Rivals creator Dame Jilly Cooper once told the team behind the hit Disney+ adaptation to stop making her male characters too emotional on screen, according to the show’s writer and executive producer.
Speaking at the Hay Festival on Sunday, Laura Wade revealed one of the author’s most memorable notes during production.
"We were so lucky to have Jilly… You would expect someone to be quite strict about what you do with their key characters, and she really wasn't," Wade said.
Rivals S2 EP02, Hulu, Disney+
She added: "She would tell us, if I was making Rupert (Campbell-Black) cry too often, that was one of her favourites – 'stop making my macho men cry all the time'."
The Disney+ series stars Danny Dyer, David Tennant and Emily Atack, and is based on Cooper’s bestselling 1988 novel set in the ruthless world of television and politics in the fictional county of Rutshire.
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Elsewhere during the festival discussion, actress Victoria Smurfit spoke emotionally about the moment the cast and crew learned of Cooper’s sudden death last October at the age of 88 following injuries sustained in a fall at home.
Smurfit, who plays Maud O’Hara in the series, said: "I came back (from a break) and Eliza Mellor, our extraordinary on-set producer, was in the room and everything about her was devastated, and I remember walking in and going, 'Oh God, someone's died'."
She continued: "And it is a testament to Jilly's sparkle and her champagne soaked soul of heavenly delight that at 88 there was not one iota of me that thought it might be her."
Rivals S2 EP01. Hulu, Disney+
The adaptation of Rivals became one of Disney+’s most talked-about dramas following its release, earning praise for its mix of scandal, comedy and romance, as well as its star-studded cast.
Cooper, whose Rutshire Chronicles novels became hugely popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s, remained closely involved with the adaptation during production and was widely credited by the cast and crew for bringing warmth and humour to the set.
Earlier this month, Ireland's Classic Hits Radio got to chat to Rivals stars, Victoria Smurfit and Lisa McGrillis.
Victoria portrays Maud O'Hara, a 'washed-up acctress' forever stuck in her glory days. She's married to Declan O’Hara, and craves attention - and success. Lisa plays Valerie Jones, wife of Freddie Jones. She desperately wants to be a part of the Cotswolds group of wives she’s mixing with, but always ends up being the butt of their jokes.
Victoria and Lisa spilled the tea on the chaos that unfolds in this Disney+ series - and it is boiling hot!
@irelandsclassichitsradio As season 2 of the high-energy, raunchy Ruthshire series Rivals is about to hit our screens, Louise got to chat to Victoria Smurfit and Lisa McGrillis for Ireland's Classic Hits Radio 🎙️ Victoria portrays Maud O'Hara, a 'washed-up acctress' forever stuck in her glory days. She's married to Declan, craves attention and success. Lisa plays Valerie Jones, wife of Freddie. She desperately wants to be a part of the Cotswolds group of wives she’s mixing with, but always ends up being the butt of their jokes 🤷🏼♀️ Victoria and Lisa spilled the tea on the chaos about to unfold in this Disney+ series - and it is boiling hot! 👀 The three-episode premiere will be released on May 15. We can't wait to binge-watch it 🍿 #rivals #disney+ #hulu @Disney+ Ireland ♬ original sound - Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio
