The Durrells star Daniel Lapaine, who plays Louisa's love interest Hugh, on why his wife Fay Ripley hates his 'tache
Basking in the sizzling sunshine of Corfu, actor Daniel Lapaine can’t quite believe his luck.
“I remember seeing a trailer for the first series of The Durrells and thinking, ‘Wow, those jammy actors get to go to Corfu’. When it came around to season two I was one of those jammy actors going to shoot the show!" he laughed.
Daniel Lapaine plays Louisa’s would-be boyfriend Hugh in the series and in real life is married to Cold Feet actress Fay Ripley.
Here he spills the secrets of working with Keeley Hawes and sporting a ‘tache for the role…
Louisa has never been sure if she can trust Hugh – do you think he’s the right man for her? “He is a cad, and I can see why the audience is questioning how noble he is – he’s a playboy driving a red MG, and his ex-girlfriend, Vasilia, is lurking in the shadows too! But it turns out that he’s sincere, his intentions are honourable and he makes Louisa feel alive again. Meeting her makes him rethink his bachelorhood and decide it’s time to settle down."
Hugh seems like a fun character to play? “I love him, in some ways I wish I was Hugh. He’s always mixing cocktails, being flamboyant and going swimming, he’s Corfu’s entrant for GQ Man of the Year! The only problem is I had to grow a moustache and my wife didn’t like it. She was like, ‘Argh, get away from me!’"
Have you enjoyed filming with Keeley? “It’s been amazing. We worked together a few years ago on a serious ITV cop show called Identity and we giggled so much that we got told off by the director. The mission for this series has been not to get ourselves in trouble again!"
Why do you think the nation has fallen in love with The Durrells? “I think it’s appealing, the idea of a family escaping and running away to paradise – it’s everyone’s fantasy, but they actually do it because they’re intrepid and brave. And I like it because there is so little on TV that everyone can watch together, but this is a show we can watch with our kids."
The Durrells continues on ITV on Sunday night
