Domhnall Gleeson and Andrea Riseborough on reuniting for Alice & Jack
Gleeson and Riseborough spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about their new romantic drama.
Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson star in Alice & Jack, the new Channel 4 drama charting a 15 year relationship between two people who struggle to be together, but find they cannot be apart.
The six-part series sees the two stars firmly front and centre, but this isn't the first time they've worked together – in fact, they have appeared in films together twice before – in 2010's Never Let Me Go and 2012's Shadow Dancer.
Riseborough and Gleeson spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about reuniting for the series, with the former calling it a "wonderful" experience.
Riseborough said: "Those first two experiences were film, so really, in many ways, a different world. But to have a history with someone and a trust and a sort of mutual respect creates an environment where you feel that bit more bolstered to be really vulnerable when telling a story like this, and this is a very, very vulnerable story for both of those characters.
"It's as raw as it is funny. So it was wonderful to have that history with Domhnall."
More like this
Meanwhile, Gleeson explained how this project compared with their previous collaborations, saying: "Well, it was a lot more time together, and our characters were at the front of this one together.
"Our first one together was Never Let Me Go, which I think was like 2008 or something like that, so basically, as long ago as the relationship between Alice and Jack spends in the series, I've known and worked with Andrea that long.
Read more:
- Shardlake trailer gives first look at Arthur Hughes, Sean Bean and Anthony Boyle
- Ewan McGregor in first look at A Gentleman in Moscow adaptation
"We were boyfriend and girlfriend in that and I thought her way of working was really interesting.
"We had a couple of moments together, led by her at the time, I was pretty inexperienced... I was just like, 'That's a great way of working. That's a great way of connecting'."
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Gleeson explained what that way of working was, saying: "I was listening to music just trying to get myself in the place where I could go in and be really emotionally vulnerable, and Andrea came over and asked me what I was listening to.
"I told her, and she said, ‘oh, do you mind if I listen too?’ I said, ‘of course’, and she took one of my earpods and we just sat together, sat next to each other and didn't talk, and just listened to the same seven minute song before we went to set.
"There's no reason that works or doesn't work, it just really worked. And I just felt on the same wavelength, I felt in the same emotional place. I felt very connected."
Gleeson then noted that he and Riseborough have "washed in and out of each other's lives in much the same way as Alice and Jack have, in a funny sort of way", and that while it is "work as opposed to romance", it has "mattered to me a lot".
Alice & Jack will start airing on Channel 4 from Wednesday 14th February at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
