Tom Cullen, photographed by Pip

The Gold’s Tom Cullen On Series 2, Vulnerability & Football

Tom Cullen, photographed by Pip

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The Gold’s Tom Cullen On Series 2, Vulnerability & Football

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We sat down with Tom to hear all about The Gold series 2, Trespasses and more

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Currently starring in the second series of hit BBC heist drama The Gold, Welsh actor Tom Cullen has plenty on the horizon – including swapping city life in London for the rolling hills of his youth. From starring alongside Lola Petticrew and Gillian Anderson in upcoming Troubles drama Trespasses to joining the cast of HBO’s House of the Dragon, all the while craving family time back home, we sat down with Tom to hear all about it.

Interview: Tom Cullen

Hi Tom, how’s life going at the moment?

Life is good! I have two young girls, who keep life fun and exhausting! In parenting, I have found a contentment previously missing in my life. There are far fewer peaks and troughs. I’ve always been pretty afraid of losing the big highs and lows – afraid life would feel less exciting – but I’ve come to really love contentment. We’re moving to Wales next month, a return home for me. I’m ready for a slower pace of life. I love London, but my childhood is calling me back. I need mountains and freezing cold river swims in my life again. I think there is value in space and quiet. London is fantastic, but there is distraction everywhere. I think it’s in the space and quiet that creativity exists.

You’re back for series 2 of The Gold – can you give us an elevator pitch for the show?

In 1983, six masked men from South London stormed a Heathrow depot and stumbled across £26 million in gold bullion and decided to nick it. Series 1 is all about how that gold was smelted and slipped into the British economy, and the police investigation to find those responsible. At the end, the police discover that they’ve only ever been chasing half of the gold, so series 2 goes into what might have happened to the other half and the impact that the gold has had on our characters from series 1.

John Palmer, the character I play, was the only one who managed to get away with his involvement, managing to convince the jury at the Old Bailey he was innocent. In series 2, we see John use his proceeds from the gold to set up a large-scale time share fraud in Tenerife.

That was a long elevator ride!

John Palmer (TOM CULLEN) in The Gold series 2. (© BBC/Tannadice Pictures/Cristina Ríos Bordón)

What can fans expect from this second series?

It’s a tense, fun, unpredictable ride. Great characters, brilliant writing and a very satisfying ending.

You play John Palmer – how would you describe him, and what was it like returning to the role?

When we first meet him, John is a successful, low level criminal living in Somerset. Reticent at first to be involved, but as soon as he sees the gold, it infects him with its potential power. Born in Solihull next to a dump, a child of 8 siblings, no father and dirt poor. Leaving school very young, John was illiterate but often the smartest man in the room. He’s driven by a desire to escape and better himself, but that want to provide for his family turns to a lust for power and greed. He’s like a wily street fox. He plays the role of affable and charming, but he’s always thinking moves ahead of everyone. He ended up becoming one the UK’s biggest crime bosses and built a wealth of £150 million, featuring above the Queen in The Times rich list.

It was very fun to be able to play John again and evolve him beyond series 1. His character arc from low-level criminal family man to crime boss, to his ultimate demise, is arguably the most satisfying I’ve ever played.

Anything you do to get into character?

I’m still not particularly sure what my process is as an actor. It’s different every time. There isn’t a lot of external work I do in order to get into a character. They kind of slowly bubble up from somewhere inside me during preparation for the role, like a simmering pot of water, until they eventually boil over, and I become them.

It’s really hard to explain, because I don’t really understand it, and I’m reticent to talk about it because I think actors talking about their ‘process’ can sound pretentious! But in life, everyone has very different rhythms and energies, don’t they? And it’s the same for characters. In many ways, it’s mostly about me, Tom, just getting out of the way, and letting character come through. I let their rhythms and their energy take over mine, and so to become John, I try to step aside and let him come through. It’s not a muscular process at all; it’s not about forcing the character. In fact, it’s quite fluid and quiet. It’s instinctive rather than anything cerebral. The way I think, walk, talk and stand all shifts. It can be quite a strange experience sometimes.

My girlfriend always says to me that she gets a new boyfriend every few months, because I guess I find it hard to shed my characters afterwards. I don’t feel like l do at all, but clearly they must stay with me in some capacity!

What is it like portraying a real person versus a fictional character?

There is a responsibility that comes with playing a real person. John’s family, and many people who loved and knew him, are still alive. And that is always in your mind. I do a lot of research; I read as much as I can and I watch as many clips of him as possible. Our incredible showrunner, Neil Forsyth, is a diligent and thorough researcher, too – and, ultimately, I have to use his scripts as my launch pad and remember that this is Neil’s version of John Palmer. I have to try and put aside the pressures of playing a real person, and trust that all our research and work is in there, and then just go and try to deliver what’s on the page dramatically. I hope that what you get is an essence of who John was, while also serving these great scripts.

Anything in series 2 you’re particularly excited for fans to see?

The story really expands. We’re in the UK again, but this season expands to Tenerife, the Caribbean, Burma and Central America.

Any standout moments from rehearsals or filming?

I love when all the actors get together for the read through, and you get to hear what everyone else is doing. Because the show is so large and there are so many story threads, there are characters that I have no interaction with. So hearing what everyone is doing at the read through is always so exciting.

There are some absolutely incredible additions to the cast year – particularly Josh Maguire as a tightly wound lawyer, Douglas Baxter. He brings a new flavour to the show that audiences will really enjoy, I think.

Do you think a third series might be on the cards?

There definitely won’t be! And if you get to the end of the show, you’ll know why…

You’ve also got Trespasses coming up – what was that like to film?

One of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. The book by Louise Kennedy is deep, poetic and complex, and the scripts are a faithful adaptation. The cast is absolutely out of this world. When you’re working with people like Lola Petticrew and Gillian Anderson, they force you to raise your game.

Tom Cullen as Michael Agnew & Lola Petticrew as Cushla Lavery in Trespasses. (Channel 4)

How would you describe the series?

Set in 1975 Belfast, it’s a story of a young catholic woman, who falls in love with an older Protestant barrister. She is caught between her allegiances to her community and a desire to escape.

It feels inherently female. Female writers, female producers, female director, female protagonist. We’re so used to seeing film and television through a male gaze, and Trespasses is anything but that. I don’t want to get stuck in broad statements and cliches, but there is poetry and a delicacy to the storytelling telling that you don’t get from men. Its themes are robust and challenging, but its complexity is navigated with the kind of nuance I feel only women embody.

Your character is pretty controversial – what was that like to sink your teeth into?

Terrifying. Truly. It was like walking a tightrope everyday. Look, it’s a story about a young woman falling in love with a married older man. There will be people who are put off by that idea from the off and I understand that, because it feels like we have seen that before. But Louise’s book is a complex look at a young woman’s life. People aren’t perfect. And when put against a backdrop of The Troubles, it is a vivid look at what it means to love; to love oneself, our community, our family and our lovers.

It’s messy. But that is life. Who wants to watch people be perfect anyway? It certainly won’t be boring.

What do you hope viewers take from it?

I hope that people are moved by it. It’s a look at a very difficult time in British and Irish history, through the lens of a fascinating protagonist played masterfully by Lola Petticrew. But beyond its political backdrop, it’s a story about a young woman, navigating what it means to be alive. It’s beautiful. I cried several times reading it.

You’ve also just been announced as a star in House of the Dragon season 3 – how are you feeling about that? Are you a fan of the franchise?

I’m a big fan of the whole world. It’s been utterly thrilling to be involved thus far!

Have you started filming yet? What has it all been like so far?

Started filming a few months ago. It’s been great. Everyone is so kind. Not an ego in sight.

I have the heaviest costume they’ve ever made, apparently, so that’s the only challenging thing. But I would wear it forever if it means I get to be in that world.

Anything you can tease about the role you’ll play in the series?

I play a character called Luther Largent. He’s the head of the gold cloaks and a good friend of Daemon.

Any other roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about? (If you’re allowed to tell us!)

I have another show coming out this summer called Mudtown. It’s another crime drama set in Wales, and so it was so fun being back in my home country and working with so many old friends. It’s a great character too. I play a Newport crime boss who loses a lot of money in a fire and has to scramble to recover it.

What has been your favourite project to date?

That’s really hard to answer because I’ve been lucky enough to work on so many different and varied projects. But I think the answer is Weekend, directed by Andrew Haigh. It was my first ever job. A low budget indie about two men who meet and fall in love over the course of a weekend. It was a transformative job for me. Both in terms of my career but also working with Andrew. He’s an auteur, and he opened my eyes to what acting and film could be.

Who has been your favourite actor to work with in the past?

I’d have to say Lola Petticrew on Trespasses. The scenes were so challenging and deep. And to get to do them with Lola was a gift. Lola is one of those actors who is just the real deal. An extraordinary talent.

Tom Cullen, photographed by Pip

Which co-star did you learn the most from?

I spent a lot of my early career asking better and more experienced actors what they do (and I still do). Three actors who were really inspirational early in my career were Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas and Maggie Smith. They taught me that we’re just vessels and we have to just let the characters pass through you. It’s our job as actors to get out of the way and not control the work.

What’s your dream role?

I honestly don’t have one. I love every character I play. You learn so much about yourself every time you play someone different.

What’s a genre you’d like to do more of?

I love riding horses, so anything that facilitates that! I’ve never done a Western, so I’ll say that. My girlfriend’s family are proper western Americans (their family name is even West!). Her grandfather was a cowboy and colonel in the marines. Her mum still runs the family long horn ranch in northern California and I love to go there; pretend I’m a cowboy and ride horses. It’s heaven, honestly.

Who is an actor, writer or director you’d love to work with?

Oh my. There are so many. But I would love to work with Celine Sciamma. Her work is so economic and yet so powerful. Joachim Trier, too. I have been obsessed with his films since Reprise and Oslo, August 31st. It’s been great to see him getting the big accolades for his last two films; he’s a master.

How do you find balance in your personal and work lives?

It’s very difficult! I’m an all or nothing kind of person, and I’m trying to find equilibrium. Being a father is the greatest role I’ve ever had and it’s so painful to be away from my family when I have to work.

Being away filming can be a lonely existence. You’re often in a hotel room or an apartment in a city that you’ve never been to. It’s the hardest part of the job, because I finish work and I just want to be with my kids, but I can’t.

I try to take jobs that mean that I get as much time with my family as possible. Especially while they’re young. It happens so fast and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I only ever wanted to be an actor. My parents used to work in a small regional theatre in mid Wales, making work for children and schools. My primary school was next to the theatre and I would amble down after school and sit in a rehearsal room and watch grown ups play pretend. I was absolutely captivated.

We lived in a small council estate and I would put on plays and puppet shows for the other kids on the estate. They were absolutely terrible, but it’s all I can remember ever loving.

I mean, if I was any good at football, I’d have wanted to do that, but sadly, I have always been a distinctly average player!

If you could give advice to your 15-year-old self, what would it be?

Try to not lose your vulnerability, because it’s the greatest strength we have as human beings.

How can we all live a little bit better?

By being vulnerable. It’s taken me years to get to where I am in my life now and I still have a long, long way to go. But there is such happiness to be found in vulnerability. Vulnerability to me, requires immense strength and grounding. It means being open; open to yourself and the people in your life. To not be ashamed of who you are and to let go of any ego. Ego holds us all back. Laugh at yourself. And don’t take yourself too seriously. Try to listen and be open to the world around you. Say ‘yes’. Scare yourself and be OK with failure.

I say all this like it’s how I live, but it’s how I’m trying to live. It’s not always possible but when it is, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

Anything fun in the pipeline – professionally or personally?

I have various things in the pipeline, none of which I can talk about, unfortunately. One thing that I’m going to manifest, though, is that I want to direct a feature again. I made a film, Pink Wall, a few years ago, and I loved every second of making it. I’ve got three projects in various stages of development but haven’t had a chance to fit it into my schedule. So I’m using this interview to put that energy out into the universe!