The Control Room star Iain De Caestecker has joked that Game of Thrones' Daniel Portman is so talented that it was "really annoying" to work with him on the set of their new BBC series.
De Caestecker leads BBC's new gripping thriller as Gabe, an emergency call operator for the Strathclyde Ambulance Service who gets an alarming call from someone who has just killed a man – and who appears to know Gabe.
As Gabe tries to work out who the woman is, his world is turned upside down and he soon makes a decision that threatens to have devastating consequences, as well as leaving him open to blackmail by his co-worker Anthony (Portman).
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Speaking of what it was like to work with Portman, De Caestecker told Digital Spy that the actor is "cool" with "effortless charisma".
"He's awesome," De Caestecker said. "I feel like Dan is just one of those people that's got effortless charisma. He doesn't need to do much, and he's just cool. He's just got a coolness about him, which is really annoying, actually. I actually don't like the guy!"
De Caestecker also went on to add that Portman is "really annoying" because he's so good at his job.
"No, he's great. He's one of those people who— he is actually really annoying because he's just good, and he doesn’t need to work too hard to do it," the star continued.
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"Everyone else is slaving at the side, and he just comes, and does it great, first time. He's very talented, and is also a very, very down-to-earth person. He'll get on with anyone."
In episode two of the series, Anthony's blackmail of Gabe gets worse and Gabe is manipulated into delivering a parcel to Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum in order to get Anthony to keep Gabe's secret safe.
It's fair to say that Portman's role as Anthony is very different to his performance as Podrick Payne in the fantasy epic Game of Thrones – or, as De Catestecker explained: "He's a real arsehole, isn't he?
"Yeah. Charming. He's a dickhead," the star continued when talking about Anthony's manipulative ways. "A bit too oily, yeah."
He added: "But that's why you know he's such a good actor, because he's nothing like that Anthony character."
The BBC star also opened up about how supportive Portman was of him during filming, explaining: "He was really supportive of me, actually, when we were filming.
"There were times when it was a bit daunting because every scene, and so much of it was through Gabe's POV. I don't think I'd done something quite that heavy to shoot before. And, yeah, he was very supportive of me."
The Control Room continues on Tuesday, July 19 at 9pm on BBC One. The series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
