For our April cover story [Issue 16], Elizabeth Aubrey caught up with actor Aidan Turner to discuss his appreciation for the stage and screen, current life on stage at the National Theatre, becoming a household name with BBC’s revival of Poldark – check out the exclusive excerpt below
READ MORE: Aidan Turner on rising to success in BBC’s ‘Poldark’ revival for our April cover story
Turner is currently focussing on his new play Les Liaisons Dangereuses alongside Lesley Manville and Monica Barbaro – and he’s clearly very proud of it.
“I think we’re putting on something really special together,” he beams, saying he’s thrilled to be back doing his first love. “It’s one of those things, theatre, if I leave it too long, it becomes a scary thing,” admitting he may have gotten a bit too used to the “safety net” of having multiple takes while filming.
“Theatre is still always something that I love to do, when I can. It’s rewarding and you feel so lucky and privileged to be doing this.”
Once it’s done though, he’s taking the summer off. “It might be nice to have some chill time after this. I don’t have any plans,” he says, sounding relieved. “I just think hanging with the family is the number one thing right now,” he says, before heading home to spend some precious time with them both before rehearsals start all over again tomorrow.
The play Les Liaisons Dangereuses has limited availability and runs until June 6th 2026.
One of his loves is, of course, acting on screen, and after BBC’s revival of Poldark he chose roles that were a world away from that of the Cornish hero. He took on darker, dramatic parts like those as a secretive clinical psychologist in The Suspect and a tennis coach accused of abuse in Fifteen-Love.
In between was also a standout role in an adaptation of Agatha Christie classic, And Then There Were None. He found time to return to the theatre too, and to star in spiky political thriller, The Diplomat. And then of course, there was Rivals.
Turner says he’s “thrilled” to be back to Rivals, in our exclusive chat with more details about the series ahead and working alongside David Tennant, available now.
