Interview with Dominic Cooper (Jon Fallow)

9 July 2024

Tell us about your character Jon and his relationship with Dr Susannah Newman?
When we first meet Jon, all is not what it seems. He has this outer layer - what he's claiming to be - and an inner layer, where we see the real him. He holds himself together at first, but we see him unravel. He has a very fun arc...  He visits Susannah originally to help him quit smoking and to undergo a therapy session. But he’s an extreme very damaged person and in need of serious help. Anne-Marie’s character should not be helping him, but for some reason, they are drawn together. There’s a definite power struggle between the two of them, and it’s interesting to watch how they approach things, both coming from two different worlds of extreme grief and pain. It's unusual for a show to take you on this much of a journey - given what Jon and Susannah learn about each other at the start of the first episode to what is revealed at the end is truly staggering. It’s a special first episode. You discover a lot in a very short space of time. 

What was it about Suspect as a series that appealed to you?
Primarily the script. And I've always wanted to work with Anne-Marie Duff, having known her for years. I watched the last series and the way the episodes are constructed as these intimate ‘duologues’, they're almost play-like. It was unlike anything else I’d read. And of course, the director Carolina, who is wonderful. We had some time together to rehearse, which can be a luxury. We had a couple of days together, to talk through the scenes and really interrogate them. Carolina gives you room to explore and because she knows the piece so well, you're in safe hands. She’s an actress too, so she understands what we need to do to achieve the best results.

How did you find the two-hander format?
It’s very exciting for an actor and there’s a lot to work with. I suppose there’s the fear that you're very exposed - you can't rely on cutaways to other aspects of the storytelling - but it makes for compelling watching. 

What was it like working with Anne-Marie Duff?
One of the reasons I wanted to do this job was because I’ve loved her work for such a long time. With a two-hander, who your partner is so important.  Going into it, you don’t know how it’s going to work but it was exactly how I imagined. Ultimately all you can do is listen, and if you're listening to someone who you totally believe in and who's story you are immersed in, you respond to it as an actor, and it feels natural and right. It was a really rewarding experience.   

What was it like filming something so quickly?
It can be terrifying to film something so quickly but also under that pressure, you have to trust yourself and trust the decisions being made by everyone, which keeps everyone very focused. We also worked linearly, so it’s brilliant that you can stay within the world you are existing in. There’s no stopping and starting; once you are in it, you're in it all the way to the end. It keeps the focus and it keeps it alive.

Describe Suspect in one sentence?
Suspect is a thriller that unravels all in one day, in real time.