Ben Shephard says he wants to give character kick up the a***
James Norton debuted a new look during an appearance on This Morning on Monday (6 January). The actor, renowned for his role in Happy Valley, graced the ITV daytime show alongside co-star Niamh Algar for an interview.
The duo is at the forefront of the riveting new drama Playing Nice, which has recently made its debut on ITVX. Engaging in conversation with hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, James and Niamh opened up about the series.
Howevever, James' new look was proved to be distracting. Sporting a buzzcut, he looked remarkably different from his character in Playing Nice, leaving behind his familiar longer hairstyle.
In the four-part series, James embodies the character Pete, with Niamh portraying his partner Maddie. They are accompanied by actors James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay, who complete the ensemble as another couple, Miles and Lucy, facing their own set of challenges.
Playing Nice, adapted from JP Delaney's acclaimed novel, thrusts two couples into an emotional turmoil when they learn that their toddlers were accidentally switched at birth due to a hospital error. Confronted with this agonising truth, they must decide whether to keep the children they have nurtured and cherished or to reclaim their biological sons or daughters, reports Cornwall Live.
A synopsis for Playing Nice teases: "How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child or even each other? As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together."
James has opened up about the intricate journey his character Pete undergoes, acknowledging that portraying such a role was anything but simple. He discussed the emotional hurdles involved in bringing to life a character with such depth.
The actor revealed: "The role is emotionally challenging to play, and it takes you to a dark yet unusual place. Stories about bereavement, heartbreak or grief are more familiar. This is a story which encapsulates all of those various forms of pain, but to find out that your child is not your own, is not an experience which people have often."
Exploring the unique challenges faced by his character, James highlighted the scarcity of similar real-life experiences, saying: "There's not endless books or avenues to have a chat with others who've gone through the same thing. It's a parent's worst nightmare and that has been the challenge, to think about what one would go through if this happened, knowing that there aren't that many examples or experiences similar, and then trying to predict what that would feel like."
This Morning airs on weekdays on ITV1 from 10am. Playing Nice is available to watch on ITVX.
