Noel Clarke says he "never" thought he'd be offered a role like ITV's Viewpoint
The Bulletproof star says that no one "ever believed" he could play a role like DC Martin Young.
Noel Clarke has revealed he "never" thought he'd get to play a character like DC Martin Young, the lead role in ITV thriller Viewpoint.
In the upcoming five-part series, Clarke's detective character is part of a tense, time-sensitive police surveillance investigation into a tight-knit Manchester community.
Clarke (Bulletproof, Doctor Who) told RadioTimes.com and other press that the introverted DC Martin Young was unlike any role he'd played previously – and that in the past, no one "ever believed" he could play a role like Young.
"One of the reasons that really attracted me to the part [was that] there was a stillness, and a real calm about the writing," he said. "I was just like, 'I've never had this opportunity to play a role like this'. And furthermore, I don't think anyone believed or has ever believed that I could do a role like this, in all honesty. So it was, you know, it was sort of a no brainer for me [to accept the part]."
Clarke added that he even advocated for his character to have fewer lines in the scripts, in order to emphasise the detective's "stillness".
More like this
"I kept saying, 'We should have less lines, give him less lines', you know, partly because I was like, 'Great I'm going to be sitting down', but obviously it was also because I just loved the character so much and... the stillness and the thought and everything he goes through that you [as an actor] have to try and convey with your eyes. You know, I don't usually get that chance."
He continued: "So I really wanted to do it, and as I said, if you know me in real life, [DC Martin Young is] the complete polar opposite of of what I am. So yeah."
In Viewpoint, Clarke co-stars alongside the likes of Alexandra Roach (No Offence, Black Mirror), Fehinti Balogun (Informer), Catherine Tyldesley (Coronation Street), and Bronagh Waugh (The Fall).
In the series, Clarke plays a detective setting up an observation post in the home of a single mum (Roach), giving him a direct sightline into the home of a missing woman, which she shares with her boyfriend.
Want more show content? You can read our spoiler-free Viewpoint review of the whole series or our Viewpoint episode one recap here.
Check out what else is on with our TV Guide or our dedicated Drama hub.
