Since the mesmerising ITV drama Playing Nice graced our screens last week, James Norton, taking on the lead role, has kept viewers utterly transfixed - and it turns out, his off-screen antics are equally enthralling.
In the four-part series, we watch with bated breath as James' character faces a world turned upside down upon the shocking revelation that his toddler was exchanged with another child at birth.The Happy Valley star, 39, is no stranger to complex roles, has spoken candidly about the "challenge" embedded in his latest acting venture. "The role is emotionally challenging to play, and it takes you to a dark yet unusual place," he said.
He added: "Stories about bereavement, heartbreak or grief are more familiar.This is a story which encapsulates all of those various forms of pain, but to find out that your child is not your own, is not an experience which people have often." However, dramatic narratives aren't uncommon for James.
His stint in A Little Life, the theatre adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara's novel, proved to be as personally transformative as it was professionally demanding.