A new interview with the cast of The Nevers has been shared online, and they all have some interesting things to say about the show. Tom Riley and James Norton seem to have tag-teamed their answers. Read the interview in full on the website.
Even though much of the show is fantastical, is there a certain amount of historical accuracy to it?
James: Obviously it was a savvy choice to root it in the turn of the century when the British Empire was at its strongest and of course, there was the Industrial Revolution. There was a lot to lose to the people in power at that point. It makes sense that there’s a catalyst, this kind of curveball thrown into the mix. Hugo and Augie don’t want that curveball because they have to cling their clutch. There’s a lot of it that feels exactly right and the right time to explore those themes. Of course, is full of acronyms as well.
Tom: Yeah, they’re obviously inaccuracies as well as things that everyone endeavours trying to make as true to the times it could possibly be. But because this is being presented as a sort of alternative history, maybe a history we forgotten, maybe some of it never happened at all, there’s obviously a lot of leeways when things aren’t as accurate as Victorian experts might hope.
The pandemic brought the TV and film industry to a halt around the time “The Nevers” was in production. What were changes that you noticed from the delays? What were your takeaways?
Tom: It completely changed the way everything was shot. It’s not just us, every production took a hit and had to reconfigure. One thing anyone in the television industry will tell you is that people who are incredibly good at pivoting in the face of a disaster, like assistant directors and line producers, and people who get hit with sudden surprising things in the morning and that have to shoot the same thing in the afternoon even though they’ve lost their location or lost an actor. So, the entire industry rose to the challenge. I think “The Nevers” was very interesting because we shot a lot of it without those restrictions in place and then when we came back, we were doing basically the same thing except everyone is in PPA, we were all distanced from one another, there was a limitation with the number of crowds we’re allowed to shoot with. So, it felt like a very different atmosphere. But I think, fortunately, because we all knew each other so well and because we worked on the show for so long together, it didn’t feel too drastic. There was a shorthand there, even with all the masks, shields, and gloves.
James: It was as Tom said, it was amazing because we haven’t met people, knowing what they look like. You meet people now and you don’t spend days knowing what they actually look like. I think one thing I recognise on the film set, was this kind of crazy happy chaos where everyone kind of co-mingles, it’s really collaborative, you got sound department, the costumes and the make-up. There was this kind of noise and happy energy. Now, of course, that’s gone and everyone sits in their bubbles, and you can’t cross-pollinate between departments. It’s sad because we lost that happy chaos and I really hope we get it back. Because that’s kind of why filming is such a joy; it’s about the people, it’s about the mass of it all.
Tom: It’s interesting to see whether or not that happy chaos that James mentioned does affect the way a show comes to life. When you see it on the screen, is it going to miss that energy. I think it’ll be interesting to see the stuff that comes out that was filmed particularly during Covid, whether some of that magic is lost or whether we all managed to fake it very well.
HBO shared another interview tit-bit where Tom tells us he has never squinted at a CGI sparrow before...
Fist fight in a corset? Check.
— HBO (@HBO) April 11, 2021
Join the cast of The Nevers as they discuss the new adventures they’ve experienced since joining the series. The Nevers premieres tonight at 9 pm on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/OUJnw9nzxL
