It's A Sin star reveals Russell T Davies' advice ahead of harrowing scene

"I remember seeing Russell like a week before this scene and I said, 'Oh that scene is coming up' and I probably swore a bit as well," he explained.

"But I said, you know, what do you think – basically is there any advice? And Russell was like, 'Just go for it. Really go for it.' And it's the best piece of advice I've ever had.

"It's quite amazing actually that Russell said that because, you know, for someone like Russell to say that, is so generous to give someone who – it's my first job – the sort of allowance to go there really."

"It's the 'Mammy', isn't it?" Davies added, commenting on what made the scene so effective. "It's when he says 'Mammy' – it's such a triumph. That's the best. It's just you saying that word, everything's gone, there are no defences, there's no logic, it's just emotions."

"Yeah, exactly," Howells agreed. "And then as an actor, when you say that word and these lines, you know – it does half of the work for you really.

"Saying 'Mammy' – it brings up things, you know, and I think that's what it was for me. It was just having that allowance and being able to say those lines. I was very grateful, and yeah, it was really hard."

Read more:

• Russell T Davies explains why he almost cut 'La!' from the It's A Sin script
• Russell T Davies reveals It's A Sin script detail that couldn't be shown on screen
• It’s A Sin was almost a Queer As Folk prequel

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