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The Long Call | Interview with Ben Aldridge (Matthew Venn)

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How did you become involved in The Long Call?

“I had narrated the audiobook and heard afterwards that it was being commissioned by Silverprint Pictures as a TV series. I remember thinking at the time that, although Matthew and I were extremely different in personality and energy, there were many crossovers and experiential similarities. When they were originally casting, I was unavailable. Later, though, my commitments shifted and it became a possibility. I had a long Zoom call with Lee Haven Jones (Director) and Sam Jones (Casting Director) where I remember talking about said crossovers and registering their reactions as they realised how many coincidences between Matthew and I seemed to be mounting up. Perhaps those connections to the story helped, but of course, I still had to self tape an audition and then heard that they’d like me to do it.”

The first of these crossovers is that both you and Matthew identify as gay. How liberating was it to play a character who shares your sexuality?

“Extremely. I’ve been wanting to play a character whose sexuality and emotional inner world is similar to my own and this felt like the right project to do so.

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“A lot of what Matthew has experienced and continues to navigate in this piece is recent history for me. Acting is imaginative and creative and sometimes requires spending time in situations that you haven’t necessarily experienced yourself or know about yet, that’s what enables actors to play a range of parts beyond their own experience, that’s the ideal anyhow. That said, I’ve been wanting to play a role that I knew from the inside out, a role that was close to me, that didn’t involve total imagination but instead, drew on and expressed some of my own experiences.”

Tell us about the experience of religion that you share with Matthew?

“The Long Call is partly about the collision between the modern world and a strict religious group, the fictionalised Barum Brethren. I was raised as an evangelical Christian, and before that, my parents and grandparents had themselves been devout members of the Brethren. Both my grandfathers were Elders in their respective churches. My parents moved away from that particular domination when they met, however the memories lived on in my wider family, as did some of the culture. I was able to use that knowledge and my own experience growing up in the evangelical movement in relation to Matthew. Parts of it were extremely similar; there were so many corresponding conversations and coincidences. I was able to ask my parents about many of the specifics regarding the Brethren. They were both brilliant sources of information. We spent hours talking, dissecting, reminiscing, telling stories. It’s quite a unique thing to be on the other side of religious devotion looking back at it.”

“In Matthew’s case, he had been ostracised by the Barum Brethren and his own mother, Dorothy, as they believe being gay is a sin and results in burning in the fires of hell. Matthew had to leave his family and everything he’d known behind as a young adult and is only returning now twenty years later.

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“Though different, I have experienced my own version of that and so I understand how Matthew’s specific religious background can contribute to, compound and amplify the feelings of shame surrounding his sexuality and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles this creates in his struggle on the journey to a prideful existence.”

How would you describe the relationship between Matthew and his mother, Dorothy (Juliet Stevenson)?

“They are both stuck in a state of unexpressed turmoil – two people who cannot bring themselves to talk about the very issue that is destroying them; Matthew’s homosexuality. The Barum Brethren don’t express emotion, they are stoical. When these two characters are reunited in the story, they are worlds apart in ideology, beliefs and lifestyle. Matthew has spent twenty years living in the secular world, Dorothy is frozen in time, clinging to her religion. It is near impossible to reason with or change what someone faithfully believes to be true, to be fact, and Matthew knows that. Therefore, even though he perhaps longs for his mother’s acceptance, it feels a futile desire. Talking is an essential part of healing both for parents and queer children, but here, even with the little communicating they are able to withstand, they manage to hurt each other further.

“The scenes between Juliet Stevenson, who plays Dorothy, and I were very affecting for both of us, I think. I found myself very full of emotion when filming them. Sometimes you can’t help experiencing your own personal set of feelings around a scene; they may align perfectly with the character or contrast dramatically, both can be helpful. For Juliet, I think it was about the horror of rejecting your own child, and for me it was often just extremely close to home. In those moments, Matthew and I definitely crossed over, sometimes cathartic, sometimes uncomfortable. I felt very thankful, very lucky, to be working with Juliet. I’ve always found myself in awe when watching her performances, she’s incredible. She interrogates a scene forensically and treated both of these characters with such respect, empathy and sensitivity, it was inspiring.”

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You grew up in Devon yourself – another of the connections to Matthew. How was it filming on home territory?

“It was nice to be filming somewhere that felt familiar and to know it so well. We used to go on day trips to North Devon when I was younger and I spent some summers surfing on the beaches there. Once I knew I was playing Matthew, my parents and I drove up there for the day, visiting the locations in the novel – Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Crow Point. When we eventually filmed the opening scenes at Crow Point, my mum and dad came to set, it was a little full-circle moment.

“They’ve not been as involved in something I was working on before, I usually keep things pretty compartmentalised and I must say I felt proud to have them there. I’d spent lockdown living next to them in Devon and loved being back there. The older I get, the more I find myself wanting to spend time there.

“Ann’s settings, of course, are always so central to the story – whether it’s Vera, Shetland or this, and it’s always more than just the brochure version. In this case, yes, North Devon has the beaches, agriculture and stunning coastal views, but there’s also a darkness and edginess to the place. For me, the least interesting thing would be to just show a sun-drenched idyll when actually it’s a place of real contrasts.”

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Is this your first role as a detective?

“There’s an element of the detective to Thomas Wayne, who I play in DC’s Pennyworth, he’s a CIA agent, so there are similarities, but a detective in a modern British drama is definitely a first. I could easily have felt a little daunted when acting with Martin Shaw as he’s famously played two beloved British TV detectives. I definitely had to park any feelings of intimidation, which Martin made all the more easy by being totally lovely and brilliant to work with. I loved acting with him. We’d get to a scene between Dennis and Matthew and I’d think ‘this will play itself.”

“He’s so good and there was something that happened when our characters encountered each other, I never had to think about the acting, everything would just come together.”

How was it leading such an illustrious cast?

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“It could have been intimidating, but all the actors were open and warm and just such great company; Juliet, Anita, Martin, Neil, Pearl, Dylan etc. I think everyone cared for the story and we were just all so grateful to be back working after Covid. Anyway, I don’t think a single person leads something like this, I think it’s all an ensemble vibe. Lee set the tone, it was a very happy job.”

Describe the atmosphere on set?

“Surprisingly, it was a very funny set. In front of camera, the drama itself was pretty dark and intense—there’s a lot of pain in the piece—but on set, there was always laughter, a lot of levity. Maybe that’s essential on something like this, relief from all the seriousness. Also it was a cast of anecdote tellers, anecdotes a go go, which I love. Anita Dobson always made sure we were laughing between takes, she’s hilarious and our scenes were always so heavy.”

The Long Call is directed by Lee Haven Jones. Did it help that he’s also gay?

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“I loved working with Lee and would jump at the chance to do it again. He was an actor himself so he knows instinctively what’s going on and is a brilliant communicator. The fact that he’s also gay gave us a mutual shorthand and understanding of Matthew’s journey, of each other and of our own experiences. I felt very bonded with Lee even before filming began. We spent hours chatting about Matthew and this specific journey, which involved a lot of discussing our own experiences and talking about that stuff is a vulnerable thing to do. I knew we were coming from a place of mutual understanding which was great.”

How would you describe the relationship between Matthew and his husband Jonathan (played by Declan Bennett)?

“It’s a very loving and supportive relationship in which Matthew can be his true self, the only place where he can, in fact. Out in the rest of the world, he’s careful, contained and sometimes cripplingly self censoring, but with Jonathan, he can be himself, unguarded, unfiltered. He’s lighter, easier, less self conscious. The relationship isn’t free of difficulties, but they’re totally unified as a couple.

“Often gay relationships on screen are depicted as tormented or focus on hyper sexuality, and there’s absolutely a place for that, but Jonathan and Matthew’s relationship is the certainty in this piece, which is rare in TV drama.”

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“I know Declan, Lee and myself all felt a responsibility to portray these men and this relationship as authentically as possible, to see a version of what we know ourselves represented on screen and it’s exciting to be bringing that to a mainstream ITV audience.”

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Alastair James is the editor in chief for Memorable TV. He has been involved in media since his university days. Alastair is passionate about television, and some of his favourite shows include Line of Duty, Luther and Traitors. He is always on the lookout for hot new shows, and is always keen to share his knowledge with others.

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