Rivals’ Aidan Turner wants Declan’s body to look real in the shirtless scenes
Aidan Turner attracted everyone’s attention when he undressed Rivals — and now he’s figuring out why he wanted Declan’s body to look real on screen.
“He’s a dad and he’s a journalist, so I think it would be a little weird (to make him look too sculpted),” Turner, 41, exclusively said Us Weekly about his approach to those shirtless scenes. “I’ve often seen actors in movies or TV shows where their characters’ jobs don’t necessarily require them to be (very buff). So you see them naked and you’re like, “Wait, I know what it takes.” I know the hours, the diets, and the heavy exercise. I know you don’t have time for that.”
Turner didn’t want fans to doubt whether Declan had one the look was too perfect after seeing him at his most polished Poldark.
“I didn’t want it to be one of those moments where it’s just a TV body. I want it to feel real,” he noted. “I try to keep myself in shape. So the pressure was all on me. And we were really lucky because we had these wonderful proximity coordinators (for the show’s NSFW scenes).”
The contestants put in a lot of work to make their cast look completely different on the show. Based on Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name, Disney+ and Hulu’s Rivals focuses on the feud between two people fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. It stars a cast including David Tennant, (…)
He continued: “Our concern is that we get a chance. But I think most of my peers on this show aren’t really too self-aware. We kind of just get along with it. We knew what we were getting into. If you subscribe to a Jilly Cooper show you know what world you are entering. Sex is part of it, and if there’s more, there will be more.’
Based on the works of the British writer Cooper novel of the same nameDisney+ and Hulu Rivals focuses on the feud between two men fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. The Rivals stars an ensemble cast that includes Turner, David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Bella McLean, Nafesa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.
“It’s always nice (to hear how well the show and Declan have been received). Any actor who says they don’t want to hear nice things like that, I don’t believe them. It’s always nice to hear things like that, especially in the early days of a show,” Turner said us about the positive reception of the play. “I knew how it was received in this country (UK), which was very positive.”
Now this Rivals was restored in Season 2, Turner is excited to continue giving the fans what they want.
“A funny thing happens when you’ve done a good job for 20 years. You land the plane for some things, and for some you miss the airport completely,” he quipped. “When you get off the plane, you start hearing from people you haven’t heard from in a while. My friends who I haven’t talked to in months just emailed me and said they love the show. And it’s like, “Wow, this must really touch people.”
Turner, who doesn’t use social media himself but hears about it secondhand, feels very grateful for the outpouring of support, adding: “But not having the social media element, it really keeps you out of the spotlight. But I’m glad to hear that it’s being received on a really positive level. … I guess it’s always a surprise to some extent when people respond to the show and really like it.”
He concluded: “Being an actor, there are a lot of disappointments and some shows that you think are going to go but they don’t – and it’s frustrating. I just gave up years ago trying to figure out what the business wanted and what the markets were choosing. So it’s nice to hear you say things like that (about support). It puts a real smile on my face.”
Rivals currently streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney+ worldwide.
More reasons why Turner is one of those we’re Googling shirtless this week dial a new number with Us Weeklyon stands now.
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