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Publication: Metro (England)
Date: 2019-03-28
Author: Amanda Cable
Page:
Language: English

AMANDA CABLE CHATS TO DOCTOR WHO AND BROADCHURCH STAR ARTHUR DARVILL AHEAD OF HIS TURN IN A NEW MUSICAL VERSION OF SWEET CHARITY

How punishing is your Sweet Charity rehearsal schedule?

We kick off every morning with training. It's quite physical for everyone else apart from me - most of my scenes involve everyone else moving around me while I end up standing still, having a panic attack. The rest of the cast are amazing dancers. I've not really worked with dancers before and they're incredible - just like machines. Mind you, it's fun watching them all trying to walk down the stairs with shaky legs at the end of the day.

Are you nervous about taking to the stage?

I think I'm always fairly nervous about everything new I do but this is such an amazing show and a brilliant, fresh take on it that I can't wait for everyone to see it. This is also the longest rehearsal period I've had for anything, which helps the adrenalin build up.

When you were young, did you follow your artist parents when they were on tour?

My dad's a musician so he was on tour with Fine Young Cannibals and Ruby Turner, which was amazing. Mum was a puppeteer and actor, and it all seemed totally normal to follow her on tour and pitch up a tent and watch her perform. Now I realise how lucky I was to have a childhood like that.

What are you recognised for in the street - being Rory Williams in Doctor Who or Paul the vicar in Broadchurch?

It's a 50-50 split. I've been very lucky to be involved in programmes that have really captured the public's imaginations and before I did Doctor Who I had no idea about this world of amazing people who are so committed to being fans of that show. You hear all different stories of people having a difficult time with fans but I've always found people are really friendly.

What's been the strangest place you've ever been stopped?

The most embarrassing was when 1 got on to a very packed train and the doors shut behind me. Then a guy on the platform started banging on the window and pointing at me. I couldn't move because 1 was shoulder to shoulder with other passengers on the carriage, then he pulled up a picture of me on his phone and gave me the thumbs up. For the rest of the journey I felt that everyone was looking at me and I'm fairly awkward socially anyway so it was a difficult trip!

We read that you went to Comic Con with your Doctor Who co-stars, Karen Gillen and Matt Smith, dressed as a character called Plateface...

Ha ha, yes. We wanted to go into the main drag but we knew we'd be recognised as we were all together. Matt had bought masks but he only had two. I had just finished a pizza so I made a mask out of the paper pizza plate. It seemed like a really good idea at the time but in reality, it was quite greasy!

Is it true you're really good at stage fighting?

Well, I learned to do sword fighting at drama school. I'm quite enthusiastic but not necessarily good. I did a TV show where I had a stunt double who looked quite a lot like me but was absolutely ripped and I'm quite skinny. I had a fight in a Russian sauna, dressed in a towel, and although I had a couple of weeks' notice, and I really worked out, in this sweaty fight scene, with me trying to fight a giant man, there were close-ups of me looking really skinny and then long shots of the stunt double, who is muscle-bound. Of course, I've been telling everyone it's me...

Sweet Charity is at the Donmar Warehouse, London, from Apr 6 to Jun 8, donmanvarehouse.com

Caption: Fresh take: Arthur Darvill and Anne-Marie Duff rehearse for Sweet Charity

Caption: Top roles: Darvill starred in Broadchurch (left) and Doctor Who

Work of Art

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