Interview with Robert Lonsdale for Chewing Gum

14 December 2016

You play Connor. For those who’ve not seen the show, tell us about him.

To me, Connor is a passionate, loyal and romantic chap. He believes in his ability to change the world - ideally from the comfort of his bedroom though . To many other people, he’s a bit of an outsider, maybe even a bit odd.

 

How would you describe his relationship with Tracey?

Their attraction to each other makes perfect sense to me.  He loves her because she has no idea how brilliant she is. She’s totally guileless and the only time he doesn’t understand her is when she’s trying to be something she isn’t. 

 

In series two, is he still calling himself a poet? Is he ever likely to make a go of it?

In Connor’s eyes - he will always be a poet, he believes his talent will prevail but he may have to bide his time until people are ready for his stuff. 

 

Some of your scenes with Michaela are excruciatingly embarrassing to watch. Are they like that to film, or do you get used to it pretty quickly?

I think if we got used to it, it might not work. When we do those scenes - they’re often quite charged with a nervous energy that doesn’t allow you to see the absurdity of what you are doing. Luckily, Michaela is my mate so I feel a great deal of freedom when we work together. It’s often a few minutes after that I laugh at something that happened in the scene. My favourite moments on screen are often when an actor is surprised by the other actor - Michaela always surprises me and that’s what I love about working with her. 

 

Tracey is a bit mental. What do you think Connor sees in her?

He likes her because she’s a bit mental. 

 

You have done a lot of musical theatre in the past. Are we ever likely to see Connor break into song?

I don’t think Connor would be a very good singer. I’m not a very good singer myself to tell the truth. I feel like my voice started breaking when I was a teenager and it just gave up halfway through. 

 

When you’re filming a series, do you miss the buzz of performing in front of an audience?

It’s a different type of buzz on set. You basically have an audience of people focusing on very specific aspects of the whole scene. There are people who (amongst other things) have to make sure you pick up a prop at the correct moment. There are people who make sure a characters nose bleeds in the correct way. There are people there making sure a lamp is lighting your face nicely.  All these things have to happen in the right way, at the right time, and your performance has to be the best you can give in the few opportunities you might have. I think that pressure can give you quite a buzz.

 

Were you surprised by how successful the first series was?

I was surprised actually. I had enormous faith in Chewing Gum but maybe I lacked faith in us being able to reach an audience. I’ve seen good shows go unappreciated in the past and I always prepare myself for that possibility. I can’t tell you how nice it is to hear from fans of the show. Chewing Gum has amazing fans.

 

What’s it like working so closely with Michaela?

When I was a kid, me and my mates used to make silly radio shows, TV shows etc. They were some of my best memories - just messing around and laughing for hours. It’s pretty much like that. 

 

Give us a hint – are they finally going to sleep together in this series?

Ahhhh come on. I ain’t telling you nothing!