Matthew-Lewis.com

BBC has released some new photos and interviews to promote Happy Valley series 2. Matthew is new to the cast this year and will be playing Sean Balmforth. They have also shared the first photo of Matt as Sean. There is still no firm premiere date for series 2, but it will be some time in February. Their interview with Matt can be read below.

Had you watched the first series of Happy Valley before you became involved with series two?
Everyone I knew had seen the first series and told me how spectacular it was. I was working when it aired so I missed it but once I’d been cast in series two I went back and was absolutely blown away. A few bits from that first series still stay with me!

How did you come to be involved in series two?
I got sent the script and the character breakdown which as you’ll see was a fascinating prospect. I knew it’d be a challenge, probably my biggest to date, but I was eager to be involved and to work with Sally Wainwright so I went in to see her and she gave me the job.

How would you describe your character?
Sean has had a bad start in life and it’s defined him in ways that are out of his control. He’s not an alcoholic, as in he doesn’t need it to function but he is well on his way to becoming one. He’s angry and lost and finds it difficult to express his emotions which when coupled with his drinking can become a tinderbox.

Was your character challenging to play?
It was tough to get into his mind. I can’t say too much without giving away parts of the story that we will discover along the way with Sean but he’s in a very dark place and it gets worse for him throughout. Getting into the mind of somebody like that with those problems and those thought processes was daunting. Luckily I had a superb cast and crew around to help out.

How did you prepare for the role?
I spoke to Sally quite a bit and was sent several character breakdowns for Sean. There wasn’t
masses of research involved with this role as Sally writes in such a way that it’s all on the page for you. I read the script a lot, to go over again and again those emotions and the frustrations that Sean was going through. And to a lesser degree I studied the effects of alcoholism and how it affects motor function and things like that.

What appealed to you about this project?
Sally Wainwright and Sarah Lancashire. I hadn’t seen the first series until after I’d been cast but I knew the sheer talent involved in the project and how successful the first series had been. I’d worked with Sarah and Siobhan Finneran about 20 years previous and the chance to do that again was amazing. The opportunity to work with Sally and the complexity of the character she had created meant I couldn’t say no even if I wanted to.

Have you ever worked with any of the cast before?
Roughly 20 years ago I had a part in Where The Heart Is which Sarah was the lead in. I was about six years old and my mother was played by Siobhan! I have really fond memories of that shoot so getting back together with those two after so many years was incredible. They are so lovely and the way they work together is spectacular. To be around and watch them both as they were playing sisters opposite each other was such a privilege.

Are there any anecdotes you can tell us about that happened during filming?
There was a wonderful moment off set when the crew were setting up and Sarah and Siobhan were talking about a big scene they had coming up in a few days. Sarah half knew it and Siobhan hadn’t really looked at it. They decided to run it together and I feel so fortunate that I was there to watch it. It was a big scene, about ten pages or something and after about 4 or 5 pages Siobhan had gotten as far as she’d prepared. Sarah kept going and so Siobhan basically guessed what her character would say in the situation and it just fit. Every single time it fit and Sarah had a cue and was able to keep going with her dialogue. It was mind-blowing, they inhabit their characters so well and they work off each other like real sisters. It was such a pleasure to watch. I wasn’t there for the actual shooting of the scene a few days later but I bet it was a corker.

What projects do you have coming up?
I shot a film for Warner Brothers called Me Before You a few months before Happy Valley so that’ll be out in 2016 and I’ve just finished a new season of Ripper Street which is also on in 2016. Filming on the next season of that starts late January so I’m growing my 19th century sideburns and moustache back as we speak.

To start off the new year we get a brand new interview with Matt Lewis from the Evening Standard. He talks about everything from his Attitude Magazine shoot and leaving Neville Longbottom behind to his new roles in Happy Valley, Ripper Street and Me Before You. The full interview, including some Harry Potter talk, may be read over at Evening Standard. You can also view ttwo photos and a scan of the paper in our gallery.

 

When talking about why he wanted to be in Ripper Street‘s 4th series, which will be available on Amazon Prime UK starting January 15th, he said:

“I have a morbid fascination with serial killers. This show is about dramatic human stories that happen to be set in Victorian England. The first episode deals heavily with imperialism, immigration, Islam, murder, police corruption and all these things we are still talking about today. Man’s inhumanity to man is an interesting topic.”

Unfortunately Matthew could not say much about his role as Sean in series 2 of Happy Valley other than the character is “a wayward soul” and that ” it was one of the toughest challenges I’ve ever undertaken. I had to go to some pretty dark places. I was strung up really tight.”

Next he moved on to chatting about Me Before You, which will be released on March 4th. Of his trainer Tim Buckley, who works with Daniel Craig on James Bond, he said he is “simultaneously my hero and the worst person I’ve ever met in the entire world because he flogged the shit out of me.”

The interview also goes into the awkward topic of looks and Matthew’s recent Attitude Magazine shoot.

“I was like ‘Why the hell do you want me?’ Naturally you think of cover models to be David Beckham or someone insanely handsome, not me. But I’ve worked with the photographer, Joseph Sinclair, before and he is incredibly talented. He suggested some more risqué shots because I was in the best shape of my life and I trust him. Of course I was self-conscious. Even if one day I end up looking like f***ing Chris Hemsworth I’m never going to not be self-conscious.”

He acknowledges “there is massive pressure on women, and increasingly men, to look good. If you step out on a red carpet not looking a certain way you’ll be rinsed mercilessly — and that’s disgusting.”

[…]

“Yeah. The photos were good and people were saying nice things. I’ve had a few marriage proposals but they should try living with me.”

And if you were wondering if Matt ever reads your Twitter messages, he does read them when he has time “because if people are taking the time to write you a message the least you can do is read it. Jo Rowling has the same attitude.”

Happy New Year everyone! As always, we are excited for the new year and will keep you up to date on all the latest in Matt’s acting career.

Megan predicts this will be a big year for the Yorkshire actor who has already proven to us that he’s more than Neville Longbottom (although we still love Neville dearly.) 2015 saw Matthew gain three new roles which will finally be released this year. Four if you count a voiceover for a possible animated show. Last year also included him breaking the internet with a certain photoshoot that has furthered his status as a “hottie.” (But try not to embarrass him by talking about his looks, though it may be hard *wink*)

We already have a myriad of things to look forward to this year so let’s take a look.

 

1. Ripper Street Series 4
Matt will be starring as PC Drummond in Ripper Street‘s 4th series. The series will be available exclusively for Amazon Prime Members in the UK from 15th January 2016.

2. A Celebration of Harry Potter
Matthew is one of the guests for the third annual Celebration of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. The weekend will include question and answer sessions, autographs and a night event in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We will hopefully be there to cover the event. Tickets and vacation packages can be purchased at Universals’ website.

3. Me Before You Release
Matt Lewis’ newest film, Me Before You, will be released on March 4th in the United States (and we assume the UK as well.) Matt stars as Patrick alongside Emilia Clarke (Lou) and Sam Claflin (Will). No word yet on when/where a world premiere will be. Hopefully we will have a trailer soon. Stay tuned!

Update: The film has been pushed back to its original release date of June 3rd

4. Happy Valley Series 2
Matthew will also be appearing in Happy Valley‘s second series playing the character of Sean. A release date has not been announced.

5. A New Role?
It’s been a while since we’ve had some casting news. Hopefully an exciting project is approaching. If you could choose any role for Matt, what would it be?

What are you looking forward to seeing Matt Lewis in this year?

In a new interview with ripitup.com.au, Matt Lewis discusses a bunch of his upcoming projects. The interview with the Australian website comes before his appearances at Supernova Pop Culture Expo later this month.

In a short quote on his upcoming film Me Before You and working with Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin he says, “It was just a really nice environment on set [with them], and the book that the script is based on is a lovely piece of literature.” Me Before You is based on the book of the same name by Jojo Moyes and has a release date of June 3rd 2016.

Matt also discusses filming for Series 2 of Happy Valley and Series 4 of Ripper Street which he has been filming simultaneously. Filming for Happy Valley finished recently and Ripper Street will continue filming in January after a holiday break.

“I’ve come back here [to London] for the moment – I’ve got this cold because it’s miserable here,” he says. “The last few days have been pretty intense. I can’t really say what I was doing without giving away too much of my character [in Happy Valley], but it was intense and I’m quite rundown.” It’s been fantastic [working on both shows], but it’s been quite heavy doing two jobs in two different countries.”

He can’t get away from the interview without a quick mention of Neville and Harry Potter and states: “I’ve done quite a few weirdly different things to Neville since then. I feel like in my career I’ve definitely moved on, but it’s still such a massive part of my life – it’s not something that you can easily forget,” he states. “It’s been the very foundation of the rest of my career, particularly amongst the fanbase. I’m very, very fortunate to have some incredibly fantastic fans. I’m under no illusion that the vast majority are fans of Harry Potter and that’s not a bad thing. I don’t mind at all.”

It has been announced this morning that Matthew Lewis among many other actors, including Harry Potter alum Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle), has joined the cast of BBC’s Happy Valley for it’s much anticipated second series. Happy Valley has been nominated for and won over 30 awards, including winning Best Drama Series award at this year’s BAFTAs with writer Sally Wainwright also named Best Writer at the 2015 BAFTA Craft Awards.

His role has not been revealed yet, we will keep you updated on any news! There will be six 60 minute episodes airing some time in 2016. Filming starts in Yorkshire next week on the gripping, complex and unmissable drama (not suitable for younger viewers.) You can watch the first series on iTunes or purchase the DVD here. A short description of series two may be read below:

As series two opens, we join Catherine (Sarah Lancashire), the no-nonsense police sergeant who is back heading up her team of dedicated police officers in The Calder Valley in West Yorkshire. With Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) firmly behind bars, Catherine suspects there may be another serial killer on the loose and makes a gruesome discovery that will have shocking repercussions for her and her family. Meanwhile, a new detective, DS John Wadsworth (Kevin Doyle) arrives on the block with his own set of problems, and despite being firmly under lock and key, Tommy forms a bond with a mysterious female admirer (Shirley Henderson).