Revenge just a fantasy

Actor Josh Bowman tells Loong Wai Ting why most can relate to his hit TV drama Revenge

HE plays Daniel Grayson in the popular American TV drama Revenge. But, during a recent phone interview from Sydney (where promotional tours for the series were held), Josh Bowman wasn’t revealing anything more than “you have to watch to find out”.

Filming of the first season wrapped up three weeks ago in Los Angeles but Bowman, 24, remains tight-lipped, particularly about development to his character and his love interest, Emily Thorne, played by Emily VanCamp who is also romantically linked to him in real life. Bowman met and fell in love with her while filming Revenge.

While both stars have been photographed together at dinner outings and at rugby matches (Bowman was a rugby player before a shoulder injury forced him to retire early), Bowman insisted that being a “good listener” is a must when “you’re in a serious relationship”.

Created by Mike Kelley, Revenge is a new take on Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale, The Count Of Monte Cristo, which centres on the life of Emily  (VanCamp) — a seemingly pleasant and beautiful woman. While she appears to blend in with the society’s elite, Emily’s motivation for vengeance is clearly shown as the episodes unfold.

Since its premiere here on Star World (Astro channel 711), Revenge has been enjoying sweet success and Bowman thinks he knows why.

“There are a lot of reasons, but I think it’s because of the theme, revenge. I think everyone has a revenge story and can relate to this, not in terms of actually doing it, but we all fantasise about it,” he says.
On the chemistry between him and the crew, the Berkshire-born actor says: “Oh... there is certainly strong chemistry between us. With any long-running show, you develop some sort of rapport with the cast. We spent a lot of time hangingout together, even when the cameras stopped rolling. We’re like one big family.

“I have great chemistry with Henry Czerny, who plays Daniel’s father. He is one funny guy off screen. Daniel’s chemistry with Emily is what makes the series what it is (referring to the show’s popularity in both America and Asia).”   
Bowman, an English film and theatre actor who first landed the role of Dimitri in Genie In The House, a British comedy created by Steven Bawol in 2007, had to adopt an American accent for his role in Revenge.
“I put in a lot of work to get the American accent as natural as possible. I guess it’s a compliment that people hear and see me differently. You know, like how people watch your show and they see you as the character and not you as a real person,” he says.
On what it was like during the filming, Bowman says there was nothing glamorous about it. “Some times you don’t see the script until a couple of days before filming. You know, you can’t predict things in a show like this. But usually all of us (cast) would sit together at the table, two or three days before filming to get the story going.”

Bowman says he loved pulling pranks on his co-stars by leaving fake insects around the set but has no intention of taking revenge on anyone!

“Oh course, one would fantasise about having sweet revenge and that includes me. But I only fantasise about it. I have never wanted to get my revenge on anyone in real life. Hopefully I don’t find myself in that position — ever,” he adds.

The 22-episode Revenge airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10.45pm on Star World (Astro Channel 711) and Star World HD (Astro Channel 722). The series began here at the end of March. No word yet on a second season.

REVENGE
Creator Mike Kelley
Director Phillip Noyce
Duration 45 minutes (approximately)
Season 1 (22 episodes)

Main Cast
• Josh Bowman plays Daniel Grayson, the son of Victoria and Conrad. Midway in the season, he is framed for the murder of his best friend turned enemy Tyler Barrol (Ashton Homes).
• Emily VanCamp plays Emily Thorne, who returns to the Hamptons with a new identity, as a wealthy socialite dedicated to doing charity work. But the real reason for her return is to seek revenge on the people who wronged her father.
• Madeleine Stowe plays Victoria Grayson, who is known as the Queen of Hamptons. She betrays her lover David Clarke (Emily’s father) and helps to frame him for Conrad’s crime.
• Gabriel Mann plays genius software inventor and computer hacker Nolan Ross, who is Emily’s most trusted ally in her plot for revenge.
• Henry Czerny plays Conrad Grayson, CEO of Grayson Global, as well as David’s former boss. Conrad is responsible for the plane crash that David was convicted for funding.
• Nick Wechsler plays Jack Porter, Emily’s childhood friend. He is attracted to Emily and doesn’t know her true identify. Later, he gets romantically involved with Emily’s ex-con friend (Margarita Levieva) who has switched identities with her. He is also implicated in Tyler’s murder.

 

Bowman and VanCamp star in Revenge. Both are romantically linked in real life

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