Tell Me Everything | Interview with Spike Fearn (Louis)

How did you get into acting?

I left school when I was 16 being a bit confused with where I wanted to go with life and what I was going to do. Mum was like, ‘Well, why don’t you try acting?’ At the same time I was watching Skins and I was really into Cook who was played by Jack O’Connell. I knew he was from the Midlands and I’m from Leicestershire. So I was like how did he get into it? I looked into that and found the Television Workshop in Nottingham and went there for a few years. The Nottingham Television Workshop is a great place. If anyone from around that area wants to get into acting that’s definitely the place to go.

Didn’t you then work with TME director Marley Morrison on a feature film?

Yeah, Marley actually messaged me on Instagram saying, ‘Hey, have you ever acted before?’ I explained my situation that I was in and she asked me to come and audition to be in my first film (Sweetheart). I went and met her and we got on really well. I got an agent from that and started auditioning and now I’m in Tell Me Everything. I got really lucky.

You first went up for the part of Jonny. What were your thoughts when the producers then suggested Louis?

I taped for both Louis and Jonny. I was quite set on Jonny because he had all this emotional stuff that quite appealed. I thought that Louis was just this funny sort of character and I’m not that good at that. But when I started looking more into Louis I noticed that he wasn’t just funny. He had a lot more about him. As I was reading more and more I found him more challenging, which was even more appealing. So I’m glad they asked me to come back for Louis. I enjoy playing him, it’s like he’s got his own little coming of age story.

There’s a description of Louis on the dodgems at the funfair where he is sticking to the one-way system, maintaining a steady course. Is that where he is in life when we first meet him?

Yeah, definitely. Everyone is growing around him and I don’t think he is ready to start growing yet. He is like, ‘This is a new point in my life. We are all going to start college.’ But he also doesn’t want his friends to change and he doesn’t want to either. He wants to stay on this steady path. He doesn’t want to venture out of his comfort zone at all.

What does he think of Jonny and Neve?

How I see it is Louis is not from the same area as them. He’s moved down here. He’s got these two friends now and I don’t think he had many friends before. Jonny and Neve are his best friends. Maybe he doesn’t agree with some of the stuff they do but he lets them do it and he just doesn’t get involved. He doesn’t want to have to go and make new friends. He’s too scared to do that.

What does it tell us about Louis’ relationship with his dad that he calls him Gareth?

That it’s not really that father/son relationship that everyone wishes for. His dad is never around. Maybe Louis blames his dad for his mum leaving and ruining that side of the family. He can’t cope with it. So it’s his way of saying, ‘I’m grown up now. I’m just going to call you Gareth.’

Has it been helpful working with an intimacy coordinator?

Yeah definitely. They are great. It amazes me how people used to do it without intimacy coordinators. They make you feel so comfortable in the scene. You’re not pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do. You can just say yes or no. You feel like you are in a nice environment to do something that can make you quite nervous. You want to be fully in the character for that part and you want to feel comfortable doing stuff that your character feels comfortable doing.

Cold lakes aside, what has been the most challenging day for you?

We started on night shoots and the second day they put us on the waltzers. I’m not a fan of the waltzers. I didn’t feel great anyway and we had to keep going on them. That was just a nightmare for me, going round and round and getting dizzier and feeling more and more ill. But Louis in that scene is supposed to be feeling dizzy and ill and scared so I think it will work.

Louis is desperate to take his driving test so he has more independence. How were you on-camera driving skills?

I may or may not have hit a light…

What wardrobe choices did you make for Louis?

There’s a gold chain that Louis wears in an early scene and I spoke to the costume team about maybe adding it later on when Louis gets a bit more grown up. So he puts the chain back on. Also Louis gets a pair of Clark Wallabees. I’m a big fan of them. I was happy with them. They might be coming home with me if I get to wear them on the last day of filming.

How does Louis’ look change when he becomes Louis 2.0?

It changes a lot. When you see Louis at the start he’s just quite young, like his mum maybe sends him clothes or gives him some money. Then when 2.0 comes along he’s trying to act a bit older. I think he gets it a bit wrong by going too old and looking a bit like an old man. I like the style though. I definitely prefer 2.0 and where it goes after that rather than at the very start.

What does Louis think of Kyle when he first meets him?

I think the way that he feels about Kyle is that Louis has never really been made to feel special and happy and I think Kyle brings this side out of him that makes Louis feel good about himself.

Why do you think people should watch Tell Me Everything?

It’s raw. It’s very real. It tells what life really is like growing up and going to college. The whole social media thing is great as well. As well as being funny it’s got drama in there. It makes you feel happy. It makes you feel sad. It’s everything a series should have. It’s great TV.

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