Sean Bean, Arthur Hughes and Anthony Boyle | "Shardlake Is Like A Tudor Cop Show"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV6pP-uLL-0Watch: Shardlake star Arthur Hughes reflects on the show's depiction of disability
In Disney+'s new series Matthew Shardlake is keen to uncover the truth behind a grisly murder in 16th century England, and as an outsider he is able to slip through society to find the answers he seeks.
The lawyer-turned-sleuth is notable for his intellect, his wit and his determination — and though he is seen as an outsider because of his disability it's not something Shardlake focuses on, he'd rather hone in on the task in front of him.
It's an aspect of the character that disabled actor Arthur Hughes appreciates about the role and the period drama's storytelling, he tells Yahoo UK.
Hughes, who has radial dysplasia, celebrates the series' handling of his character's disability, and explains that the highlight of the series is that it allows viewers to appreciate the lawyer for his skills rather than making his disability the be all and end all of the lawyer: "I think it handles it really well.
"Anthony [Boyle, who plays Jack Barak] was speaking earlier and Anthony said that the least interesting thing about Shardlake is his disability and I completely agree. I think that goes with most disabled people, [it's an] important part of them but not the thing that defines them.
"Shardlake's thing that defines him is his brain and his heart, and his care and courage," the actor goes on. "Even before it was being made for this show, the book really addresses that, I think it's great.
"I hope that we made Shardlake — and I think we did — much stronger, less afraid of everything. [He's] afraid of his own shadow a bit in the book. A character that's more stoic and independent, and maybe physically strong as well. I was happy with how Shardlake presented."
Set during the dissolution of the monasteries, the series sees Shardlake be tasked with investigating a murder at a monastery by Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) alongside his man Jack Barak (Boyle). The victim was a commissioner sent by Cromwell, who wanted to close down the monastery, and the crime now puts his political career at stake.
It's based on CJ Sansom's Shardlake novels, which Bean has long been familiar with and helped inform his interpretation of Cromwell on the screen. He explains: "I'd read them before, I'd read them a long time ago maybe 15 years ago and I was really blown away by them, and I thought 'that's just my cup of tea. I love this thing.'
"So when it came up, I was delighted that they asked me to play Cromwell, and knowing that I'd really enjoyed the books and I couldn't wait for the next one — there wasn't that many at the time but I believe there is now — and he's a great writer, so it was a great adaptation."
While the actor does not appear often in the series, Bean shares that what he enjoyed most about the show was its writing and how it approached the time period: "He doesn't play a major role, but I think what he does say, it gives you an insight into what's happening in terms of the Church and the monasteries, and this massive break from Rome, from the Catholic Church.
"I just found it really enjoyable doing the scenes with these guys and just the relationship we had, and the humour, and the authority that I had over them knowing that [Shardlake] is very gifted and very clever, not sure about [Barak], and I think we just played it there on the day and that worked very well."
Boyle, for his part, enjoyed playing a character with questionable morals, saying that Barak is "out there with his own moral compass" as he reflects: "He's just trying to figure out what's best, I think Shardlake knows what's right and is saying 'this is the through, and this is what we have to do', and Jack is just making it up as he goes along.
"He's doing it on the fly, so it does make sense that you as an audience member going: 'Do I trust this guy?' I don't know if he trusts himself, he's very emotional, he reacts to things and without giving too much away he presses the red button if it's in front of him, you know? He's quick to a sword, or quick to kiss someone. He leads with his heart on his sleeve whereas Shardlake leads more with his head."
The heart of the story is with Shardlake and Barak, two opposing personas who grow a begrudging bond over the course of their investigation. Hughes and Boyle didn't have the same issue as their characters in getting close, the actors reveal, because they've long been admirers of each others' work.
"Anthony and I, we missed each other but we both trained at the same drama school, but not at the same time," Hughes shares. "And then [he] came to see me in a play a few years after I graduated, and so we met for the first time there — that was kind of it, but we knew who [the] other [was].
"I was watching Anthony's work and career as it went along and so when I found out that he was the guy playing Barak I was thrilled because I think it was just perfect, spot on, and I think the first day we met in the hotel, it was it was a great... instant spark."
Hughes went on: "I think we really needed that for this undertone of love and friendship between Barak and Shardlake because even though they are quite the odd couple, there is a really deep, great friendship and we had such a laugh."
Boyle jokes that the first day they met they "had a chicken paprikash and a whiskey, and we put the world to rights", adding: "We're gonna do three months with each other, and I thought we're gonna be alright, he's a good guy here.
"And when I saw him in that play years ago I was just bowled over by how talented he was, and I said to the writer, Jack Thorne, 'I would love to work with him one day' so when it came through and they said Arthur Hughes was attached to it I was like, 'this is a no brainer, I'd love to work this guy.'"
The pair hope that they'll be able to reunite again soon, so fun was their time together making Shardlake, and with six more books left in the series it seems perfectly possible that they will be able to work together again, with each other and Bean.
"There's a bigger world to explore for these three," Hughes remarks. "So I'd love to." Boyle concurs, adding: "If there's an appetite for it yeah, I think we'd all love to do it."
Shardlake premieres on Disney+ on Wednesday, 1 May.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/shardlake-arthur-hughes-celebrates-shows-depiction-disability-082828337.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLm5sLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGk71MGFfAAnU9h1ty5Aq1_sxrIj2q7gsfo16jGZSNfVmF284NrvEo3YVMRTD_t_g8-2DTMvXRvMLQ6zRpTYBXUAfSP57eZAkWy-fY4wcOBSRbKvk2gjy1hMH5Sr6wu_ZYZnR1m5femoQkbiuURxOHs7yt4F8yxOZ-TwuQQqZpoAShardlake star Sean Bean on his 'dark and creepy' Thomas Cromwell
Bean spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about his role in the new Disney Plus Tudor mystery series.
New Disney Plus series Shardlake adapts the best-selling series of novels by CJ Sansom, with this first season taking on Dissolution, the first of the author's mystery books.
The story focuses on Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer living in the 16th-century who is assigned by Thomas Cromwell to investigate a murder at a monastery, right during the period of the dissolution of the monasteries.
While Shardlake himself is played by Arthur Hughes, Cromwell is played by Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings star Sean Bean, who spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about what drew him to the role.
He said: "I think it was his mischievousness and his ruthlessness. And also his charm and the pleasure he took is these belongings that been stolen from the church, the relics and the skull of Saint Barbara and the way he handled them – there was something quite creepy about that.
"And I like the fact he was quite a dark character, apparently was quite a humorous man when he wasn't at work. I found him quite creepy, quite scary, which apparently he was, so that was something that was very nice to play, very rewarding to play, that aspect of his character."
Bean also explained how he came to play Cromwell in the series, saying: "I was sent the scripts, and it's something I immediately wanted to be involved with.
"I'd read the book some time ago, I was in Norway at the time stuck, stuck up in some mountain in snow and I read about three books.
"And then it came along and I thought, ‘Oh I remember these’. I really enjoyed the books and I'm really kind of interested in that period of time and the ramifications of what happened there, so I jumped at the chance to play Cromwell."
At its heart, the series is a genre mash-up between a historical drama and a murder mystery thriller, and speaking at a recent Q&A, Hughes was quick to praise the show's "twisty" mystery element.
Asked whether he was able to guess the murderer himself, Hughes said: "I think, reading it, I didn't. Because there's so many dead ends, red herrings, and there's just there's a lot of information.
"There's really so many layers to the story – it's quite twisty."
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/shardlake-sean-bean-thomas-cromwell-exclusive-newsupdate/Sean Bean reveals his secret to playing well-known fictional and historical characters
Sean Bean has opened up about how he “doesn’t feel any pressure” about playing well-known fictional and historical characters.
The much-loved
Game of Thrones
actor - who will next be on our screens as Thomas Cromwell in Disney+’s
historical mystery drama Shardlake
- also said he doesn’t feel there’s “much difference” between playing fictional characters and characters who once existed in the past.
In Shardlake, lawyer Matthew Shardlake (
Arthur Hughes
)’s sheltered life is turned upside down when Henry VIII’s right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell, sends him to investigate the death of a commissioner at a remote English monastery. The series is adapted from the popular historical fiction books by C.J. Sansom.
Speaking exclusively with virginradio.co.uk about Shardlake,
Bean
said: “I don’t feel any pressure really,” when taking on characters that are well-known by audiences, whether fictional or historical.
“With a fictional character, you can obviously bring more of yourself to the part, or you can discover other aspects of the character,” the Ned Stark actor said. “But you know, I think some people are overwrought when they’re playing real historical figures, which I don’t think they need to be.”
The actor continued by criticising how overthinking an historical role can “[set] a general tone that [those characters] are separate from the audience and that they’re somehow more untouchable.
“I think so long as you bring your humanity to a historical role as well as a fictional role - but especially a historical role - then you know, an audience can relate to you… and it’s more believable,” he added.
Speaking about taking on his role as
the series’ fictional lead
, Matthew Shardlake, Hughes added: “I think it’s always good to find as many things you can that you relate to with a character,” but he also shared how he likes working out what he “doesn’t have in common” with his characters too.
“I wanted this Shardlake on screen to be maybe a bit more of a physical presence, a bit stronger and less kind of afraid [than Shadlake in the books],” he added.
https://virginradio.co.uk/entertainment/143877/sean-bean-reveals-secret-playing-fictional-historical-charactersShardlake's Arthur Hughes on his role as 'the Tudor Inspector Morse'
https://www.whattowatch.com/features/shardlakes-arthur-hughes-on-his-role-as-the-tudor-inspector-morseAuthor CJ Sansom dies aged 71: Tributes to historical fiction writer behind Matthew Shardlake books which has inspired new Disney + TV show set to air next month
Author CJ Sansom, who created the character of Matthew Shardlake, has died at the age of 71, his publisher announced.
The writer has passed away just days before the release of the Disney+ adaption of his series of Tudor-era novels.
They depict the rise of Shardlake, a barrister, who solves crimes whilst trying to avoid becoming enmeshed in political shenanigans in the court of Henry VIII.
Disney+'s new series stars Arthur Hughes as Shardlake and Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell, Henry's chief minister who was later beheaded.
Sansom's first Shardlake novel, Dissolution, was published 21 years ago.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13361631/Author-CJ-Sansom-Matthew-Shardlake-dies-aged-71.html
