Rick Warden interview for Indian Summers

17 February 2015

You play Ronnie in Indian Summers. What’s his story?

He starts off as a pretty straightforward right-hand-man to the leading man, Ralph Whelan (played by Henry Lloyd Hughes). He’s there to be supportive and laugh at Ralph's jokes. But then he develops into something else. He’s been in India for some time. During the months they’re not in Simla he works down in Delhi, in the Indian Civil Service. I think Ralph rescued Ronnie from a posting in the middle of nowhere, where he’d kind of gone native. India’s in Ronnie’s blood, I think. He’s been there for 15 years, and he owes Ralph because he has elevated him. Ralph is secretary to the Viceroy, and Ronnie is secretary to Ralph.

Do you find having a backstory useful in knowing where to take the role?

Yes I do. But I only ever do enough research that I can forget the research. Ronnie can mix up comedic stuff with quite dark stuff, quite sinister stuff. He’s a bit like a Shakespearian clown. He’ll be the one who says something caustic. Or he’ll be drunk – there’s a bit of a drinking issue in his past, as there was with many of the British Civil Servants who worked in India – so when he’s drunk, he can say things that are pretty sinister. Even about Ralph. Ronnie is innately conservative, he likes what he’s been given, and he can feel the edges of it cracking. The cracks in empire are starting to appear, with Gandhi’s imprisonment and subsequent hunger strike. Ronnie is acutely aware that this might not last for ever.

It’s fair to say, then, that Ronnie’s not the most enlightened of characters?

Yes, but with the twist that he’s been in India for a long time, and deeply loves the country. His connection with India is strong, and he starts to thaw. At the beginning of the series, he can say some things that makes you think “My God, did he just say that?” And then a different Ronnie emerges by the end of the series.

What was it that attracted you to Indian Summers?

I’ve taken on exotic location stuff before. I did Shackleton out in the Arctic. I did Rome out in Rome. I did Bravo Two Zero in the Kalahari. For some reason, I seem to attract these exotic adventure shoots, and I enjoy that. But there was another thing. I’d been at University with the writer, Paul Rutman. I’d been in a play with Paul. But I didn’t meet him at the audition. And, I’ll be absolutely honest, 20 years after University, I didn’t remember him. I’d spent the summer with him, but I didn’t remember his name. And I thought “This script is absolutely knockout. This is a brilliant script.” Then I walked into the audition, and Anand Tucker was directing it. And I know Anand, he’s a friend of mine, and everything he directs is done with a real beauty. So he was a big pull. But principally, I’m good at support. I supported Damian on Band of Brothers. It’s become part of my remit. I know my job, I’m quite good at being support for handsome leading men. But what I liked about this was that Ronnie has much more fire than that, much more sense of humour. To get the chance to do something comedic was great. It was Ronnie that drew me to the project, as written by Paul. And I was getting these Skype messages from Paul, and I thought “That’s funny, this writer wants to meet up with me.” And I was being a bit reticent about it, and then I turn up on set, in this extraordinary location in Penang, and this bloke walks towards me who I know. And I say “What are you doing here?” And he said “I’m Paul, I’m the bloke who’s written it.” And then it sank in. But once he knew I was doing it, he had started to write Ronnie for me.

You mentioned Band of Brothers, which was a huge production, and really high quality. In that respect, this looks to me pretty similar, with the production values, and the scale of the whole thing. Were you struck by that?

Yes, I was. And I was increasingly struck by [producer] Charlie Pattinson, and the breadth of his vision. And one of the unspoken stars of the whole production is a guy called Gary Brown, in charge of visual effects. We were out in Penang, which is kind of like Bangkok on the coast. It’s not necessarily where you’d choose to go on holiday. It’s not paradise. And I met this quite unassuming guy called Gary Brown who’s doing visual effects, and I come back and watch episode one, and you suddenly think “Whoa! The lead is the place!” It’s extraordinary. That’s what’s going to draw people in as much as the politics and interracial relationships. I want to turn on the TV in a cold February and go somewhere like that. The place is so lush! I think that’s similar to Band of Brothers, the visual hit, particularly when Easy Company finally reach the Alps. I think this is done with a similar class.

How did you find working with acting royalty in the form of Julie Walters?

She’s so fantastic. She’s incredibly free, she’s incredibly fun, she’s bright as a button, she is very, very generous. I’ve acted with plenty of people with a lot less standing than her who ae a lot more frigid about what they do. So for her to be that generous, when she’s that good, and that experienced… You know what it is with Julie? She’s done so much high calibre work,  you get the sense that she knows exactly where the camera is, and what is best for it at all times. And that doesn’t mean just for her. It means me too. She knows what will help everyone look good, not just her. She’s brilliant. Gold-dust.

So, having filmed in so many extreme locations, from the Arctic to the Kalahari to Malaysia, which do you prefer, filming in heat or cold?

Both are pretty uncomfortable. I’m just glad not to be doing military stuff. I’d rather be in the costumes I’m in in Indian Summers. I’m not into the tails that much, although they look fantastic. But I’m done with putting on military garb and blowing people up. And being asked to run and jump into that trench, clutching a great big metal weapon. You do get hurt doing military stuff. I don’t see Ronnie getting hurt much. And his costumes were great – I’ve got three or four beautifully handmade suits for Ronnie. And while a lot of the characters are very starched and stiff-looking, Ronnie’s a bit more rough around the edges, with buttons undone or his collar undone and his shirtsleeves rolled up.

Indian Summers airs on Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4