After army medic Molly saved his life in last week's opening episode of Our Girl, soldier Smurf starts to see her in a whole new light, as Iwan Rheon, who plays him, reveals...
In the first episode of Our Girl, Smurf and Molly got off to a rocky start. Why is that?
"Well, Smurf knew Molly from his past but she didn't want the rest of the platoon to know that they'd met - or indeed how they met. But then, when Molly annoyed him, Smurf put her in a difficult position when he told the platoon they'd once slept together!"
Despite still being angry with Smurf, Molly risked her life by running into a minefield to save him after he'd been shot by the Taliban. How's Smurf feeling when he returns to his duties this week?
"That incident really gave Molly the opportunity to prove herself. Since she saved his life, Smurf's become smitten with Molly and the whole team really respect and admire her."
Smurf wants to jump straight back into his role as the team's lead man but Captain James (Ben Aldridge) is worried for Smurf - why is that?
"Captain James is like God to Smurf. On an earlier tour of Afghanistan, he stopped Smurf's brother becoming a trophy for the Taliban by risking his own life to recover his dead body, so Smurf really looks up to him."
We get the impression there's going to be something of a love triangle involving Molly, Smurf and Captain James. What can you tell us about that?
"Well, it's quite convoluted in the way that it happens. Let's just say it's complicated!"
Did you enjoy filming the action sequences in Our Girl?
"There's explosions, gunfire and all sorts in this. At one point I was flying over an African plain in a real Vietnam helicopter and it was like a scene from the film Apocalypse Now. That was pretty cool."
How do you hope people will react to your portrayal of the army?
"Hopefully well. We're dealing with something that's real and actually happening. We're only acting but, for some people, it's reality. You have to treat that with respect."
Our Girl continues on Sunday September 28 at 9pm on BBC1.
