Hugo Speer (Mark Penwarden, Echo Beach)

There’s always been a strong sense that we’re doing something exciting, innovative and original. The more work we’ve done, the more excited we’ve got about the impact its going to have. So that, a good script and the character of Mark Penwarden - a bad guy - just sold it to me.
 
“I always find baddies far more interesting. If you can do a bad guy, make him likeable still. The man you love to hate. I suppose you can judge a man by his actions. Mark does some pretty dastardly things, but he’s clearly got a good heart. He obviously adores his family, even though he’s not always best behaved with them. He has redeeming qualities, which allows the audience to empathise with him to a degree. Baddies are always the best - you get to behave in a way that isn’t normally socially acceptable. You can do all sort of things without getting judged because everyone knows it’s pretend.
 
“If audiences subscribe to the full package of a comedy and drama in one, they’ll get all the laughs. It’s genuinely very funny - when I read the scripts I was belly-laughing all the way through. I think Jonathan is a wonderful character and Ben Miller plays him superbly. Then the drama is a very slick, polished piece of work. When you get the whole package, you can almost play a version of ‘Where’s Wally’. You watch Moving Wallpaper and you think “where have they put it? Where have they put that teddy bear” and it suddenly appears in the background somewhere. Or, there’s a little girl crying and it’s just a graze in Echo Beach, but you know in Moving Wallpaper it’s because Jonathan was told the girl wouldn’t cry and is last seen saying to her “now listen, it’s about your parents”. I think people will love that real sense of being behind the scenes.
 
“I really enjoyed being sent up in Moving Wallpaper. I was asked ‘what it’s like playing yourself’ but we’re not playing ourselves. Essentially it’s scripted and it’s the writer’s interpretation of what we’re like - even if it is glaringly inaccurate. It doesn’t matter - it’s a comedy extension of yourself. In Moving Wallpaper I come across as arrogant and pugnacious. I put pictures all over the place of myself and if anyone dares mock me then they get a good hearty thrashing to within an inch of their life, neither of which I’d do in real life. I find you get a lot of credit for sending yourself up. It shows people that no one’s particularly afraid of laughing at themselves or takes themselves too seriously, which I think has always helped actors. And it reinforces in the audiences mind that you’re very composite in what’s going on. 
 
“I really hope Moving Wallpaper isn’t an accurate portrayal of a production office though. Us actors don’t really get to go into production offices very often. We’re on location, we’re on set and, obviously, if we do stick our heads around the corner of the production office, everyone is suddenly very nice. They’re probably sitting there saying “I don’t like that Speers” then see me and say “Ah Hugo, marvellous to see you”.
 
“I think we should shoot the next series on our own island in the Seychelles. When I lived in Brighton, every single day without fail I would have a little pilgrimage to the beach. I actually preferred it far more in the winter, because often I was on the beach on my own then. As cold as it was, I loved it, wrapped up warm just sitting watching the sea. I’ve had a few beachy holidays in my time - I like lying there listening to the sea and getting beaten by the sun.
 
“One night in Cornwall a few of us were drinking until half-past three. At about half-past nine, I said to Jason “are you going out swimming tomorrow morning? I’ll come join you”. At half past nine it seemed like quite a good idea. Come half past three, the idea wasn’t quite as appealing, but a promise is a promise. At half past six, I dragged myself out of my bed and ran down onto the beach and there was Jason, running up and down in his red swimmers. I joined in for a jog up and down the beach and dived into the sea, which really woke me up. I then went on set and I was about an hour early and only the second person there… I never wanted to be accused of being predictable in any way!”

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