Award-winning stage and screen actor Sir Antony Sher plays money man Glickman in Hugo Blick’s seven-part conspiracy thriller The Shadow Line.
Currently airing at 9pm on Thursday nights on BBC Two, the series brings to life a cinematic world of blurred morality and the conflicted characters that inhabit it.
When you read the scripts what was your first reaction?
“When I first read The Shadow Line scripts I couldn’t put them down – one of the best pieces of TV writing I’ve seen in a long time, a disturbing psychological thriller.”
What makes Hugo Blick’s scripts so unique?
“Because Hugo knows he’s going to be directing as well, he writes in a very visual way. You can practically see the edited film in front of you, and it’s very exciting. Also, he doesn’t shy away from long dialogue scenes – unusual for TV – and these are great for actors to play.”
How would you describe the character of Glickman?
“Glickman is a crime boss. Ruthless and efficient, he is used to being in control of everything, including himself. The key to his success is that he keeps things in different compartments in his mind. This enables him to lead a double life: as himself in London, and as an Irish antique-clock dealer, Donnelly, in Dublin.
“The latter persona has been created in case he ever needs to “disappear”. That is exactly what has happened just before the story begins. So it is as Donnelly that we first meet him.”
How did you approach playing two characters?
“Playing the two characters was a terrific challenge. Particularly since Hugo and I decided that the disguise couldn’t be too elaborate. No prosthetics or anything. It was something Glickman needed to be able to achieve just by popping into the gents at the airport.
“So as to become Donnelly he simply assumed an Irish accent, put on large spectacles, changed his hairstyle from full curly to flat and slicked-down, and altered his body shape by wearing baggier clothes and adopting a more shambling gait.”
Did you discuss Glickman with Hugo to develop him off the written page?
“We didn’t have to discuss much. I was very receptive to the two characters as he’d described them in the script, and he was very receptive to my ideas as how to play them.”
What did you like about playing Glickman?
“I’ve always liked playing bad guys, but what’s particularly enjoyable about Hugo’s creation of Glickman is that he’s not weird, he’s not a psychopath, he’s a man doing his job (as a crime boss) and he’s surprisingly human. In fact, his love for the lady he’s left behind in London ends up costing him dear.”
Have you worked with any of the other actors in The Shadow Line before?
“It is an incredible cast. I hadn’t worked with any of them before (Stephen Rea and I were once in the same TV film, but didn’t have scenes together). I was thrilled that my main scenes were with people that I specially admire: Chiwetel [Ejiofor], Chris [Eccleston], Eve Best and Stephen [Rea] of course.”
What was your favourite scene when filming?
“The showdown with Stephen Rea’s character Gatehouse in the clock shop was one of those scenes you dream of playing: a long, brilliantly scripted dialogue with a brilliant actor. Stephen’s power of stillness was like a lesson in camera acting.”
Can you explain what it’s been like working with Hugo?
“Hugo is one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. Beforehand, I wondered what it would be like to have the writer as director, but it proved to be a total advantage. He was simply ahead of the game in every single department.
“He knew exactly what the result needed to be. Yet this was never oppressive. The atmosphere during filming was happy and creative, and the general feeling on a set is always generated by the director. I don’t know how he did it. His energy is phenomenal.”
> Follow us on Twitter to get the latest The Shadow Line teasers and reviews first.