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Spoilers forSlow Horsesseason-four finaleHello Goodbyefollow.
Hes a weird villain figure, equal parts malevolent force of nature and hyper-chatty salesman.
Youve spoken elsewhere oftiring with playing Hollywood villains.
Frank Harness isnt really a Hollywood villain, but he does feel somewhat adjacent to the archetype.
Hes this complex human being operating in the shadowy world of intelligence.
My role is to make him as real as I can.
Hes someone with a team of operatives who are also his sons.
Hes a father figure.
Hes a nurturing figure.
Hes an indoctrinator whos carrying out killings for agencies around the world.
Yet when hes talking to you, you cant know any of that.
Hes gotta be a polite man who listens and doesnt reveal a lot about himself.
He can be charming, I suppose.
I was also drawn to the construct that the series sets up with our hero, River.
That really is whatSlow Horsesis all about, I think.
Its about us as individuals feeling unloved.
What can I do to make Lamb love me?
What can I do to get back working with MI5?
The person River has been chasing all along happens to be his father, you know?
How was working with Jack Lowden on that sequence?I didnt know Jack, really.
Wed met and talked about the characters in that scene, but we didnt really know each other.
I love working with Jack.
Hes got great comedic timing and self-deprecating comedy chops.
Franks got a sense of humor, kind of quirky with a sense of wryness about him.
I think Franks very aware of the preposterous nature of his proposition.
Did Frank actually believe River would turncoat?
In fact, you dont even want to be there.
And hedoesntwant to be there, shoveling shit everyday.
So from that perspective, River mightve taken a job offer under other circumstances.
But that also makes it funny to me.
Theres humor in the fact he even makes the offer.
He doesnt really think Rivers going to accept it, but I think it comes from some genuine desire.
Frank thinks of his sons that way.
Its just slightly different from most people.
Frank is kind of a strange character.
He has this intense all-or-nothing drive while also being weirdly chatty.
The scene where he nearly gets chopped up by his client is pretty funny.
Hes made to be small and scampering offering discounts, refunds.
What does that moment illustrate about Frank?Its his introduction, isnt it?
Hes about to lose his head.
Its this great reveal to the character everyone is after.
He does manage his way out of it, verbally at least.
So you get a sense of him as being a fairly slippery character.
How did you get cast for Frank?
I knew about it because Will Smith [the creator and showrunner ofSlow Horses] is actually my cousin.
The deal was for more than one season.
It was well down the track.
They were just about to shoot season three, I think, when they reached out.
How are you feeling about your career as you settle into your 60s?[Laughs.]
The film industrys pretty tough, even when youre on a big-budget production.
Its hard to get any film seen, let alone really interesting little Australian low-budget films.
But I love my profession.
Im fascinated with acting and what it actually is.
Human psychology is an endless source of fascination to me my own psychology, let alone anyone elses.
Ive never wanted to do back-to-back projects.
I try and keep life in balance when Im not working, get my hands dirty by planting trees.
My healths pretty good too, which is a good thing.
Do you normally gravitate toward intensity with your roles?Oh, I dont know about that.
Hes definitely a nice man, but hes not an alpha male.
Hes not even a beta male, you know?
Hes capable but boring.
It was an absolute pleasure to play that.
I do enjoy playing a lot of different roles.
You know, revisiting that character and where he is now, what hes up to.
But in terms of your question about whats my relationship with intensity, I dont know.
Maybe its just particular roles that are more intense tend to be the roles that are more well known.
Who are they now?
Where do drag queens go when they get old?
What are the things that they have to deal with as they get older?
It is about aging in that way.
It was a big part of all of our lives.
Everyone who worked on that show had the time of their life.
And it was a big hit that was embraced around the world.
The film heralded a new way of us thinking and being with each other.
You mentioned youre a big gardener.
What are you planting this season?I did plant potatoes.
Theyll be coming up hopefully in November, December.
Broad beans, lettuces, cavolo nero, chard.
I was picking a whole lot of lime and our blood oranges were all coming out.
We make our own olive oil.
We just love the wallabies hopping around and all the native animals.
We let them be, plant trees, and give a shot to make the soil healthy.
Its a delightful place to disappear when Im not filming.
