Happy Valley star James Norton has said he was thrilled by the "challenge" of his latest character in the new ITV thriller Playing Nice.
The Tommy actor takes on the role of Pete Riley in the baby swap drama that sees two couples' lives upended when they discover their children were switched at birth three years ago.
During an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Norton said: "I was really excited by Pete, partly because it was sort of a new challenge and [because of] the conversations around him and his masculinity and avoidance."
He added: "He just felt really pertinent and pressing and challenging. It's a different type of challenge, playing someone who's much closer to yourself. It asks you to be more introspective because I'm not a 'Miles'."
Norton explained that during the early stages of development four years ago, he was initially set to play the antagonist role of Miles instead, before James McArdle was cast as the character.
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"I think it was because JP Delaney, the writer of the book, quite fancied the sort of 'Tommy energy' to Miles," he said.
Norton later shared that he and the team decided to go another way, because of his interest in the role of Pete.
"I'm much closer to Pete, and so you end up inevitably thinking, 'How close to Pete am I? Would I be confrontational? Would I be able to match Miles?" he said.
"Pete's error is that he thinks by playing nice all the time and being avoidant and basically passive, ultimately things will be okay, and you realise that that's not the case.
"You have to sometimes play nasty in the face of nastiness."
Norton went on to say: "Now, having seen the wonderful James McArdle do his Miles, I can't even imagine anyone else playing that role. He was undeniably delicious."
Playing Nice, based on the JP Delaney novel, begins on ITV and ITVX at 9pm on January 5. Subsequent episodes will air every Monday and Sunday.
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.
