Grantchester: Cast Confessions
What better way to get to know your new cast mates than answering some hard hitting questions and confessing behind the scenes secrets? Grantchester’s newest star Tom Brittney, who plays young new vicar Will Davenport, was joined by Robson Green (Geordie Keating), Kacey Ainsworth (Cathy Keating), Tessa Peake-Jones (Mrs. Chapman, formerly Maguire) and Al Weaver (Leonard) for a roundtable interview.
For starters, Brittney admitted that his inaugural sermon in the church, with extras and crew around that have been with the show for years, was in a word: petrifying. “It’s scary seeing all those people, and not just because – like you said, they were the people from Grantchester who’ve been there for three years. The day before, I’d seen James do his sermon…”
“So that must’ve been weird when you then got up and did yours,” Tessa said.
“Exactly.”
“No, they just thought he’d cut his hair and dyed it,” Al quipped. (Tom confirmed that there were a few extras who thought the vicar was looking a little different…)
Al Weaver confessed that his secret to getting ready for scenes depends on the type of scene it is. If it’s serious, he’ll go off on his own and mentally prepare alone. But otherwise, “I’ll just try to make people laugh.” Robson copped to doing the same just before cameras started rolling – and Tom was the victim of both his cast mates’ fun.
Their fun moments together and their chemistry on and off screen are what they attribute their success to – and, of course, as Tessa reminded them: “It’s got a black Labrador,” a point they all agreed with. However, one point they can’t seem to agree on: according to Al and Tom, Dickens is incredibly naughty and “the worst acting dog,” a statement which Tessa would simply not accept. “I am defending Dickens to the end!”
Once, while filming a fishing documentary in Alaska, after having landed on top of glacier via helicopter, Robson remembers a group of American fans spotting him right away, shouting “Oh my God – Geordie!” They know they connect with groups across the globe – and they’re certainly grateful for the support of their fans. Especially when, according to Robson, one fan sent him 40 quid to buy himself some fish and chips because she thought he’d been looking too thin. “Can you imagine if that was a regular thing?!”
Want to hear more about the cast’s most memorable moments, learn which cast member is horrendous with props, or find out what burning question James Norton had for his former coworkers? Watch the entire roundtable interview below!
