Endeavour star Shaun Evans has said he was "repelled" by his new role as a serial killer in the upcoming ITV crime drama Until I Kill You.
Based on Delia Balmer’s book Living with a Serial Killer, the four-part series sees Evans take on the role of serial killer John Sweeney.
The true story, which is told from the perspective of Sweeney's girlfriend Balmer (Anna Maxwell Martin), follows Balmer's traumatic journey all the way from her meeting Sweeney to her attempts at bringing him to justice after he tried to murder her.
Related: Ludwig review: Is BBC's new crime show with Anna Maxwell Martin worth watching?
Speaking to The Mirror about taking on the role, Vigil star Evans said he felt "repelled" after reading the book and nearly turned down the part.
"Obviously you’re the antagonist and I was kind of repelled when I read it," he said. "But then I thought that’s interesting territory – but I had trepidation. It’s a delicate balance because these are real people."
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Maxwell Martin and Evans decided against meeting the real-life Delia before filming. Instead, Evans chose to listen to recordings of Sweeney's voice to prepare and the actor said he kept copies of Sweeney's drawings of his victims in his dressing room on set.
Related: David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin's new BBC show gets first trailer
Describing a scene in which Sweeney tied Delia to the bed for a number of days while threatening her with a knife and gun, Evans said it felt like he was being "punched in the gut."
He said: "It’s the scene where Delia has been tied to the bed and it’s about his manipulation of her and it was a very harrowing moment and I thought, 'This did actually happen'."
Maxwell Martin added: "That scene was less impactful for me because when you’ve got to be tied to a bed completely naked, your head goes to a really practical and technical place."
Until I Kill You is yet to confirm a release date on ITV1 and ITVX.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
