There is a second interview with Tom for the Daily Express, which has been shared online, promoting Dark Heart - on ITV Encore at 9pm this Wednesday 9th November. Yes, this is the same night as the special screenings of Starfish around the country.
Tom Riley fans have a difficult choice on Wednesday: see exclusive footage and interviews along with Starfish at a one time only screening in cinemas, or watch Dark Heart on ITV Encore, which I assume will need as many viewers watching as possible.
Sadly for Da Vinci's Demons fans, according to the interview in the Express (not the most reliable publication), Tom doesn't miss his leather costume for Leo - which he has previously said was the most comfortable, if a bit draughty in the chest area...
He may be known for playing 15th-century artist Leonardo da Vinci in swashbuckling TV series Da Vinci’s Demons, but Tom Riley’s latest role couldn’t be more different – much to his delight.
As a detective in TV thriller Dark Heart, he relished taking on a contemporary role, particularly as it meant casting aside his cumbersome painter’s garb.
“It was fun not to have to cram myself into period costume after all those years – I don’t miss the leather,” he says. “Getting into costume for this only took five minutes and make-up was quicker. Also, Dark Heart is very natural. It’s nice to be able to talk like people do now rather than making sure you hit every vowel and flourish.”
Apparently ITV bosses would like Dark Heart to go to series, which would be wonderful news. Read the article in full on the Express website.
Dark Heart is a two-hour pilot based on the first in a series of novels by Adam Creed and ITV chiefs hope it will become a series.
“The public have a voracious appetite for police shows because it’s an ideal vehicle for telling any sort of story,” says producer Chris Clough. “Wagstaffe is young and has been fast tracked. He’s got a psychological problem following the murder of his parents, which has scarred him deeply, and was probably the cause of him becoming a police officer in the first place. If the show goes to a series, that will be the underlying story. Essentially a good cop has to be flawed to make him dramatically interesting, but this is a bit different.”
