SPOILER ALERT: This post contains stories from the series premiere of “Half Man,” now streaming on HBO Max.
“Half Man,” the sophomore drama from “Baby Reindeer” creator Richard Gadd, follows the story of two very different teenage boys thrown together by fate, whose relationship will affect the rest of their lives.
There’s awkward, under-confident Niall (played by Mitchell Robertson, and later Jamie Bell) and volatile, angry Ruben (Stuart Campbell, then Gadd) who form a tragic and suffocating lifelong bond when they find themselves living under one roof. Over the course of the series’ six episodes, their relationship waxes and wanes, but continues to cast a shadow over their fates until the finale’s electrifying denouement.
Ahead of the first episode dropping on HBO (it will hit BBC iPlayer on April 24), Robertson and Campbell spoke with Variety to discuss the fraternal and sometimes sexual nature of the boys’ friendship, that bedroom dance and the “shocking” sex scene that required two intimacy coordinators.
Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd
Courtesy of HBO
How do you see the relationship between Niall and Ruben?
Mitchell Robertson: It’s a really complicated relationship, isn’t it? It’s really layered.
Stuart Campbell: It helped that Mitchell and I got on really well from the very first — we didn’t know each other in the first chemistry read. I felt very safe and comfortable with [him], and we became quite close friends quite quickly. So as a base safety blanket, I felt like I could feel safe with him to be vulnerable and to challenge myself, and to go to the places that the relationship and that the script requires.
Did you know while you were shooting your scenes how their relationship eventually ends?
Robertson: We didn’t know how it played out. We had no idea. I heard little rumors about maybe what happened. So we didn’t know while we were shooting our episodes, which for me — I preferred that, to be honest. I preferred just focusing on our version of events.
Mitchell, how do you see Niall’s fixation with Ruben? Obviously, there’s fear, but is there also a sexual undercurrent? Or is it more fraternal?
Robertson: When Ruben first comes back into Niall’s life, the obvious initial reason for Niall wanting him to stay is the physical protection that he provides, obviously he helps the situation with the bullies. And then on top of that, as they start to connect and have moments of connection, there’s a real sense of friendship that maybe grows between them. In terms of the sexual undercurrent, it wasn’t something that I played intentionally. It’s really interesting because a couple of people have asked me about it. I think there was definitely moments, particularly in Episode 1, where I was maybe playing being in awe of Ruben a little bit or fascinated by Ruben, couldn’t-take-your-eyes-off Ruben, I guess, looking at him with eyes full of intrigue or interest, and maybe some of that does kind of read as a sexual undertone. But I didn’t at any point intend to play it that way. So it’s interesting it came across like that.
Stuart Campbell
Courtesy of HBO
The scene where Niall watches Ruben dancing in their bedroom, was that choreographed?
Campbell: We did have a choreographer. But I was like, there’s got to be a little bit of improvising to make it human. Especially because it doesn’t need to be an unbelievably perfect routine. It’s just a guy in his bedroom who’s improvising. So I added in a few of my own moves in there. I suppose getting over the fear and the crap that gets in the way of being like, you know — because I’m not a dancer and I don’t have that sort of training — but it doesn’t need to be that. And just letting go of the fears and the voices and just like trying to have fun with it.
What was your reaction to the scene in which Niall loses his virginity to Mona, played by Charlotte Blackwood, while Ruben is in the room?
Campbell: My reaction when I first read it [while auditioning] was very much shock, is probably a good way to put it. And also, I remember thinking, “This is going to be a real challenge for whoever gets to do it.” It was a lot scarier on the page than it actually was to shoot for me personally — obviously, I don’t speak for all the actors in that scene — but for me. And credit to the team that we had, the intimacy team and our director, and our DoP, that really was shot with a lot of care.
And it’s a really pivotal moment for Niall as well. For me, that scene reinforces to Niall a lack of autonomy, it reinforces to him a lack of autonomy over his own body. And definitely in that scene, Ruben is a lot more of the focus for Niall than Mona I feel like, which is interesting as well.
Mitchell Robertson
Courtesy of HBO
Why do you think Ruben involves himself in that way?
Campbell: There’s a constant intertwining of protectiveness and possessiveness with Ruben in terms of his relationship to Niall. Both of those can play out in the same the same sentence or the same moment. And I feel there’s like positive qualities that obviously Ruben, as a context, has had to survive on his own, and he brings a lone wolf energy when he we re-meet him again out of the Young Offenders Institute. But then the feeling of duty and loyalty and family and wanting to protect [Niall] is quite a positive impact for [him] getting that protection, but also for me, having that sense of purpose and connection with someone, but then can quite quickly move into something more toxic and sinister and it’s like, “I can’t let you just have it.” It’s like, “I’ve got to have a little bit for myself as well.” Which sort of keeps the two of them together, probably until the end of [Episode] 6. I can never just let [him] have it.
I don’t think it’s an overstatement or an understatement to be like, it’s a scene that needed to be handled with a lot of care and attention and two intimacy coordinators on the day. Multiple days of rehearsals prior to ever getting on to set was needed to understand what was required, but I think we both felt very safe and comfortable on the day.
Do you remember how many takes it took to shoot?
Robertson: We had the full day to do it. In terms of how many takes, I don’t know, but we did a lot of different setups.
Campbell: Incredible credit to Charlotte. That was her one day on the job. To come in and do that was think remarkable, [to] come in and find that in a day. And there’s obviously safe spaces off the set. Because it’s a set it’s obviously easier to control and keep safe environment than probably somebody’s house on location.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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