EXCLUSIVE: Trying’s Esther Smith & Rafe Spall Discuss Adoption, Fantastic Series Writing, Comedy, & More
Season three of the Apple TV+ series, Trying, is currently underway. The comedic gem is set to drop its new episode today, August 19, and BeautifulBallad had the wonderful opportunity to chat with stars of the series, Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, before its release.
What were your feelings after filming the events in the season two finale?
Smith: “It’s so interesting. I feel like so much happens in this world with these two people. That whole thing, I completely forget that there was that proposal because that episode is jam packed and then even going forward into season three. So much is going on and they’re so preoccupied with these kids that it’s just interesting that every so often I’ll be like, they’re engaged. So much just happened I think within a short space of time. Then literally cut to the next day after the proposal, we’re basically fighting to try and keep Tyler with us.”
Can you talk a little bit about what your expectations were for season three?
Spall: “That Nikki hadn’t met a new man. That was my hope that wouldn’t happen. But just the show does so well in delivering laughs, moments of pathos, drama, dealing with weighty subjects. Whilst at the same time, avoiding cliché. There’s nothing ever cliched or contrived about the show. It always feels fresh. And I hoped that our writer who’s written 28 episodes of this show will be able to keep that going. And he does, he delivers. He just delivers time and time again. And there’s no one else out there writing 28 episodes of a show. No one, no one. All these shows have got writers rooms and it’s really incredible.
Not since Aaron Sorkin did it in West Wing as someone attempted to do that. He has a great support from the network and from other people, but he’s really amazing. The things that we hold dear about this show continued and they do, it did. It’s one of those things, you read the scripts and they’re great and you shoot them, and it feels good, but it’s always much better than I think it’s going to be when I watch it.”
How does it feel to watch the scripts come to life on screen?
Smith: “Sometimes you are quite bitterly disappointed.”
Spall: “Disappointed. Because that doesn’t play as well as it did when we were on set making it. It doesn’t look as good, but it always exceeds my expectations when I watch them. More than they do when I read them. When I read them, I’m always like, wow, these are brilliant. But always when I see them, I’m like, this is really good.”
Did either of you do any research into the adoption process prior to filming any of the seasons?
Smith: “It’s interesting because I feel the adoption process and it is different for different parts of the world. And for our story, I didn’t know about the adoption process at all before starting this job. I just knew some people were adopted, some wanted to adopt, and I didn’t really know what that meant. Just as a word that you hear and then when I got the job, I decided that I wanted to read up about it. I really struggled finding reading material on it. I don’t know whether that was just me not looking in the right places, but I did find this one book by this journalist, the book’s called, How I Met My Son. And she talks about her fertility struggles and then deciding to adopt. And even the decision to adopt is also a huge thing to realize and go through. And then the process of it, she in detail goes through her whole process and it’s so moving and there’s so many heartbreaking moments, but there’s credible joyful moments that I finished that book, and I was like, wow.
I just did not realize the depth to what this journey would be. And then on top of that, reading our scripts and going through that journey with these characters. I guess that the reading that book hasn’t necessarily informed how I feel about Nikki playing it. It’s just given me more of an understanding of the world that we were going into. But I just thought it was interesting that I could really find that much reading material about it. And I actually think it’s one of the reasons why I think this shows brilliant, is because it shows a story that is not necessarily represented that we don’t often see the journey of the process. It feels like you might see someone deciding to adopt and then they adopt and then they see the aftermath of adopting children, not the actual journey of it, which is really hard.”
Spall: “I think it’s, infertility, the subject of it is still a thing that hasn’t been spoken about much. Isn’t represented often and this is definitely speaking to that. It affects most people’s lives in one way or another. If it’s not, you or someone that you know or whatever will go through this thing. And what’s interesting to me as well about this process is that before you’ve even got to the point of deciding that you want to adopt, you’ve been through a massive amount of trauma before you get to that point. You would’ve had to have made peace with the fact that you can’t naturally conceive or whatever it is, and that’s really moving. And I just find the whole process really moving that if you get to a two-year process at the end of that, where every part of your life is looked into, your finances are looked into, your family life, your friends, your job, everything is meddled with. You still want to, at the end of that adopt kids, then wow, you must really want it and that’s really beautiful.”
How do you process the more traumatic moments focused upon during the adoption process?
Smith: “It’s interesting because I think throughout the show, those moments are dealt with quite humorously. It’s hard to talk about it without spoiling the season, but different people involved in the adoption process from wherever they lay are going to have investment in these children. And you can’t argue with that. And no one’s a bad guy in it, people just want the best for themselves, and people are just trying to do the best. But I listened to this podcast, which essentially was talking about this couple that wanted to adopt these two siblings and didn’t necessarily work out in the way that they wanted to, but those two siblings needed to be kept together. And that’s just important to have even the tiny, those particular stories within the adoption process talked about. Because again, I wouldn’t just have thought about that. I think of adoption, and I just think of one singular child, not necessarily of course like a family. I think it’s brilliant that we get to explore it.”
Spall: “I think it’s a really good dramatic device and the idea that they’ve got these two kids that they need to bond with over a period of time in order to show themselves the kids and the local authorities that they are suitable parents. But the more they bond, the higher the stakes become for the opportunity of pain when they get taken away, if they get taken away. So, you got to bond with them, but the more you bond, the more pain you’re setting yourself up for, I think that’s really an interesting high stakes thing to watch. Lots of jeopardy in that, dramatically which I think is core for audiences and nice for us to play.”
How does it feel as an actor to get the opportunity to act in both comedic and dramatic moments throughout the series?
Smith: “It’s really fun to play that. To know that you’re going through a very painful moment and then someone cuts in with a joke and to break that tension. That is so fun to play. But it’s also very, again, like I said before, I think it’s so important to have that lightness within it. Just because we do use humor anyway to get through hard situations but they’re also just for an easy to play just because I think the writing as well. Andy’s just so brilliant at having that on one-page, complete heart wrenching pain. And then the next page, he’ll just like say… One thing will be said, and you are weaning yourself laughing. It’s really fun.”
Spall: “It’s so powerful because the other one offsets the other. You can do it right. It’s great. I think it’s a fantastic thing to watch as an audience member. I just finished doing To Kill a Mockingbird with Aaron Sorkin. And that’s full of laughs, full. We get huge laughs in there which serves a few purposes, I think. That like it’s a relief, but also, you’re laughing and then you’re going, should I be laughing at this? And it makes you feel uncomfortable, makes you feel something. And I think that’s really powerful, but it’s a hard tone to achieve and it’s definitely a testament to Andy the writer that he’s pulled that off. But all suddenly we’re very keen on that tone. We’re across that tone a lot. You and I, I think we’re sort of guardians of it in some ways.”
Do you feel as though you have gotten better at finding the balance as the seasons progress?
Spall: “Probably more relaxed, but it’s always been my area of interest. It’s always been what I’m interested in as a performer. It’s crossing those two boundaries, funny and moving because it’s my experience of life as a human in my private life. I’ve laughed at funerals. Not at the fact that someone’s dying. But that’s what a wake is. You get together, you have a drink, you remember their life and you laugh at the good times. That’s what you do. Then you cope. And so, I identify with it.”
You have been promoting the new season for quite some time now, what’s one topic that you would like to discuss that you have not had the chance to on this press tour?
Smith: “My gosh that’s such a good question. And also, a bit impossible because certain things that you want talk about. You can’t talk about because they are spoilers.”
Spall: “I want to talk about the fact that Esther bullies me. I’d like to use this opportunity to say that Esther bullies me. And she, you constantly use a British phrase, takes the piss at me quietly when no one else is listening. She whispers evil things to me and likes it if ever I fall over or knocks something over, which is often. And if I’m trying to be all serious on set, talking seriously about acting, I look over at Esther and she would just roll her eyes in a way that only I can see.”
Smith: “For the record, I don’t bully.”
Spall: “She doesn’t bully. She keeps me in my place like that.”
Season three of Trying it out on Apple TV+ now.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.