INTERVIEW: Leo Suter on his enjoyment of auditions & his role in ‘Victoria’ | CROOKES MAGAZINE
The Actor from ITV’s ‘Victoria’ talks embodying historical figure Edward Drummond.
Interview by Adam Crookes
How much research did you do into Edward Drummond before taking on the role?
Leo Suter: Once I knew I had the part I did a fair amount of research into the Victorian period to get a feel for that world. A N Wilson’s books on the Victorians were really useful for that. I also found the Tate’s exhibition on Queer British Art 1861–1967 a great resource to help understand that aspect of Drummond’s character — in particular, some of the sketches by Simeon Solomon. I then found out who Mr Drummond was and what a sticky end he came to, but I didn’t dig much deeper than that to be honest. We have created our own version of that character and it was important for me to feel free to do some of that creative work myself and not feel too constricted by the particularities of history. He was meant to be 55 when he died, so that was an obvious example of us deviating from the real life story of Edward Drummond.
What parts to your character were you most unsure about playing?
I don’t think ‘unsure’ is quite the right word. To me, the most interesting aspects of Mr Drummond’s character to play with were his feelings towards Lord Alfred; how and when I should allow them to boil to the surface in a world where homosexual relations were illegal. For the majority of their scenes together, they are also in the presence of either the Queen, the Tory prime minister, or both. So finding truthful moments where Drummond can show his desires to Alfred without raising suspicion from the other powerful figures in the room was really interesting. Drummond is aware that the feelings he is experiencing are potentially massively compromising for his blossoming political career. In effect, Drummond and Alfred are in the grips of an office romance — but the office is Buckingham Palace.
Was interpretation of parts of your character left up to you — or were the decisions made with the producers?
I think it came through in the scripts that Drummond is the less forward of the two in the relationship — he has his fiancée and looming wedding on his mind. I found I had most licence actually in the scenes in the Houses of Parliament. The heckling across the chamber got quite intense and I was keen to show Drummond was at the heart of it all. He is a very young politician but he’s also totally trusted by Peel, so I thought it was important we show him to be a vocal and commanding member of The House. I wanted to make him the young star of his party — which isn’t historically accurate.
Where did the biggest challenge for you lie on ‘Victoria’?
For me it was making sure that we told a clear and truthful same-sex love story. Drummond and Lord Alfred don’t have too many moments where they can speak candidly to one another about what they are feeling. That’s because there isn’t really a vocabulary to do so (the word ‘homosexual’ was first used about 30 years later) and also because of how much screen time they have together. We had to tell a lot of the story through stolen glances or coded one-liners. Trying to make sure that the subtleties and nuances of a flowering romance still shone through was a challenge but I think we got it right.
Leo will soon be starring in an epic love story — Music, War and Love alongside Adelaide Clemens as well as Stellan Skarsgård. The film follows lives of a singer and a violin player who are separated by war and given another chance to reconnect.
Did you audition for the role in ‘Victoria’?
I was over in Los Angeles when the audition came through from my agent. I hastily put myself on tape — filming it on my phone with a pre-record of me saying the other lines. Pretty low budget stuff. But twelve hours later I was offered the part, so I hopped on a plane back to the UK to start filming at the end of that week. It was all pretty bonkers and last minute.
Are you a fan of auditions?
I am actually. Its nice to get the chance to show what you can do — especially when it involves meeting a director or trying the scene out with a member of the cast. That way you really get a sense of what the project is going to be like, and get to play around with things a little more.
Read the full Magazine at AdamCrookes.com
