James Norton: Why he swapped Happy Valley psychopath for nice guy role in thriller Playing Nice
James Norton is the unequivocal king of TV drama. After making his name as devious murderer Tommy Lee Royce in the BBC's hit crime series Happy Valley, the London-born star has been a constant fixture on our screens, starring in a string of smash-hit shows from Grantchester to Black Mirror. But while his breakout role in the Yorkshire-set drama will go down as one of the best villain performances in TV history, the 39-year-old turned down the opportunity to play another baddie in ITV's latest psychological thriller, Playing Nice – and he's diving into new territory in more ways than one.
James is taking on new challenges both on and off-screen. Not only is he an executive producer through his production company Rabbit Track Pictures, but he's also playing a role unlike any of his previous TV characters: down-to-earth, stay-at-home dad Pete, whose happy life with his partner Maddie (Niamh Algar) and their son Theo is turned upside down when they discover their toddler was switched at birth in a hospital mix-up. The story, based on J.P. Delaney's novel of the same name, follows the couple as they're thrust into the lives of another set of parents, Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay) – and they quickly realise other motives are at play.
During filming in December 2023, HELLO! joined James on the set of the thriller, which is set against the sweeping landscape of Cornwall. Here, the actor reveals why he had to play Pete, drawing inspiration from his famous friends and having a blast with his co-stars.
What can you tell us about Pete? Did you always have yourself in mind to play him?
James: When we first spoke to Tony [Strong, who writes under the pen name, JP Delaney], I think his and our instinct was possibly for me to play Miles. I think that was one of the reasons – he's happy now he's read the script and he's been very involved and given us his blessing, but initially the conversation was leaning towards me playing Miles. I think Tony had seen Happy Valley and thought I've got a good psychopath in me.
Both characters are brilliant. All four of them are beautifully drawn in the book and they've only been enriched as we've adapted and this world has grown from that book. But as that process was happening, and we relocated to Cornwall, this Cornish man, this every man, this good soul put in this horrible situation suddenly became really interesting to me and something I haven't really done before.
"Initially, the conversation was leaning towards me playing Miles."
I feel like there's something in Pete which is incredibly modern and courageous in that he's a perfect example of a type of progressive man who's just happy to step back from his career and be a stay-at-home dad and doesn't make a big hoo-ha about it. It's not like, 'Look at me wearing my feminist hat!'. He's just a guy who prioritises family and friends and his partner, Maddie, who is career-minded and ambitious, and that works really well. So that was something which attracted me as well, his quiet confidence and likeability and the fact that we all know a guy down the pub who people are just happy to see. He sees the best in people. And to take that man and put him in this horrific, stressful, extraordinary situation felt like it was a challenge I hadn't done.
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Where did you draw inspiration from?
Cornwall has been a big part of it. And when we decided to take the book out of London and put it here, that's when I started to become really excited about Pete.
There's a Cornish energy, and I've seen it in friends of mine, the West Country Cornwall energy, there's a capacity for joy down here. People are very in touch with the natural world and the sea is obviously very present in their lives. I had a couple of friends who are actors, who I probably shouldn't mention, they became a sort of leaping off point for me, because they really encapsulated that kind of energy, whatever that kind of ineffable thing is that defines a Cornish soul. I could see it in these friends of mine and I really wanted to try and capture it.
"It felt like a challenge I hadn't done."
How does this horrible revelation impact them?
In terms of how they react, and it's partly in the title, Pete's natural inclination is to see the best in Miles and Lucy and trust that they will find a way through this horrible situation. As I get older, I see there's a very fine line between people who see the world as inherently benign and those who feel that the world is a dog-eat-dog, hostile place. Pete's certainly someone who just trusts the world and people, and thinks it'll be okay if you just be decent. And the truth is, in this situation, they're not and what he realises over the course of the story is that he has to play a little bit by Miles' game and not play so nice.
You and James McArdle have been learning to surf?
We learned to surf at the very beginning of the job. Luckily, I have to be very bad at surfing, and James has to be very good. So I got off the hook because the story needed me to be bad. Before we even started shooting, we met this guy, Pete, who runs the surf school in Mawgan Porth. He's this amazing man. He's actually not Cornish himself but he's lived there for 20 years. He's been magical. He said, 'the boards, the wetsuits are there, the door is open. Just come whenever you want and surf'. So we've been surfing most weekends. I'd say I'm slightly better than James but only slightly.
How have you been finding executive producing and acting?
It's been an interesting experience. It's been a challenge, for sure, in a good way and it's something I've really enjoyed. It's the first TV show that we've executive produced. We've made one movie which we sold to Netflix called Rogue Agent but this is the first TV show, and it's a different beast. I've realised in terms of having four scripts rather than just one and there are more people, more opinions, more compromise as a result. But I've got an incredible business partner in Kitty [Kaletsky], who I run the company with, and Studio Canal are amazing partners. We're very lucky to have Grace Ofori-Attah, the writer who gave us some fantastic scripts, and has also been very, very open and amenable to keeping developing as we go, and using the actors and their opinions. So it's been a harmonious and a creative process, which I've really enjoyed.
The thing I've noticed, which is a learning curve for me, is that it's hard as an actor, you have your corner, you have your contribution which is your role. That's your focus. As an exec, you have to have your eye on the whole [thing] and so I've had to be quite careful splitting my attention. And I've certainly spent less time than I would have done on looking after Pete, because I've had more responsibility looking after the whole. It's like a canvas and when you're an actor, you are just the one brush stroke contributing to this big piece and as an exec or a writer or director, you step one further back, and you have a bit more control of the brush, and you can kind of see it as a whole. That's the reason why I set the company up, and that's what I've loved. It's that sense of empowerment, and it's a different type of creative nourishment. It's less showy, it's more in the rooms with laptops tapping away, making decisions. But I found it so exciting.
Any standout moments from filming?
What's been really lovely is working with Niamh, it's been a joy. We found a really special friendship. I first saw her in Calm with Horses, and I thought she was spectacular. And then I've kept up with her work since. It's been very special to build that friendship and that relationship.
The most fun days are the days when all four of us are together. Did anyone mention ABBA? James had this great observation because me and Niamh are quite fair and Jessie and James have darker hair, we ended up thinking, we are ABBA! We went to a Halloween party dressed as ABBA, and it was very fun. We have a WhatsApp group called Abba, and we play a lot of tunes in the makeup truck. So any day, we're all together and we keep blasting ABBA is great.
Playing Nice airs on ITV1 on Sunday 5th January at 9pm.
