The first UK comedy series streaming on Apple TV+, Trying follows Jason (Rafe Spall) and Nikki (Esther Smith) on their journey to having a child. When they realize that things may not turn out the way that they’d hoped, they pursue the very long road to adoption, evaluating their own relationship and lives, along the way.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, British actor Rafe Spall talked about why he wanted to sign on for Trying, his desire to play a character that he could bring a bit of himself to, finding a way to stand out among all of the TV viewing options, that the chemistry with co-star Esther Smith was paramount to the success of this series, making the relationship dynamic feel real, and where he thinks Season 2 could go. He also talked about telling the real-life story of the poisoning of two British nationals in 2018 in The Salisbury Poisonings, what he enjoyed about being a part of the Showtime series Roadies, seeking variety in the work that he does, and how he can’t wait to get back on set, after quarantine.

Collider: I very much enjoyed Trying, but I also have to say that, as a concert photographer who’s worked with a ton of different bands over the years, I absolutely loved Roadies and wished it had gone on for at least another season.

RAFE SPALL: Thank you so much. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it.

What did you most enjoy about your time on that show and in that world?

SPALL: I hold my time making that show very dear to my heart because I got to work very closely with Cameron Crowe who’s, to my mind, one of the great filmmakers of his generation, and someone with firsthand knowledge of that world. He had a lot of legit people on there, like Neal Preston and people that have been around that world, for a long time. It felt special and lovely and a force for good, and I was delighted to be a part of it.

What was it about Trying that appealed to you and made you want to tell this story?

SPALL: For awhile now, I’ve been looking for something where I could bring a bit of myself to it and use my own natural rhythms. When I got sent this script, I was in Atlanta, Georgia, shooting Just Mercy with Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan. It came on a day where I was doing the courtroom scene, at the end of that film, which was one of my first days of shooting. I had to play the district attorney of Alabama, in front of 200 extras from the South, and I was the only Englishman for miles around. I was like, “This is great. I’m so privileged. This is all I’ve ever dreamed of, as an actor, but this is fucking hard work and it’s really scary. I’d love to do something, where I could just use my own voice and my own accent, and employ my own comedic proclivity.” And then, this dropped into my inbox, and I read it and saw that it was the first commission to Apple from Europe, and that was exciting. It was a no-brainer, really.

How does it feel to be a part of the first UK comedy series for Apple TV+? Are you someone who partakes in these streaming services? Do you binge watch a lot of shows, yourself?

SPALL: Yeah. I subscribe to Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and all of those. We’re lucky, there’s a lot of content out there. It’s a good time to do my job. One of the things that’s positive about it is that it’s auteur led, in the way that movies were in the ‘70s You get Paolo Sorrentino now, doing a show like The Young Pope, which is really an art show with a huge budget. That’s pretty positive. It feels like a Golden Age of Television, but there’s also a lot out there, so you need to be special to stand out, otherwise you can disappear. So, it’s nice to be the first show that Apple has done out of Europe. That’s great. You could say that it’s a show that’s a specifically English sense of humor, but I’m of the belief that comedy is universal and what’s funny is funny.

This series really walks that dramedy line. It’s not a full comedy, and it’s not fully a drama. Is that a tricky tone to balance while you’re shooting, or do you get a sense of where things fall, when you’re in the moment, on set?

SPALL: Yeah, definitely. If you’ve got a good script, then all of the job is done for you. You’ve just gotta turn up and not bump into the furniture. And chemistry in this show was paramount. It was important, between Esther Smith and myself. The creators of the show knew that was the most important thing, going into it. That was very easy because Esther is very talented and I like her very much, as a person. Creating that sense of history between them and that ease, came very naturally.

You guys have a real rhythm together in the scenes. Did you spend time rehearsing that and did you talk about it, at all, or did you just pray that would work out?

SPALL: No, it just happens. It’s either there, or it’s not. It helps if you like the person, but that’s not always necessary. In this case, it thankfully was. No, it came for free. It just comes for free. It’s intangible and magic. You just have to try to capture that, and that doesn’t always happen. Things can feel good when you shoot them, but when you watch them, it’s not great. But the finished product of this show is what I was hoping for and it’s what I imagined the show would be. That’s not always the case, so I’m pleased. 

I love how real this relationship feels. This is a guy who meets up with an ex, and then you wonder if maybe he would have an affair with a student, but then, he goes and says something really sweet about the woman that he’s currently making a life with. What did you most enjoy about exploring the relationship between them?

SPALL: It is real. Just because you’re in love with someone, it doesn’t mean that sometimes you don’t find someone else attractive, or meet up with an ex-partner and remember what it is you liked about them, or entertaining inappropriate flirtations. That’s the grisly reality of being in a long-term relationship. It’s part of the reason that makes it so deep and beautiful. Even though you have these things in your past, you still choose to stay together. That’s true to me because it’s a choice. We are with people because we want to be, generally. They’re very aware of each other’s flaws and they love each other, regardless. That’s the nature of being in a long-term relationship. Love isn’t easy. It isn’t just beautiful. It’s frightening and gnarly. This show goes some way towards representing that. Also, the only thing that sustains the relationship, in my view, is humor. They make each other laugh and they like hanging out with each other, and that’s everything.

It can definitely be very hard on a relationship, to keep trying to have a child and have it not work out. Did you do any research into that side of things, or talk to any couples who have had similar experiences, to see how it affected their relationship?

SPALL: Yeah, definitely. I met lots of people struggling to conceive, and I know people that have gone through the long and winding road of seeking to adopt a child. It ain’t easy. What struck me was that I was lucky enough to conceive three children naturally, and there really isn’t much to it. To put a finer point on it, you do the act and a baby comes out. There’s not that much time to change your mind. There’s a small window, but it’s small. But if you’re adopting a child, there’s a lot of time to change your mind. You’ve gotta really want it because it involves a huge level of interference into your personal life and checking in on past relationships, and therefore you end up looking at your own relationship, in a different way. There’s a lot of time to pull out, which isn’t necessarily the case when you naturally conceive. It’s given me respect for those people who go through IVF or adopt. Those people really wanna have kids, and that’s pretty beautiful.

I adore Imelda Staunton and think she’s so great in this. What did you most enjoy about working with her and playing with that dynamic?

SPALL: She’s as lovely woman as she is a good actress. She’s funny and mischievous and extremely professional and prepared. In my game, you’re constantly learning. You never go, “Right, that’s me now. I’m good at acting.” You’re always seeking to improve and you only improve by seeing other people that are better than you. It sounds like a cliche thing to say, but watching her was a lesson and education. You look to your betters to improve, and she’s definitely one of those.

Things are pretty open, at the end of this season. Have you had conversations about what a second season of this show could be and where things could go next?

SPALL: Yeah, we’ve been commissioned for a second season. The first season is about them being approved, and then the second season will be, I imagine, about them being matched with a child and the matching process, which is a difficult, long one, as well. So, I think it’ll be around that. That’s my instinct, and that’s what I’ve heard. But I haven’t read anything yet . . . The thing about this show is that it’s about people being good to each other. That’s what Cameron Crowe does so well. Cameron makes movies and shows about people wanting to improve, wanting to be good, and wanting to be kind. In the situation we’re all in now, that’s extremely prescient. Something that we’ve all become astutely aware of is altruism, kindness, community, and goodness. I’m really pleased to be putting a show out there, which is a force for good. A lot of the stuff that we consume is about people being mean or violent or destructive or manipulative or vindictive to one another. There’s none of that, in this show. It’s just about people being good and trying to get by. They’re good, honest people, which I think is what most of the world is.

You also shot The Salisbury Poisonings, which is a story that I’m aware of, but I’m sure there’s so much more about what happened with that, that I don’t know. What interested you in that project and made you want to tell that story?

SPALL: Like yourself, even though it happened in England, I knew very little about it. It was essentially a chemical attack on British people, from foreign forces. It isn’t about the geopolitical ramifications. It’s about the humans involved. It’s about the head of public health and the first policeman at the scene, which is the character I play, and how these humans’ lives were affected by this heinous attack and how real people deal with adverse situations. I’ve always been very interested in that, and that’s what this deals with . . . It’s a very interesting story. 

You’ve really been all over the map with the type of projects that you’ve done, between film, TV and theater, and smaller films, as well as big franchise movies. Do you really try to seek out that variety? Do you like doing a bit of everything? Are there genres that you wish you could do more of?

SPALL: Yeah, I definitely seek out a variety, absolutely. Every project I go into, I go into it with the best of intentions. The big franchise movies that I’ve done, like Jurassic World and Men in Black, were both helmed by terrific directors, J.A. Bayona and F. Gary Gray, respectively. They’re serious filmmakers, and it was an opportunity to work with those guys. Yes, it was on a very grand scale, but that’s why I was attracted to those projects. So, as long as you go into things with the best of intentions and without cynicism, then I think you’ll be okay. In terms of what I’d like to do more of, I love doing comedy. I’d happily do this show for another couple of years. Right now, I just wanna get back and be amongst people. I miss working my way through a busy crowd to get to a bar. I miss walking down a busy road and eating great food in a restaurant, and all of the simple things that you take for granted. I just wanna get back out there and embrace life ‘cause I love life. I’m extremely keenly aware of how much I love what I do, as well, and I can’t wait to be back in my natural habitat of a film set. I love making films and doing plays. I love everything about it. It’s where I feel most myself, really . . . I’m missing sitting in traffic jams. I didn’t think I’d ever say that. It’s crazy, the things that we take for granted. I can’t wait to get back to life.

Trying is available to stream at Apple TV+ on May 1st.