Who is Alex Hassell? Meet Rivals' Rupert Campbell-Black star

The drama, which is based on the Cooper novel of the same name, follows Rupert Campbell-Black, "a notorious rake and famous showjumper before he quit for a career in politics, as he joins forces with his new neighbour Declan O'Hara to overthrow local unscrupulous television magnate Lord Tony Baddingham by bidding for his Cotswolds based independent television franchise," according to the series synopsis.

In one of the leading roles as Campbell-Black himself is Alex Hassell, who many will recognise for his roles over the years but also, some may be learning more about the actor now he's fronting the Disney Plus series.

Hassell exclusively told RadioTimes.com that playing the role of Campbell-Black had "challenges" but was "a great pleasure".

Wondering where you may have seen Hassell before? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the actor.

Who is Alex Hassell?

Alexander Stephen Hassell is an English actor, best known for his roles in His Dark Materials, Cowboy Bebop and The Boys.

Born in Southend, England, Hassell is also known for appearing in various stage performances over the years and is also the co-founder of The Factory Theatre Company.

Hassell co-founded the theatre company with Tim Evans and the group seeks to "develop groundbreaking approaches to the performance of new and classic texts".

The Factory's star-studded patrons include Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Bill Nighy.

How old is Alex Hassell?

The actor is 44 at the time of writing.

What has Alex Hassell previously starred in?

Hassell is known for his roles in The Boys as Translucent, Cowboy Bepop as Vicious and in His Dark Materials as Metatron. He has also starred in Everything Now, The Miniaturist and Bonkers.

In the world of film, you may recognise Hassell from his roles in Locked In, Violent Night or Young Woman and the Sea.

What has Alex Hassell said about starring in Rivals?

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about taking on the leading role of Rupert Campbell-Black and how it's compared to his previous characters, Hassell said: “He definitely is amongst the more sort of suave, debonair and sexually active of the characters I’ve played.

"There were challenges to it obviously, it’s a weird thing to have to do but it was a great part. He’s such a – for all that sort of side of him, he is actually a very three-dimensional and multifaceted character with lots of different sides to him to pull out and explore. So, it was a great pleasure, I loved it.”

On what appealed most to him about the role, Hassell continued: “They’re the fun characters to play, aren’t they? The ones that are layered, complex, contradictory and can be viewed by different people at different angles and be different things at different times for different people, that’s what you want as an actor.”

Rivals also opens up with a very revealing scene of Hassell's bare bottom, something that the actor admitted he was "slightly nervous" about.

He told RadioTimes.com: “Well it remains to be seen because it’s not been out yet, it felt fine to shoot it – I’m slightly nervous about when everyone sees my bum and the rest of me. What are people going to make of it? I worked very hard, did a lot of squats.”

Is Alex Hassell on Instagram?

He is! You can find the actor on Instagram @alexanderhassell.

Is Alex Hassell on X?

No, not at present.

Rivals will be released on Disney Plus on 18th October 2024. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.

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