Stephen Graham reveals how real-life wife Hannah Walters came to play his on-screen spouse in Time
The Time star revealed that his real-life wife Hannah Walters was initially reluctant to take on the role of his on-screen wife.
Stephen Graham has opened up about acting opposite his real-life wife Hannah Walters in BBC One's Time, revealing that she was "reluctant" to take the role at first.
Speaking to Radio X's Chris Moyles this morning, Graham, who stars as prison officer Eric McNally in the three-parter, explained how Walters was cast in the Jimmy McGovern drama as his on-screen wife Sonia McNally.
"This time, fortunately, I was involved in the respective – I was an executive producer. I'm sitting at the grown up's table, you know what I mean?" he said. "I was able to make some suggestions along with casting and things like that and [director Lewis Arnold] was fantastic and really accommodating and that's where I threw a few names in the hat – the likes of Bobby Schofield, James [Nelson] Joyce," he added, before Moyles asked: "Hannah Walters?"
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"Yeah and that's how it kind of happened. I said, 'You know, maybe–' and he was like, 'Yeah of course, definitely that sounds great,' and Hannah was reluctant at first."
Walters chipped in: "I really told him off, really told him off. 'What are you doing! Why've you put my name in there? You shouldn't have done that – that's naughty!' And then I was really grateful."
Graham continues: "And then she put herself on tape and obviously with all the other actresses that had put themselves on tape, he picked her because she was the best for the role."
"Because fortunately we had quite good chemistry. It would have been shocking if he'd gone, 'I'm sorry, it's just not working between you,'" Walters added.
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The pair star alongside Sean Bean, who plays Mark Cobden – a new convict who is forced to adapt to brutal prison life, while the likes of Kadiff Kirwan, James Nelson-Joyce, Bobby Schofield and Siobhan Finneran round out the rest of the Time cast.
If you want to see what we thought of the series, you can read our Time review.
Time starts continues on BBC One on Sunday 6th June at 9pm and is available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer. While you’re waiting, take a look at our other Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide.
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