This article contains spoilers for the first four episodes of Rivals
Rivals is Hulu’s latest venture into original British series. The limited series, based on Jilly Cooper’s novel by the same name, picks up semi-thematically where Nolly and Funny Woman left off with the uber-competitive world of 1980’s UK independent television but ups the ante on discussing gender and racial politics.
The enemies the title refers to are multilayered and complex because almost every character has someone they consider a rival. Everyone is competing for some sort of professional advantage, love, social status, or a combination of those elements. There are, however, two characters that have the most amount of enemies. The first is Rupert Campbell-Black, a retired show jumper and symbol of the Thatcher era elite played by Alex Hassell (The Miniaturist). The second is Tony Baddingham, the nouveau riche independent television head played by David Tennant ( Around the World In 80 Days).
Tony’s drive for ratings success moves him to persuade a hotshot investigative journalist Declan O’Brien — played by Aidan Turner — and an American television producer Cameron — played by Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning) — to work for him. Not only do Declan and Cameron clash with each other on editorial decisions, they also regularly butt heads with Tony. Tony wants more daytime talk show vibes, while Declan would rather grill lying politicians. Cameron’s ability to do her job is complicated not only by differences of opinion, but also by Tony weaponizing his sexuality against her.
In between all of the high-stakes corporate drama, the affairs, and the social subterfuge, Rivals highlights how much the elites of the series live in a bubble. Millions of people are living a different reality that only some of the characters have any idea about.
GBH Drama interviewed Aidan Turner and Nafessa Williams about their characters’ motivations, set locations that are suspiciously similar to those featured on MASTERPIECE, and what David Tennant is like when the cameras stop rolling.
GBH Drama: Your characters, for different reasons, are outsiders to the world of the upper-class British elite. How did you approach portraying their perspective?
Aidan Turner: Declan is quite a serious guy and he wants other people to take themselves seriously. He’s quite skeptical and wary of the frivolous sort of attitude that he sees around the Cotswolds: people kind of jumping into bed with other people, using sex as a transaction a lot of the time. He feels like a grownup in a world full of crazy toddlers. I think he’s dubious of that in the world and certainly the TV world itself. It is quite ruthless. Everybody can be your best friend one moment, but if you’re not popular they won’t pick up your calls. He gets the sense that it’s not necessarily a secure ground, so he’s at his happiest with his pipe, in his office, writing an article that’s going to be published in a few weeks. It feels like that for me as an Irishman in the Cotswolds. It does seem like a very dreamy, idyllic place that sort of isn’t real sometimes. It does feel like another world that I don’t understand.
Nafessa Williams: It’s funny because art imitates life, right? Cameron comes in being recruited from New York and I was also cast from the States. For Cameron, her eyes are wide open. She’s now in this new world, an '80s white man world. She had a lot to prove. This just wasn’t happening in the '80s. Cameron had to show how firm, how strong, how smart and also, too, she demands respect. She’s like, ‘I’m smart, I’m a badass, and you’re going to respect me and I have a lot of wits to back it up and I have talent to back it up. I wasn’t just recruited just because; I was recruited because I was one of the best producers in New York City.“ It was difficult for Cameron to be alone, to be away from her family, her friends, to not have anyone except for Tony, at the time. The transition was a lot for her to navigate, a lot of ups and downs, but also a really exciting time for her to come into a new county and set her mark. All of those emotions were fun to play.
What modern-day advice would you give your characters?
Aidan Turner: I think Declan could do better if he was able to download the Headspace app and follow their exercises. He could do with some new-age wellness: yoga, deep breathing exercises, meditation, and mindfulness. Maybe send a letter the next day and not immediately when you’re angry. I certainly could take some of this myself. I think that’s something that people didn’t talk too much about in the 1980s that he probably would have benefited from.
Nafessa Wiliams: I’m going to piggyback on the self-care theme and I would agree that Cam could also do with some therapy. She’s navigating the journey of leaving her world and transforming into a new one. There are a lot of underlying issues in her past that she’s dealing with that she covers up by focusing on her work. She doesn’t want others to see that because it’s what makes her a flawed, three-dimensional character. I think therapy could’ve served her some purpose.
Nafessa, what was your overall on set experience as Rivals is your first ever British production?
Nafessa Williams: It was different. It was kind of scary at times, if I’m honest, and I’m quite adventurous, but it was different being in a new world. I also had a lot of fun at the same time. The cast helped me to get familiarized with everything. They were friendly, warm, and open.
It was very exciting to see how production is run over on that side of the world and the differences from American productions. I’ve learned that it’s pretty much the same, other than a few lingo phrases that I had to pick up on. I’m excited to now have more eyes on me and hopefully create a fan base in the UK.
The audience will want to punch Tony in the face, but how was David Tennant on set?
Aidan Turner: Nobody ever wants to punch David in the face. He’s the loveliest guy you’ll ever meet.
Nafessa Williams: David is the sweetest, gentlest, most talented person to be on set with and to learn from. I liked observing him and how he moved on set. He’s very sharp at what he does, but he’s absolutely nothing like Tony. Although he can play it well and he comes off really scary, he’s not that guy in real life.
Declan’s house in the Cotswolds gave me Trenwith vibes, did you feel the same on set?
Aidan Turner: Did it? A lot of houses in the UK do look alike. This has happened to me twice in the last three months where I’ve shot something and a day after I’ve shot the thing, I’ve recognized an antique or something in the house and gone, ”Have I been here before?“ and then figured out that I’ve shot an entire television show there.
All episodes of Rivals are currently streaming on Hulu
