Am I Being Unreasonable? favourites Lenny Rush and Selin Hizli talk BAFTA nominations, Slow Horses, and creating comedy

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

Lenny Rush

Star of Am I Being Unreasonable? Nominated for actor in a comedy

Congratulations on your BAFTA nomination. You must be feeling a sense of déjà vu, after your win for the first series. What are your memories of that night?

I was shocked, I genuinely didn’t expect to win. This year, it’s strong competition again, and even being selected alongside these people feels crazy to me.

What’s changed for you personally between filming series one and two?

People started coming up to me and shouting, “Lenny!” I thought, “Do I know you?” It felt a bit odd at first, but now I just find it lovely. I went on holiday with my family and some of them hadn’t experienced it before, so they found it a bit weird.

What’s it like on the set of Am I Being Unreasonable?, with the writers also acting?

I’ve never had a job with so much improvisation. I think it makes the comedy funnier. You can tell when something is improvised, in a good way.

Are they happy for you to change your own lines?

They pretend to be! I think so, yes. And if I’m not making it funnier, I’d much rather they tell me.

You’ve appeared in drama, too, including A Woman of Substance and the next Slow Horses. How different is it from working in comedy?

I think it’s similar, but even a serious show like Slow Horses has lots of funny things in it. I’m probably most comfortable with comedy, but I want to do other stuff. I want to be able to do a bit of everything.

Selin Hizli

Co-creator, co-writer and co-star of Am I Being Unreasonable? and co-star of Things You Should Have Done, which is nominated for best scripted comedy

You’re in two of this year’s BAFTA-nominated comedies – Am I Being Unreasonable? and Things You Should Have Done. What quality do they share?

I think they both bring a unique, clear voice that has not really been heard before.

What drew you to them?

Things felt completely new and I was excited to be part of it. With Unreasonable?, Daisy May Cooper [co-creator, co-writer and co-star] and I describe it as a love story, but with friends. We connected over being at home during lockdown, with children. We wanted to convey as much of our friendship as possible.

How does the writing process with Daisy work?

We live quite far apart, so first of all we reconnect, then there is procrastination, but out of all that ideas will come. Daisy usually paces a lot while I tip-tap on the computer, saying, “We can’t say that,” and Daisy saying, “Yes, we can.”

Do you change things on the fly while you’re filming?

The whole of series one felt like it was on the fly because it was so new. We both know when it feels right, so we’re never wedded to any particular words.

Now you’re a writer/actor, do you still enjoy “just” acting?

It’s what I came to first. I love turning up, being told where to stand, what to wear and what to say. Actors are essentially like children, and I love making no decisions.

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