Sherwood star breaks down "intense" role as both catalyst and "victim" in season 2
"Ryan's incredibly complex."
In the second season of BBC crime drama Sherwood, a violent outburst is the catalyst for a gnarly revenge plot that tears through a Nottingham community and leaves devastation in its wake.
After Ryan Bottomley (Oliver Huntingdon) shoots dead Nicky Branson, who is part of a formidable local crime family, they set out to make him pay for his grave misdeed, which nearly destroys his entire family in the process.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Huntingdon opened up about his intense and pivotal role this season, the conflicting side of Ryan's character, and one particular scene that stayed with him long after.
The Happy Valley actor admitted it was "nerve-wracking" joining the cast, not only after the success of the first season, but also to be entrusted with a character that could easily be perceived as being one-dimensional.
"I think when you get cast in a show that's already had such gravitas as this one, there's always going to be nerves, especially when playing a guy like this," he said. "It was a chance for me to go, 'OK, there's room here to play quite a large character, but doing it in a way that was organic and natural.'"
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Huntingdon worked closely with director Clio Barnard to "humanise" Ryan and emphasise that this is a young man who has been failed by the system, and not one who is simply reduced to the violent crime he committed, and nothing more.
"I worked to make him feel tangible," he added. "Ryan's incredibly complex and he is a victim in a way himself of somebody who's just fallen off the track and had a lack of aftercare, which is all too common with young men in today's Britain."
Some of the most powerful scenes this season featured Ryan and his sister Stephie (Bethany Asher), as he attempted to protect and look after her while he was in prison.
"Bethany is just such a natural actor," he said of working with Asher. "I've never, ever, ever – and I do mean this – I've never met an actor like Beth.
"She can turn her acting skills on like that in a heartbeat, and it's really scary, actually. She's scarily good. She almost made me push a bit more, and then I'd push her a bit more."
Huntingdon revealed one of his favourite scenes to film was in episode 3 when Stephie, alongside Ian St Clair (David Morrissey) and Sandy (Aisling Loftus), tell Ryan that their parents have been murdered by the Bransons.
"They were intense scenes to film, especially that scene," he said. "It was beautifully directed by Clio and set up for us all because the mood was there. The energy in the room was completely different. Everybody was just switched on. Everybody was so on it.
"I've never, ever done a scene like that in my career, where you just felt it. It was just someone would say something and then you catch it and bounce off it. I think that was incredibly intense."
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Huntingdon said it was like "shooting two different shows" from the moment Ryan goes to prison, as it's a completely different position of power for this character to navigate.
"It was a huge shift because it was like, 'OK, hang on a minute, this is a different environment for him, how would he have power in there?'," Huntingdon continued.
"It was definitely way more intense, all those scenes (after episode 1), because he's not free. He isn't able to be in control, but then he still does find that control in prison, as we see when he's manipulating Scott Rowley."
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When reflecting back on the role, Huntingdon revealed it "took a while to shift" Ryan from his thoughts.
"There were times when I'd catch myself in the mirror, days later, and I still have the haircut, and it would actually scare me," he admitted. "Yeah, stuck around in my nails for a while afterwards."
If there is another season, Huntingdon is hopeful that Ryan has changed after losing his freedom and finally taking responsibility for his actions.
"I think if it ever did happen, it would need to show change and growth," he mused. "I'd like to think that he's got a nice job and a nice girlfriend. I don't think it would be a fair portrayal for that lad if there wasn't a journey or any growth there."
All episodes of Sherwood are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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