Q&A with Emmett J. Scanlan who plays Adam Fairley

What excited you about A Woman of Substance?

I fell in love with the story, the scripts. I was seduced by the characters – I loved how complicated, how real and nuanced they all were, not just Adam. It was such a rich, meaty story, and I thought if we do this right we might have something that could be a little bit special. And the moment I started using the word "we" I knew I had to say the word. "yes". Scripts aside, the book itself was such a rich tapestry of material from which to draw upon. It’s so big I could use it as a foot stool. The scripts stay as truthful to the source material as possible, while also having creative license to fill in the gaps, to consciously and carefully build a narrative that is both dangerous and brave. 

What were your first impressions of Adam?

Adam is a product of his own environment and his own upbringing. He's lost, vulnerable, broken, angry, disillusioned, and vengeful. He’s the Lord of the manor, an ex-military boy, a cavalry man. he inherits his father’s estate after his brother is tragically killed. Adam doesn’t feel like he deserves that, he didn’t earn it. in the military you earn your stripes so in some ways he feels like an imposter. There are so many toxic relationships in his life – with his wife, his wife’s sister, his two sons and his bottle of brandy.

I understand Adam, which is not to say that I forgive his actions, because I absolutely do not, but you have to be able to understand a character in order to play them with any sort of authenticity. And the scripts helped facilitate that. 

Adam is a character I've never played before, and he is so far removed from me. If I was sitting at a dinner table with all the characters that I’ve played in my career, I wouldn't be sitting next to him!

Was it challenging to get under Adam’s skin?

Playing Adam made me nervous, which is a good thing. a necessary thing. This project is a reimagining of Channel 4's most successful show to date, that alone felt like a brave undertaking for everyone involved. What turns me on as an actor is to find what I’m scared of and go live there. This was a genre and a period of time that I had flirted with in the past when I was in Medici with the great Johnny Harris, but it was still very alien to me. That excited me. Also Being on primetime Channel 4 means there’s nowhere to hide, which is what you should want. You can’t dial anything in. You have to be on, or else. I always want to do projects that make me a better actor, or on the rare occasion a better person. It is important to be pushed outside of your comfort zone.

Adam’s marriage to Adele is incredibly complicated – what was it like to create that stormy relationship with your co-star Leanne Best?

I spent 19 weeks living in Leeds, and the first two weeks of the shoot were me and Leanne working on a closed set, filming scenes of an intimate nature. Having never dance before it was the equivalent of jumping off a cliff and building your wings on the way down. It was a bold move to schedule it that way, but we went for it and she was a wonderful person to play with. We trusted each other implicitly. Our job is to do our homework before we get onto set, leave your egos in the trailer and surrender to the scene, to the moment. Sometimes Magic can be born from that.

Did you enjoy the dress-up element of working on a period drama?

I would have taken all the outfits home with me if I could, I would go on the school run if I could! The only problem is that they were child proof. There wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t need at least one or two people to help me dress. So, while I’d take them home, id need to take a couple people home with me.

 My wife [Claire Cooper] is the lead in another period drama on a different channel that comes out around the same time, so there’s going to be a little bit of friendly rivalry in our household. Hers is the type of show that you can watch with your kids and mine is the type of show that you put your kids to bed first!

How did it feel to return to Channel 4, where your career started?

I was delighted. When I think of Channel 4, I think of outside the box drama and big swings – risky, original, ballsy content. I started my career on 26th May 2010 when I moved over to England to start playing the infamous Brendan Brady. It was a wonderful nutritious ground for me – I learned to curate and carve out a career as a result of that show, and I’m very grateful to the channel for giving me that opportunity. I’m delighted to come back full circle after all this time.