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Aidan Turner caught everyone’s attention when he pulled down Competitors – and he now breaks down why he wanted Declan’s body to look authentic on screen.
“He’s a dad and he’s a journalist so I think it would be a bit weird (to make him look too sculpted),” Turner, 41, said exclusively Us Weekly for his attitude to those shirtless scenes. “I’ve often seen actors in films or TV shows where their character’s job doesn’t necessarily call for them to be (very buff). So you see them naked and you go, ‘Wait a second, I know what it takes. I know the hours, the exercise and the vigorous exercise. I know you don’t have time for that.’”
Turner didn’t want fans to question whether Declan was one the sight was too perfect after seeing him at his most chiseled in Poldark.
“I didn’t want it to be one of those moments where it’s just a TV body. I want it to feel real,” she noted. “I tend to stay pretty in shape. So all the pressure was on me. And we were very lucky because we had these amazing intimate coordinators (for scenes the show’s NSFW).”
Contestants go to great lengths to make their cast look very different on the show. Based on Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name, Disney+ and Hulu’s Rivals centers on a feud between two men fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. It stars an ensemble cast that includes David Tennant, (…)
He continued: “Our concern is that we are getting the shot. But I think for sure most of my peers in this show don’t get too self-conscious. We’re getting on with it. We knew what we were getting into. If you are registering for a Jilly Cooper show, you know what world you’re stepping into. Sex is part of it and if there is more then there would be more.”
Based on British author Cooper’s a novel of the same nameDisney+ and Hulu’s Competitors focuses on a feud between two men fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. Rivals stars an ensemble cast that includes Turner, David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Bella MacLean, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Emily Atack a Danny Dyer.
“It’s always lovely (to hear how well the show and Declan are being received). Any actor who says he doesn’t want to hear nice things like that, I don’t believe them. It’s always nice to hear those things, especially in the early days of a show being released,” Turner said. Us for the positive reception to the show. “I have been aware of how it has been received in this country (in the UK), which has been very positive.”
Now that Competitors has been renewed for season 2, Turner is excited to continue giving the fans what they want.
“There’s a funny thing that happens when you’ve done quite a bit of work over 20 years. You land the plane on some things and on others you miss the airport completely,” he said. “When you land the plane, you start hearing from people you haven’t heard from in a while. My friends I haven’t spoken to in months have just emailed me saying they love the show. And he’s like, ‘Wow, it must be really touching people.”
Turner, who is not on social media himself but is hearing about the buzz second hand, feel very grateful for an outpouring of support, adding, “But without the social media element, it pretty much keeps you out of the loop. But I am delighted to hear that it is being received on a very positive level. … to some extent it’s still surprising when people respond to a show and really like it.”
He concluded: “Being an actor there’s a lot of disappointment and there are some shows that you think will travel that don’t – and you get confused by that. I gave up years ago trying to figure out what the business wants and what the markets choose. So it’s so lovely to hear you say these things though (about the support). It really puts a smile on my face.”
Competitors currently streaming on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally.
For more reasons why Turner is one of the people we’re googling shirtless this week, pick up the new issue oh Us Weeklyon stands now.
