Interview: Sam Heughan on Channel 4 ‘s The Couple Next Door

The Couple Next Door is a deliciously dark, psychological drama, exploring the claustrophobia of suburbia and the fallout of chasing your deepest desires. Directed by Dries Vos (Suspect, Professor T) and written by David Allison (Bedlam, Marcella) the six-part series is an addictive, emotional roller coaster and looks at how we never know what goes on behind closed doors.

When Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Pete (Alfred Enoch) move into an upscale neighbourhood, they find themselves in a world of curtain twitching and status anxiety. But soon find friendship in the shape of the couple next door, alpha traffic cop Danny (Sam Heughan) and his wife, glamorous yoga instructor Becka (Jessica De Gouw). As time goes on, these two couples get increasingly close to each other and one fateful night, become sexually entangled in a way that will change their lives forever…

Sam Heughan Interview

How would you describe Danny?

He’s got a lot of baggage. He comes across in the first few episodes as being quite a good guy. He’s a police officer. He’s got this beautiful wife and he’s got a kid. Everything’s just fine. But we begin to realise that underneath it all, there’s a lot of secrets that he’s keeping. And his relationship with Becka is tested a lot by their situation. They have this slightly open relationship. But it’s all played out in some pretty dark places. I think this is a story about love but it’s a very strange route that we go through to get to that point.

Do you think Jess and Danny’s lifestyle is something they’ve chosen? Or does the fact that they’re bored out of their mind in suburbia lead them into the possibility that they may play with other couples in the way they do?

What we’ve set up is this very stylised show that is making a comment about suburbia. You’ve got these great choreographed moments where everyone’s going about their daily life, but it can all come crashing down very, very easily. Becka and Danny met in Thailand and he was very much drawn to her lifestyle. She’s the one with this moral code, this way of living which for him is a reach. He’s always trying to understand and to go along with her to keep her happy. I think he struggles with it. He’s a man of strict rules and guidelines, whereas she’s more free. That’s where they struggle. For her, it’s out of boredom. For him, I think it’s a way to keep her happy, to hold on to her and to show his love for her that he’s trying to play along.

Is it a couple’s drama, or is it a cop thriller? Or is it both?

I think it’s both. At times when shooting it was like two separate shows but the consequences of one bleed into the other. And I think certainly for Danny, he gets so embroiled and so caught up in both storylines and they all come crashing down and lead to him making a lot of very rash decisions. Every episode, especially episode three, things really start to turn on their heads. It is sexy, it is dark, it’s a thriller, there’s relationships, so it’s kind of everything in one.

With Evie, Danny has this sexual tension that could be innocent, but how quickly does that build up and how significant does it become?

There is an attraction there. And it’s like, do you act upon it? Do you not act upon it? But also, who’s at fault and where’s it coming from? Who’s making the moves? And who’s doing this? I think the show is constantly turned on his head. That’s what I loved about it, from the beginning is this kind of weirdness. It’s a stylised show, but it’s very sexy, very dark. And I think people will be disgusted or excited. Everyone’s going to be on different sides on this. It’s fun to work with someone like Eleanor who’s been through the same journey as me. She’s been in period drama very successfully and dare I say, there was a lot of intimacy in there. So, we got along very well. She’s so talented, I loved working with her and to share our experiences working on these shows, but also we very quickly found a great bond and a way to work together.

There’s an interesting tension between you and Pete – would you say it’s more complex than just a bit of toxic masculinity?

Yeah, I think so. Danny’s pretty astute, he’s a police officer and he’s quick at reading situations. He realises his new neighbour has instantly taken a dislike to him. Dan is a bit of an alpha male at times. There’s a great juxtaposition with Dan and Pete (which is played out through the series) and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring that with the very talented Alfred Enoch. I love that relationship. They are very different men and it’s a really cool relationship that plays out. One’s very cerebral and one is the action man. But the core of the show is these two couples, and their dynamics.

Do you ride motorbikes, is that you? Or a stunt rider?

No stunt riders, I did the majority of the riding as it’s a passion of mine. However, we had a terrific stunt crew for the heist scenes, they were so good!  As soon as I read that he was a traffic cop, I was game. I am a keen motorcyclist and that bike that Danny has is one that I’ve always wanted to ride. So I was very excited about that. I spent a bunch of time in Scotland with a traffic cop for the show. I just wanted to understand their role. What do they do? What is the procedure, for instance, doing convoys or even their day-to-day roles? They’re always the first on scene, they see a lot of horrific situations, they can be taking organs to hospital or directing traffic. They have a real independence, which I think for Danny is probably part of his failing. That’s possibly where he starts to come off the rails a bit.

I think you’ve worked with Dries before, is that how you became involved in the project?

I worked with him on Suspect then I was offered this, and I just jumped at the chance because I know what a talent Dries is. He’s already one to watch. We have a terrific, close relationship. I admire him very much. As I do the whole cast. They’re so brilliant. Dries creates such a relaxed environment. This was very different to the other shows I’ve worked on, especially Outlander, which is such a big machine. This felt very intimate, very efficient. We had great traditions and games and events that we held throughout, and it made all of the crew and cast feel very, very bonded. Everyone ate together, we all took part. We felt as much part of the crew as we were the actors. The whole cast are extremely talented, it was a pleasure to work on something different, that fitted into my schedule but could show a different side to my acting abilities. 

The Couple Next Door is coming soon to Channel 4.