“When you adopt, you must first prove that you are a good parent,” says Esther Smith



Rafe Spall and Esther Smith in “Trying”, currently on Apple TV +. – Apple TV +

An irresistible British drama to embrace! Co-produced by Apple and the BBC, Trying follows a couple in their thirties, Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall), who are trying to adopt a child. While the first season recounted the process to obtain accreditation, in season 2 of Trying, whose first two episodes are available this Friday on Apple TV +, Nikki and Jason, supported by Penny (Imelda Staunton), their eccentric social worker, discover that the process of finding a child is not as easy as they used to be. had hoped. 20 minutes spoke during a virtual meeting with the performers of the heroes of this delicacy and humor drama, created by Andy Wolton, Esther Smith and Rafe Spall.

What made you want to play in “Trying”?

Rafe Spall: I read the scenarios with such ease! It was funny, warm, touching and Esther was in it. This is what attracted me!

Esther Smith: When I read the script I was laughing one minute, crying the next and couldn’t help but keep reading. When you come across something like this, you understand how special it is. It’s pretty rare, so I jumped at the chance. And then I met Rafe, and the rest is history. What a joy to work on this series!

Can you introduce your characters, Nikki and Jason, in a few words?

RS: They are a couple in their thirties who are reaching a point in their life where they feel they are missing something. In their case, it is about a child and the ability to conceive them naturally. They therefore turn to adoption. The first season is dedicated to the adoption approval procedure, the second season, to the attribution of a child. They are good people. They have flaws and make mistakes, but they’re nice. They love each other and want to direct the love they have for each other, vast, to a small person.

ES: They’re trying to figure out what it means to grow up, and to be through their thirties. I don’t know who decreed this weird thing that at 30 you have to know who you are. Well, I don’t know! These two characters and the other characters in the show are trying to figure out who they are. It’s nice to look at the screen and say to yourself that in the end “Nobody knows”, it’s great!

The closer they are to becoming parents, the more they grow …

ES: They learn a lot about themselves during this process. They want it so much that they try their best to achieve it and mature. It’s beautiful to see and play these characters evolving in the face of real difficulties.

RS: They mature as they get closer to adopting a child probably more than someone who conceives naturally. I have three children. It didn’t make me grow up, I’m still a kid. It is a different experience to conceive naturally than to adopt. There is obviously a much higher level of intruding into your privacy, of introspection, of thinking about whether you are ready to have a child. At any time, you can stop if the pressure becomes too strong. They don’t, so they grow and grow stronger as the process progresses.

ES: I don’t have children, but I imagine that if you are able to conceive naturally, you learn to be parents on the job. When you adopt, you must first prove that you are a good parent. What if you do not have the experience of parenthood? Undeniably, it forces you to grow up.

How did you create this chemistry between you on the screen?

RS: She was not created, she is right there. There was no work to do. It’s human and natural, really. Obviously, we work alone, we learn our text and all that. Sometimes I do! (laughs) And then I stand in front of this woman that I adore and we have a good time as individuals and as performers. It’s lovely and easy to be honest.

ES: It’s very strange, this whole alchemy thing. When you audition for the role, you have a reading to assess chemistry. It’s weird walking into a room to meet someone you’ve never seen to show other people that this intangible thing called alchemy exists. It always surprises me a little. You can try to make it work, but chemistry is something that is there or not. When we met, it was a real relief to see that we got along well and that we could work from that… This chemistry was already there, we were both hilarious!

RS: You are just reacting to the person in front of you. To play is to listen. If you focus on your game, your appearance, your little emotions, it’s boring and exclusionary. What’s interesting is what we create together, not individually, that’s what it is!

ES: Yes !

Do you think it is quintessentially British to approach serious topics such as adoption with so much humor?

RS: I do not believe. There are certainly traits of British humor, but I think the most successful comedies have universal appeal. Yes Trying is culturally British, it appeals in France, Italy, Mexico or elsewhere, because it is universal. That’s what the best comedies do. That’s why the whole world loved Ten percent ! What is funny is funny, it is rather binary. It’s a more nuanced thing to make people cry. There are people who make the whole world laugh like Will Ferrell or Ben Stiller. They are funny, that’s all!

In season 2, we realize that adopting a child is a meeting a bit like falling in love at first sight …

ES: When they meet the child, they fall in love… Nikki sees her and realizes that it is their child. It is very deep. They did not get out of the woods, however. They are aware that they could be rejected. Their real maturity comes from accepting that it might not turn out the way they want it to. The stakes were high in season 1, they are higher in season 2. Everything is becoming real and tangible. The season explores heartbreak, anguish and hope in a very beautiful way.

RS: If this season is good to watch from the public’s point of view, it’s because it shows vulnerable people. Vulnerability is a sort of ultimate act of heroism, for you have as much to lose as to gain. It opens the way to heartbreak and vice versa … And to achieve anything beautiful and worthwhile in life, you have to be vulnerable. We’ve all been through this in life. You can go out there and be vulnerable or stay home, without exposing yourself to the danger of failure. May my heart break. Knowing that and getting started when despite everything is heroic. The public knows it, feels it and respects it.

This season 2 begins with a funeral. And I wondered if the theme of the series was ultimately not mourning in all these meanings, starting with that of not being able to conceive naturally …

ES: Grieving is something that we are only just beginning to explore the significance of as human beings. People experience grief in so many different ways. Nikki and Jason are grieving because they know they can count on each other. They always find hope. They are vulnerable, but always ready to move forward. Rafe was talking about their heroic side. Grief is a malleable thing. Their parents somehow mourn the loss of a grandchild. Nikki’s sister, Karen, is dealing with the mourning of celibacy. Their couple of divorcing friends experiences the loss of their marriage. But, all of these people are moving forward.

RS: Nothing is free in life. There is a tax on everything and sorrow is the tax on love. Mourning is what you pay back for the gift of love. You love someone, they are going to die and you are going to mourn them. There remains one option: do nothing. You have to try your luck because if you can fail, it could work very well!

ES: You can put that on a t-shirt, huh? (laughs)



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