We know the penultimate episode of a season is going to be big, and Down Cemetery Road did not disappoint. Well, in terms of story. In terms of character losses, it was heartbreaking.
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett had us all intrigued about the side Downey was on for a while. He was a suspicious character, but it all soon made sense as we learned what he had been through as a soldier. Not only did he have PTSD, but he had neurological issues, and that added layers for Stewart-Jarrett to portray on the series.
When it came to the ending on Down Cemetery Road season 1 episode 7, he was not surprised. In fact, he’s proud of the way the story went on the series.
Let’s start with how Downey is so different to the roles you’ve done before. What was it about him on Down Cemetery Road that made you know you wanted this role?
It is different, yeah. I was saying to a journalist recently that I play a lot of people with secrets and double lives, and I think that is a common thing that I keep doing in terms of who he is. But yeah, he’s different, and I relished the fact that you don’t know who he is for a while. As an actor, that is the scariest but amazing things to play, all this stuff inside that they’re not really showing.
There are also a lot of stunts and a lot of action, which is great.
While there’s the double-life, this one is explained with PTSD and neurological conditions. What was it like prepping for this role?
I did loads of prep for the first two episodes, and then I didn’t speak! I was just walking around. You want to drag all your prep to set and show what you thought of, but then you can’t, and you just need to walk over to the door or drive a car. You have to trust the process there.
It’s really funny, because you feel like you have to be almost vacant and just know that it’s all around you. I read things and I watched things repeatedly, and I would see what I could take from it all.
But I also prep differently for each scene. Sometimes, you need a lot of stuff and sometimes you don’t need anything. It’s tough to get into, and you don’t want to fall into a cliché. PTSD is a tough one, to be honest.
Yeah, everyone is affected so differently. You’ll hit the nail on the head for one person, but miss the mark for someone else.
Yeah, there was one scene in the hospital and I remember thinking when the alarm went off, I had to run out. But then, I remember thinking the lights didn’t affect me enough when I walked into the hospital, and I should have thought that light could be a trigger, but the alarm affected me, because that made me scared.
But then I thought I couldn’t do it all at the same time. You’re not meant to, and it’s not how it works. You just have to be truthful in the moment, and whatever affects you, actually does.
Let’s talk the penultimate episode. I was so rooting for you! At what point did you know that you weren’t making it to the Down Cemetery Road finale?
I knew early on. I’d read the book before when I was on holiday, and I’d seen the first couple of episodes. I was reading the book to prep, and I was on the beach when I got to that part.
But I think it’s really clear that it has to happen. This is what we’re building to. This is his goal — to find and save Dinah, and once he’s done that, he’s dying anyway. So, it’s going to happen. It’s probably good that he didn’t crawl into a hole. He got a dramatic death scene, which is nice.
Yeah, he faced his killer and could look him in the eye.
Yeah, that’s what you want. Going somewhere and expiring on their own is not a very glamorous way to go out as an actor.
There’s also a lot of faith he has in Sarah taking care of Dinah. What was that like for you to find the heart in that story?
Sarah and Downey have the little arc in episodes 3 to 5. They really get to know each other, and they go through many things. It’s like a Bonnie & Clyde moment, and I think that they form such trust. At this point, I don’t even know if Downey thinks Dinah is really his daughter or not, but it’s that love and care and responsibility that’s driving him, and he can see that in Sarah.
Sarah is singly focused on Dinah, for whatever reason. She is true to that. She wants to find and protect Dinah, and she has the desire and want as much as him.
There is such a complex relationship with Sarah as well. You and Ruth [Wilson] had such chemistry together. What was that like working together?
We just went through it, and sometimes, I’m sure we got to the point where we’d walk up on set and you, “oh, hey, it’s you again!” It was really nice to have these different contexts and tones of scenes.
We would have our arguments with the map and the argument where I’m in the car and she’s outside of it, and they were so much fun to film. It was so amazing, and it was like the middle of the night, as well! It was nice to have these episodes and let it all out. These two characters have some really big moments.
Then there were the quiet moments, such as on the log, when we’re talking about our histories. For me, that’s a wonderful thing going through that with someone. Oftentimes, you get a scene with your partner, and then a scene with your boss, and then an emergency happens. For this, we were in it all together.
I’ve got to ask with those scenes when you were on your own, though. How did you make sure you nailed the right facial expressions to make sure we knew Downey’s thoughts? You nailed it.
Thank you! It was just the prep. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s hard. I think you have to trust who you are on that day, because sometimes, you don’t really feel like that. Like, the fight when Downey is escaping the facility, I was in the best mood. It was really close to Christmas, and I’m thinking about how many mince pies I’ll have and if there’s going to be mulled wine, and here Downey is fighting for his life! It gave me a lot of energy to do that scene, but you do have to trust the prep you’ve done.
What was the most challenging moment on Down Cemetery Road?
There was some physical stuff that had to be coordinated. Dan O’Neill really helped in terms of Downey’s physical deterioration. He helped me with where to put my body and how to have a fit, and just how to walk. All the stuff you don’t really think about.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Down Cemetery Road airs on Wednesdays on Apple TV.
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