Original Traveller: Aidan Turner

Words: Michael Hogan
Photography: Matt Holyoak
Styling: Kenny Ho

The first thing you notice about Aidan Turner is something that isn’t there. A certain fuzzy growth on his upper lip. Thanks to his role in Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, the Irish actor has spent the past six months sporting a statement moustache. But when he arrives for his High Life close-up, the luxuriant soup-strainer is nowhere to be seen.

“I had to clear it with everybody in case there were any reshoots,” he grins. “I made several calls and sent several emails before I could shave it off. It’s fine when I’m playing Declan in Rivals. It suits the character and I enjoy rocking it. But as soon as I started rehearsing this play, it didn’t feel right. I was glad to see the back of it.”

What did his wife, American actress Caitlin FitzGerald, make of the facial fuzz? “She’s not the biggest fan,” he says. “I might be wearing an open shirt, trackie bottoms and boots. With the moustache, it somehow sends a very different message. She’d just burst out laughing and say, ‘Do you know how ridiculous you look right now?’”

The play he’s referring to is the National Theatre’s major new adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Written by Christopher Hampton and based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, it’s a corset-popping period romcom about scheming, seduction and revenge among 18th-century French aristocrats. Turner plays the unprincipled playboy Vicomte de Valmont opposite Lesley Manville as his ex-lover and co-conspirator Marquise de Merteuil.

“It’s my debut at the National, so that’s ticked off the bucket list,” says the Dublin-born, East London-based 42-year-old. “It’s such a brilliant institution. Everyone’s at the top of their game here.” He’s a fan of the iconic building’s Brutalist architecture, where High Life’s cover story was shot one early February morning. “I love it,” he adds. “All that concrete. All those clean lines.” Turner had wanted to star in Les Liaisons Dangereuses since drama school: “I was always fascinated by Valmont and deeply curious about what made him tick. It’s very funny, with deeply twisted characters.”

He’s relishing the chance to work with Oscar-nominated Manville. “Lesley’s phenomenal. She was born to play this role. Working with someone like her raises the bar,” he says. “Despite their 27-year age gap, they have seriously spicy chemistry. “Our characters have a very strange, codependent relationship,” explains Turner. “They need each other to play these revenge games. They want to publicly ruin reputations. That’s how they get their kicks. Cancel them, if you like. That’s what tickles them.”

The novel might have been written in 1782 but it remains timely. “Lesley actually played the younger role of Cécile in the National’s first production, back in 1985, with Alan Rickman as Valmont, so she’s gone full circle,” says Turner. “I don’t need to tell you how much culturally things have shifted since then. It’s a story about wealthy aristocrats who weaponise sex to get what they want. I think that landed very differently in 1983, compared to how it lands in today’s world.

Turner was an accomplished ballroom dancer during his teens, finishing third in the Irish National Championships. He’s dusted off his twinkle toes for the play. “There is some choreography,” he admits shyly. “Full transparency, there’s a lot more dancing in it than I thought! I let slip to Marianne [Elliott, the play’s award-winning director] that I could dance a little bit and her eyes lit up. I’d opened up some kind of Pandora’s box that I didn’t have the power to ever close again.” What sort of moves can audiences expect? “It’s classical but very sexy and grounded. A mix of set moves and pointed ballet toes with some really guttural, lusty dancing and elements of ballroom.”

Has Strictly ever been in touch? “No, and I don’t want them to either! I’ve left all that behind,” he says. “Although clearly I haven’t completely hung up my dancing shoes. In the play, I literally wear the same brand that I used to wear. But competitive dancing was so crazy for so many years, it makes me kind of anxious. If I smell Elnett hairspray, I have a panic attack. It genuinely makes my heart beat faster.”

Turner was juggling his time between play rehearsals and shooting the hit TV adaptation of beloved bonkbuster Rivals, which is about to return for a second series. Dame Jilly Cooper died last autumn and he attended her star-studded memorial service at Southwark Cathedral in January. “Her send-off was one of the most incredible occasions of my life,” he says. “It embodied everything that Jilly was about. She’d have been so tickled. Out of nowhere, 127 magnums of Moët came out! I must have had ten glasses! It didn’t stop for two hours.”

He will miss the late author’s visits to the set of Rivals. “I adored it when Jilly came down,” he adds. “She would tell all the men how handsome they were, say something sincere about your performance, then if you got in close enough, whisper something really filthy and funny. Then you’d turn around and she’d have disappeared, like she was never there. She had a magical energy. What a wonderful woman.”

With its camp melodrama and 80s excess, Rivals looks a total riot to make. “It really is,” he confirms. “It’s pre-packaged fun. The first time I read the script, I knew I had to be in it. We all sat down on the first day, looked at each other and started laughing as if to say, ‘Can you believe we’re doing this?’ We recognised how lucky we were and all got on immediately. We shoot in Bristol and hang out whenever we can.” There are reportedly plenty of cocktails after the cameras stop rolling. What’s his tipple of choice? “I keep it simple with a good, cold, dirty vodka martini. Or a well-made piña colada. I also enjoy a White Russian. One of my favourite films is The Big Lebowski. Everyone started drinking those when the movie came out.”

As the Rutshire romp returns, where do we find his moustachioed character, TV journalist Declan O’Hara? “It’s an eventful time for Declan,” he says. “His marriage is in tatters but his career’s going well. There’s a constant dichotomy between family and work.” There’s a glimpse of a steamy shower scene for Turner in the trailer. “It’s a show that keeps the intimacy coordinators busy! I’ve always found them really useful. I don’t want to say too much about my personal life, but you sort of run out of ideas after a while,” he laughs. “You’re like, ‘I don’t know what else to do!’ And they’re like, ‘I’ve got your back, man, try this.’ They find a way of telling the story through sex. It takes the awkwardness away and makes everyone more comfortable.”

As well as an appearance from – yes – British Airways, the new series takes viewers into the glamorous world of polo. Does Turner get to ride a horse? “I’m probably not allowed to say but yes! I wasn’t supposed to but I became very bold and just jumped on one. I already knew Mark Atkinson, the horse trainer. He trained me for Poldark, so I persuaded him to introduce me to this big beast of an Irish stallion and started riding him around. I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I galloped up to the producers, who were like, ‘This guy really wants to ride a horse.’ So maybe we made it happen. Wait and see!”

Turner had grown endearingly close to Seamus, his trusty steed in Poldark. “Poor Seamus died,” he reveals, genuinely moved. “It broke my heart. We’d spend entire days together on location, with everyone laughing because they could hear down the mic as I chatted to him. But he was an old boy. Mark couldn’t bring himself to tell me he died because he knew I’d be upset. When he finally did, I was devastated.”

Turner’s role as dashing hero Ross Poldark in the BBC phenomenon catapulted him to mainstream fame a decade ago. Shirtless scything scenes went viral. He was voted Sexiest Man Alive. His hair even had its own Twitter account. How did he keep his feet on the ground at the height of Poldark mania? “I’ve never been on social media, which helped,” he says. “The show’s success genuinely surprised me. I loved making it but was shocked by the huge ratings. I remember thinking: ‘Oh wow, this is a thing! That’s the next five years of my life carved out.’ I have fond memories and am very proud of Poldark, but it definitely changed things. There’s a pre-Poldark actor and a post-Poldark one. They’re two quite different people.”

When he’s not working, Turner can often be found watching snooker. “I’m obsessed,” he admits. “A complete nerd. My YouTube account is just pool and snooker. My favourite player is Ronnie O’Sullivan but I’ve got a soft spot for Ken Doherty. He won the World Championship in 1997, when I was really getting into the sport. I have a pool table in Dublin and on my 30th birthday, Ken came over to play. He spent the whole night telling me and my pals stories, while kicking our butts at the pool table – and then gave me a replica of his cue. It was a really special night. I play nine-ball pool as often as I can. We put the Lycra gloves on, fix our carbon fibre cues together and take it really seriously.”

His other passion is painting: “I do quite large, abstract paintings,” he says. “I work on the principle that bigger is better. Bedazzle them with the size of the canvas, not the actual artistic talent. I’ve been dabbling for 12 years now and really enjoy it.”

Next on Turner’s career wish list is a family-friendly film. “My four-year-old dressed up as Dracula for Halloween and I said, ‘You know Daddy played a vampire once?’ I showed him a clip of Being Human and think I may have traumatised him for life. I quickly turned it off about 30 seconds in, before his mum saw. So it might be nice to do something family-oriented that he can watch soon, because he won’t see everything else for a very long time.”

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is at the National Theatre until 6 June. Rivals returns to Disney+ on 15 May

Turner’s travels

How do you beat jet lag?
“I don’t fight it, I embrace it. If I wake up at 3am, I’ll have a cup of tea, do some work, read or watch a movie. Then I’ll take a nap when I’m tired. I prefer my body to readjust naturally. I enjoy being awake when everyone else is asleep and it’s quiet. Maybe it’s the vampire in me. I quite enjoy jet lag.”

What’s one item you never travel without?
“Mitchum deodorant. None of your natural, citrus stuff. I need all the aluminium and chemicals. It’s got to be hardcore. I need this stuff to not wash off my body for 48 hours!”

What makes the best holiday souvenir?
“Fridge magnets and photographs. It’s lovely when a photo flashes up on your phone, saying, ‘This was a year ago’, and it’s just us on a beach somewhere. It really warms me.”

What would you most like to ask a pilot?
“Where does the plane’s toilet waste go? And what’s the shortest runway you’ve ever had to take off or land on?”

What’s your favourite way to immerse yourself in a new culture?
“Wandering around and getting lost. I’m directionally challenged but I enjoy being terrible at finding my way around. I’ll walk around a new city like Hansel and Gretel, leaving breadcrumbs so that I can find my way back to the hotel.”

What’s been your best travel experience with work?
“I met my wife when we shot a movie in Massachusetts. It was this stunning village called Turners Falls, which was apt. That was a very special experience to me.”