Ioan Gruffudd looked to Aussie mate Richard Roxburgh and House for his new ABC drama
STARRING in an Aussie drama, Welsh-born actor Ioan Gruffudd looked no further than his good mate, Richard “Roxy” Roxburgh, for inspiration.
“I’m friends with Roxy, and I managed to see Rake here,” Gruffudd says.
“That was kind of the inspiration for how I should play Harrow in the lighter scenes that we had. It’s a perfect example of a show that is about real and serious events but the pace of it, and how they talk to each other, it’s a sort of gallows humour that they have.
“I would never compare myself to Richard Roxburgh. I put him on such a high pedestal, he’s one of the world’s best actors. But that was certainly a way in to playing Harrow for me.”
Harrow is a 10-part-drama set in Brisbane, and co-stars Robyn Malcolm (Upper Middle Bogan) and Mirrah Foulkes (The Principal). Dr. Daniel Harrow (Gruffudd) is the senior medical examiner at the Queensland Institute of Forensic Medicine — the morgue to which all unnatural deaths in the city are brought.
He’s an intellectual smart alec who lives on a houseboat. He’s too cool for school and often flouts convention and authority. At times, he’s kind of a jerk, a trait which oddly attracted Gruffudd to the role.
“It’s like Dr House. He’s sort of loved and hated all at once, and you couldn’t stop watching that show,” Gruffudd says.
“I think Harrow is the kind of person you probably wouldn’t like, unless you were of interest to him. Unless you were bright or intelligent, or had something to offer him, I don’t think he’d necessarily want to spend that much time with you.
“He’s not one for frivolities or socialising, it’s not one of his strong points. Relationships aren’t either. So probably not.
“If you met him at a dinner party he’d probably be the last to get there and first to leave.”
Having recently played a medical examiner in Forever, Gruffudd was hesitant about signing on for a similar gig. But a plot twist in the first episode convinced him. It will leave viewers wondering; is Harrow a good guy, or is he a murderer?
“He is a forensic pathologist and I sort of thought, here we go again, especially after playing one for 22 episodes on Forever. But after I picked up the script I couldn’t put it down, and I was ready to get on board the moment I finished it.”
Getting on board meant leaving his actor wife, Alice Evans, and two daughters behind in Hollywood for an extended period.
“They came for a brief visit, but it wasn’t long enough, and of course the nature of the beast is that I didn’t get to see them when they were in Australia. It took its toll on us, we hadn’t really thought it through as a family.
“This nomadic lifestyle is wonderful if you can get it; I’ve been taken to parts of the world that I would never otherwise have seen. But with family it’s a whole different kettle of fish.
“Alice is my biggest champion, and she’s the star of our relationship. Definitely the glue that holds us all together. I think that’s why we’ve survived for so long.”
Gruffudd has signed a three year option on Harrow, and says he would be pleased to return for a second season (which is in development, but has not yet been commissioned).
For the record, he says he would love to be reunited with his Aussie acting family, including screen daughter, Fern, played by Ella Newton, a relative newcomer whose only previous role was in Newton’s Law.
“I was surrounded by the crčme de la crčme of Australian actors, I’m so lucky. We bonded almost immediately, so there’s a lot of respect there.
“Ella ... well look, everyone gets branded ‘someone to watch’, but from working with her, she
certainly is.
“You can’t take your eyes off her when she’s on screen. She’s so raw because she’s so young and inexperienced. But she’s eager to learn, eager to listen. We had a mutual respect. If she was doubting herself I’d say, no, what you’re doing is brilliant, don’t change anything.
“She is certainly someone who has that raw talent and presence that you can’t buy or manufacture.”
Harrow, ABC, Friday, 8.30pm
