When Channel 4’s synth drama Humans concluded its third season in July 2018, loyal viewers found no happy ending, and with no promise of future instalments. Nick Joy spoke to two members of its ensemble cast at the Sci-Fi Ball convention in Southampton – Lucy Carless (human Mattie Hawkins) and Dino Fetscher (synth Stanley) – and found out about keeping secrets, fan adoration and acting against type.

 

Hi Lucy and Dino, I’m a huge fan of Humans. Lucy, you’ve been with the show since the beginning, whereas Dino you joined in the final season as bodyguard Stanley. One of the big surprises with Season Three was its jump forward in time from the end of Season Two. Was that a big surprise for you, Lucy?

Lucy: They took us out to dinner and then took us each to one side and explained what was going to be happening, and I knew then that it I though was going to be a fun series. ‘She [Mattie] starts off very sad, and then you’re going to get a bit of fun – nudge nudge wink wink – and then it’s going to get sad again, lots of sad. For a young woman who had been through so much in the last few years… and then she’s knocked up by a synth!

Dino, you must have had fun playing with Katherine (The IT Crowd) Parkinson, with whom you shared most of your early scenes. You were her bodyguard while she was working on the Dryden Commission

Dino: I totally did. Working with her was so lovely because she’s so… naughty actually… in very subtle ways. We had such a laugh. I had to do such physical and violent stuff with her, but she loves all the stunts and would say ‘throw me against the wall harder, just go for it.’ And I’d say ‘Really?’ Being the Orange Eyes [synth model], playing the straight ‘Hello Laura’ version, was much more fun because it was very comical. Sophie [Mattie’s younger sister] would say in the car ‘This really cool’ and I’d reply ‘Allow me to turn the temperature down.’ Those kind of things were fun. The Green Eyes [evil synth] stuff was also fun because it was the internal conflict and moral dilemma of this essentially new being coming to understand the world. I got to do all this fun stuff – like when I told you you were pregnant – and I also got to do these heavier scenes… it was a real gift of a role

When you’re acting with that real intensity do you need a comedy dropout now  and then?

Dino: Yes, it’s intense. You don’t get get the opportunity for much expression as a synth, and it’s a really great lesson in having large thoughts in your eyes. Sometimes at the end of an intense day your head just explodes!

Lucy: It’s the same for Mattie, because I did so little smiling. That sass face take a lot of work you know! I didn’t initially get recognised because I smile so much normally. People would say ‘Wow, you’ve got teeth.’

Do your friends and family recognise aspects of Mattie in you?

Lucy: No. It’s very weird. I’m really nothing like Mattie. So it’s really bizarre for people, particularly my parents. They said that when Mattie was upset on screen that was the same look that I have, and that was really upsetting for them, particularly my dad. He really struggled with that.

I guess it was also difficult seeing your screen parents separating too?

Lucy: When I read in the script that [screen dad] Joe had had sex with [synth] Anita, I was livid! I remember coming in to work the next day, Tom [Goodman-Hill] said ‘hello’ at breakfast and I said ‘Just don’t talk to me. I can’t even look at you. You’ve got a nerve, coming in here, ordering a full English!’

Dino: That scene is intense isn’t it. It puts the series in a different place

Lucy: My God. It changed the tone entirely.

That friction was great because it also gave the opportunity for Mark Bonnar’s character, Neil, to be introduced as competition for Laura’s affections. Does it help you up your game having seasoned TV and stage actors like Mark joining the cast?

Lucy: Absolutely. It was great to have him around. You raise your game so much and it feels like every day is a learning day. I hadn’t done anything before when we did the first series. I’d been in front of a camera, but working with other actors was so new.

Dino: I think that you’re always learning as an actor, your whole career, but this job in particular I learned so much from Katherine. Sometimes I could barely hear her, and I was learning things like the size of the performance, the nuance and subtlety.

Lucy: Katherine was amazing to work with, Colin [Morgan] as well just loves to play, which is fantastic. He came from TV Workshop, which is based a lot in improvisation, so when they called ‘Action!’ everything fell into place. It was beautiful.

This is your first sci-fi convention. How did you imagine it would be, and how does it measure up?

Dino: I said to Lucy on the train ‘I literally have no idea what to expect.’ I kind of knew people would be in costume but it has been so nice. Last night was lush, everyone just so interested, and there’s a real sense of family. Lots of lovely chats with people who are passionate about the genre.

That’s the beauty of being in fantasy TV – there’s bound to be a convention for you to attend. Did you imagine that would be the case when you took on these roles?

Lucy: Yes, completely. That was one of the first things I realised – this is really exciting, I’m going to get to go to a convention.

Dino: I really hope that more Humans is made so that we can keep on coming.

And have you had any fan adoration? How do you manage it?

Lucy: I think that Humans was one of those amazing shows that managed to create an impact and appreciation. But I think that it wasn’t until week five that I started to get recognised. I was still living in Nottingham at the time and was walking down the street and I’d have people stop and give me a thumbs up. Nothing else, but just enough to show they appreciated the show.

Dino: Everything I’ve had has always been nice – ‘I love the show’ or ‘I love your character’. Really positive. And the world of the show sparks conversation because it’s so entwined in what’s happening now because of immigration, Brexit and whatever.

It was also a show where most episodes ended with a significant cliffhanger. Did you find your friends starting to try to get secrets out of you?

Lucy: Yes, and I wouldn’t have the answers!

Dino: When we were watching it my housemates would ask what happens next, but I refused to give anything away. As I got closer to my reveal they’d ask ‘Are you a bad guy?’ And I’d go ‘Noooo!’

Was there a lot of secrecy around the latter season developments, or did you know the whole story from the off?

Dino: No. In my audition I knew that I was an Orange Eyes but then in my final recall I had a speech where I’m talking to Anatol about ‘You told me humans were kind.’ So I didn’t specifically know, but it seemed different. And then I got taken to one side by my producer in my trailer and she was like ‘You’re actually a Green Eyes, and you’re going to do this and this.’

When the synths go bad in the show, they go really bad.

Dino: Just like the humans!

No further series has been announced at this time. Are you hopeful that you could return to your roles one day, or are you satisfied where your characters have been left?

Lucy: There’s definitely more story to be told, but saying that, I love the ambiguity of the ending and could happily leave it there as well.

Dino: I’d love to see where Jonathan [Brackley] and Sam [Vincent, creators and writers] would take it. [To Lucy] I want to see you give birth to a synth – not literally!

Lucy: I was saying earlier that it would probably deliver itself.

Or by Amazon drone?

Lucy: Ha Ha. Next-day delivery!

 

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