The Forsytes cast - from Poldark to Doctor Who stars - reveal all about their dramatic new revamp of the iconic period drama

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

In the course of our 45-minute interview that lasts an hour and a half, Stephen Moyer, 56, shares that he collects guitars – which he has hung up on the walls of his new home in Suffolk, because he can’t actually play the guitar – and typewriters, of which he has 30. We establish that he looks good in a duffle coat – which not every grown man does – and what he has in his pockets. Namely a "quite rare" $1 coin and an acorn, "which is a long story".

Further, he impresses upon me the virtues of good headphones and quality speakers, summer evening walks on Clifton Down in Bristol [he stays in the city while filming The Forsytes] and cooking for one in a Belfast kitchen. He confesses a love for Marmite and peanut butter, and details his favourite snack. "Anna [Paquin, his actress wife] calls them Stevie Snacks and they consist of some cheese, roasted almonds, some saucisson and chutney." His mum makes an amazing green tomato chutney, apparently. "I’ve got jars from 1994 in my cupboard and I’m not even joking."

In his 20s, Moyer lived on a houseboat for seven years in London’s Little Venice, with no electricity – which is why he bought his first typewriter – and recently, in his 50s, he’s taken up sailing. "I really love that it’s an ancient skill and it doesn’t involve phones. I spend a lot of time in the digital world and I love it, but I’m actually quite analogue."

Moyer is great company, as inquisitive as he is forthcoming. You might be tempted to say that his work is the least interesting thing about him. Except that isn’t true. For this Essex-born actor, who made it big in America, also collects great roles, recently adding two very different characters to his collection.

First, there is patriarch Jolyon Forsyte Sr in Debbie Horsfield’s fantastic take on John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga. "What Debbie has done is empower the female characters in the story to be having the conversations that they weren’t having in the novel,” he says. “While the men are worrying about stupid financial stuff, the women are dealing with real-life problems."

A radical reimagining, to be sure. But Moyer hastens to add that Galsworthy’s novel isn’t without a boldness of its own. "Yes, we all love the frocks, the big old houses and the horses and carriages, but he was the first person to talk about marital rape in a novel – which was a scandalous thing to do at the time – and he also examines the social structures and norms. "Debbie has taken inspiration from the book and created something extraordinary that it’s a joy to be part of."

Part of the joy that Moyer derives from The Forsytes, which has filmed for the last two summers in Bristol (there is one more series to air next year, with at least one more commissioned) is working with Jack Davenport, who plays his toxic, competitive younger brother, James. The pair first worked together on Ultraviolet, Channel 4’s 1998 vampire drama. "Back then, we were the young men about town and now we’re the old geezers. We’re like an old married couple, it’s hilarious.

"When we did the first season of The Forsytes, we lived next door to each other and spent all our time together. Meanwhile, back in New York where we lived at the time, Anna and Michelle [Gomez, Davenport’s wife] were close, too. So it was kind of lovely."

Moyer’s other recent role made for an altogether more solitary existence as he upped sticks for Northern Ireland, where Art Detectives is filmed. In it, he plays DI Mick Palmer, lead sleuth for the Heritage Crime Unit. The series does what it says on the tin with murders linked to Viking gold and artefacts from the Titanic.

"I’d never thought of myself doing cosy crime, but there was a warmth to Mick and to Shazia [Mick’s detective constable sidekick] and an understanding that I was drawn to. Mick’s quite eccentric – from the duffle coat to his obsession with comic books – and I enjoyed working him out and getting to know him."

As indeed do audiences. Made for Acorn TV, Art Detectives became the platform’s most watched new series, with another series in the works. It’s far from his usual grittier roles.

"I’m quite happy doing a show that is a gentler version of the world than the one we live in right now. There’s a lot to be said for seeking a life more analogue."

Interviews with the cast

James Forsyte, played by Jack Davenport

What appealed to you about The Forsytes ?

One of Debbie Horsfield’s great skills is that she’s able to wrestle these giant, creaky old galleons of novels into more modern shapes and reframe what the focus is. She and Damien [Timmer, The Forsytes’ executive producer] said they were interested in exploring patriarchy and its structures, such as primogeniture [the right of succession belonging to the first-born son] and how that system eats people alive. Because even though they’re rich and privileged, the likes of Jolyon Sr and James, and Jolyon Jr and Soames have no real agency because their paths are preordained. That intrigued me. Also, they wanted to focus on the women who, because they don’t have power, have a self-awareness that the men do not. So the men are powerful but clueless — and that tension seemed like an interesting thing to play with.

Isn’t The Forsytes about Britain and its relationship with money and power?

Don’t forget that the Forsytes are not aristocrats. They are upper-middle-class, and they have made their money by taking advantage of other people. When I’m in central London and I look up at the limestone buildings, I think to myself: this is a small island that can fit into the state of Texas seven times and yet look at this place! It’s a lot of blood and treasure that made this. We had our foot on a lot of people’s throats to achieve what we achieved. My character is a ghastly human, and I welcome Debbie’s subtle critique of the system that has made him extremely wealthy.

Jolyon Forsyte, played by Danny Griffin

The last leading man in a Debbie Horsfield adaptation was Aidan Turner in Poldark. No pressure on you then…

Yeah, it is a big deal. I was very nervous when I started on the show. I wanted to prepare — overprepare, really — as it’s all you can do. I had a lot of questions for Debbie when we first met. Questions about the stuff that the audience wouldn’t know that I would be aware of, so I could have it in the back of my mind.

Some actors say they connect with a character through their costume. What did it for you?

His jacket. It shows that he really wants to be a Forsyte — because all the Forsyte men wear jackets — but because his is a bit different, it shows that he’s not conforming exactly to the Forsyte way. My “hero jacket”, was customised so it seemed more casual, and a combination of the jacket and the hair really helped me find him.

Let’s talk about the hair…

We had long discussions about it. At one point, it was going to be a wig, but the one we got looked like a discount Thor. So it evolved into what you see on the telly because we wanted to show that he had a lot of hair. Then the question was, “How would you smarten that up?” To which the answer was “curling it endlessly”. We ended up doing that and I love the result.

Louisa Byrne, played by Eleanor Tomlinson

How aware were you of The Forsyte Saga before you got the part?

I’d heard of the adaptations and I knew the novels, but because my character was created by Debbie, I didn’t watch or read anything as there wasn’t an awful lot of point. Normally, if my character had been in the books, that’s absolutely what I would have done — that’s what I did with Poldark. Having said that, Debbie’s scripts are so rich that everything you need to know about your character is on the page.

So, what is everything we need to know about Louisa?

She’s a dressmaker who had a love affair with Jolyon 10 years prior to the events of The Forsytes, long before he married Frances. As she was a lady’s maid and he was the scion of a family like the Forsytes, the affair was doomed. But now she’s back in London, in the Forsytes’ orbit, which she realises is problematic — not least because she has two children and he’s the father.

Isn’t that a good thing? No matter how long

a woman had her children, if a man knew they were his, he could take them away. Initially, she lives in fear of that but once she realises that he’s still in love with her, and he’s trapped in a world where he doesn’t belong, that gives her more agency, power and strength.

Frances Forsyte, played by Tuppence Middleton

Had you read Galsworthy before you got the part?

When I got the part, I started reading the books. Then I realised that Debbie’s version was so different that I stopped. Because Frances didn’t feature in the books, I decided I wanted to focus on the scripts and get my information from them.

As you say, Frances isn’t in the novels but she’s a formidable presence in the drama…

Ann [Francesca Annis] is obviously the queen of the family but she’s at the stage where she’s handing over more of the responsibility, so Jolyon Sr [Stephen Moyer] is running the house and Frances is his right-hand woman. They are the ambitious ones with big ideas for the company and she has more of a business head than her husband Jolyon.

Do you think previous adaptations cast a long shadow?

When you’re making a version of something that already exists, the most important thing is to accept that there will be people who have their definitive version of it, and know that you’re making it for a modern audience. So, then you ask yourself: how can you make it feel alive and relevant for that audience?

What does The Forsytes says about us now?

A period drama is always of the time it’s made, and this is a feminist take on The Forsyte Saga. But I think it also taps into a contemporary fascination with powerful families like the Murdochs and the Trumps, especially after Succession.

Soames Forsyte, played by Joshua Orpin

Let’s be clear — Soames is pretty awful, isn’t he?

He can be, though I don’t think he thinks he is. When I’m playing him, I don’t judge him. I do try to understand him, though. He’s a guy born into this family of enormous wealth and privilege with ambition and drive to succeed and dominate. Those traits have been fostered by his parents, particularly his father, and he’s power-hungry. He thinks he’s the best man to run the family stockbrokers, not his cousin Jolyon. And he’s probably right.

But while he’s very comfortable in the business world, he’s a man who doesn’t know how to express his feelings in a positive way. Again, thanks to his parents. He’s a product of his environment.

The last man to play Soames — Damian Lewis — went on to great things, not least Homeland and Billions. As an Australian, is moving to the USA the big draw?

There’s never really been a big draw to live in the United States. As nice as it is, I’ve only been a handful of times, and I’ve never worked there. The American stuff I’ve done has either been shot in Australia or in Canada. My mother’s actually British, so I’m a dual citizen.

Is Soames a tragic figure?

He thinks Irene is amazing. He falls in love but doesn’t know how to express that love. And then the thing that he loves about her — her free spirit — he ends up suppressing by trying to fit her into this box of what he perceives a wife should be. That sounds pretty tragic to me.

How have your good looks factored in your career?

I think that at a certain point in your acting journey, you have to reconcile yourself with the way you look and use that to your advantage. I’d say that my looks have helped me more than they’ve hindered me, but sometimes there have been roles that I’ve really wanted to play and the feedback I’ve had is that I’m too good-looking to play the character. That’s a shame, but what can I do? I can’t really change how I look.

True, but do you feel under pressure to stay buff?

In my life, I don’t feel that pressure. But if the role calls for it, it’s there. I played Superboy on Titans and he was a superhero, so there’s an expectation there for him to have a certain physique. For a role like that, I felt pressured to transform my body. But when it comes to other roles, not so much.

Irene Herron, played by Millie Gibson

How aware were you of the Galsworthy novels and previous adaptations?

I wasn’t. However, as soon as I got the audition, I started doing my research and reading the book. But the book is very much from the male perspective. Then Debbie explained that this was going to be a new, fresh version, more about the female characters, so I stopped reading the book. Which was pretty hard-going anyway, if I’m honest. And along with so many brilliant, strong female characters, we had two female directors, and Debbie obviously, so it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

How does your Irene compare to other iterations?

She’s completely transformed, and it helps getting into character that I am completely transformed, too — I don’t think people will know it’s me and I love that. So compared to the noughties version, Irene is a lot younger. She’s 19 in this version and has such a youthful zest and energy — she just wants to be a ballerina and live life — which I think makes it more heartbreaking when these terrible things start to happen to her.

And by “terrible things”, you mean Soames Forsyte?

It’s not as simple as that. Debbie has written the characters with such nuance and in such a complex way. The audience gets to see them fall in love, which previous versions didn’t show, so when it starts to go bad, it connects with you more. Irene falls in love with Soames for a reason, he’s not a baddie from the off, so there are different dynamics going on between the characters that audiences haven’t seen before.

Coronation Street, Doctor Who and now The Forsytes…

It’s funny because I’ve broken my streak of only being in shows that are more than 60 years old — by being in a show that’s a version of a 58-year old show.

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The Forsytes will continue airing on 5 on Monday 10th November at 9pm.

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