At first glance, Iwan Rheon and Freida Pinto may seem unlikely rom-com fodder.
They’re both known for their intense, dramatic performances - take Iwan's sadistic Ramsay Bolton in Game Of Thrones, or the impressive roll-call of action movies on Freida's CV.
So what, you might ask, attracted Freida to A Christmas Number One, which drops on Sky Cinema this week and follows a music manager who strikes up an unlikely romance with a bass guitarist named Blake? You can watch the trailer below:
Freida tells Tyla: “I got typecast, I would say, in all these [past] high drama kinds of roles. I love doing that as well by the way, I truly feel fulfilled doing that. But this was more of me trying to explore what my comic timing is.”
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For his part, Iwan says: “Blake is not your standard romantic lead, otherwise they probably wouldn't have cast me, but I want to try and do as much variety as possible. It's got to be interesting and not just end up playing the same part or just intense parts.”
So, what kind of humour can we expect from A Christmas Number One?
“It's very British and laughs at itself,” Iwan says. “It is a little wink at itself you know, it's not taking itself too seriously. It can be very silly at times, but also very heartfelt.
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“It's got real highs and lows and emotional moments and really hilarious moments.”
That being said, it was something of a struggle to embody the festive cheer when they were filming during the London heatwave in the summer. Freida details the uncomfortable circumstances sometimes involved: “I don't think I was necessarily in the festive spirit when it's really hot and you're wearing wool jackets.”
“The snow machine actually did not really help, it actually just made it more annoying because it wasn't really snow, it was just a chemical substance that we found it really hard to breathe in.”
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A Christmas Number One is available on Sky Cinema and Now from 10th December
Featured Image Credit: SkyTopics: TV And Film, Christmas, Sky, Celebrity