
of those Cold War era fi lms like The Lives
Of Others and Tin ker, Ta ilor, Soldier, Spy.
In fact, we had the DOP from The Lives Of
Others working on Season Two.”
“My preparation mainly involved studying
Islam and working in the FBI,” says Gabriel.
“There’s actually a great book about an
undercover FBI agent who is also a Muslim
called American Radical. That was a tough
but good read. There were some challenging
moments for sure... learning Arabic comes to
mind. I fortunately had the support of a great
coach, Sue Obeidi – she’s a director at theMuslim Public Affairs Counsel. I wanted to
portray a Muslim woman with authenticity.
That was very important to me.”
Williams took her lead from her previous
theatre and television work and what she
learned while playing roles in a show about
the Manhattan Project and Lucy Kirkwood’s
National Theatre play about the large hadron
collider, Mosquitoes. “Season Two touches on
the scientifi c side. I don’t want to give away
much, but I did a show about the Manhattan
Project and this group of people who would
have been at Los Alamos fucking about with
particle physics...things like the Trinity
Project could have started a chain reaction
that destroyed the universe. That accidental
nature and power is there and is rendered
unto those who have made that decision and
is a part of Season Two.”
All the actors describe their fi lming
experience as rewarding and collaborative.
As a newbie on set, Gabriel bonded with
Lloyd: “The cast of actors are superb! I
mainly worked with Harry who is incredibly
smart and analytical but he's also quite
playful and tries things. He made an
overwhelming situation a lot less scary.
“Despite the fact that everyone is in
different story lines there’s a nice family
collaborative feel on set... more than any
other TV show I’ve ever done. Justin’s door
is open, he wants to hear your thoughts
after the read through. Not just about your
character but the episode in general. There’s
a sense that the cast feel like crew members.”
The backdrop and recent history ofBERLIN IS
SUCH A
CHARACTER
IN THE SHOW
OLIVIA WILLIAMSBERLIN IS
IN THE SHOW