Luke Evans says he has kept a foothold in Hollywood by watching and listening to other actors, a practice he brought to bear while preparing his role in ITV’s five-part drama The Party. The Pontypool-born actor, who is also an executive producer on the series, told reporters he drew on his observational approach and personal experience to build the character Martin Gilmour.
Evans plays Gilmour, a journalist whose life has been shaped by a long friendship with a wealthy, charismatic politician, Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Aberystwyth-born Tom Cullen. The thriller alternates between Fitzmaurice’s birthday party and a police investigation that follows, following material adapted from Elizabeth Day’s novel.
"Watching and listening is how I've managed to survive this industry," Evans said, describing the technique he uses when on set. He added that the trait of careful observation was one he shared with his character, and that in this instance he could draw on personal memories to inform the role even when the character makes very different life choices.
Evans described Gilmour as "a very complex, deep, fascinating and tragic character," adding that the part revealed new layers each time he read the script. He said Gilmour does not broadcast his feelings and has suppressed them for a long time, a condition that the actor found compelling when adapting the book to screen.
Production has filmed at multiple locations, including parks and bars in Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf, with shooting taking place since October. As both performer and executive producer on the adaptation, Evans occupies a creative role that extends beyond acting to shaping how the novel’s themes of loyalty, class and hidden truths are realised on screen.
The Party brings together the personal stakes of its central characters with a procedural element, positioning Evans’s observational method at the centre of a performance built from close attention to other actors and to the source material.
