Actors Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle spent up to eight hours a day handcuffed together while filming Sky's new drama 'Prisoner'. The pair, who had only just met before production began, were required to perform stunts and fight scenes while physically linked.
In the six-part series, Hoyle plays Amber Todd, a prisoner transport officer tasked with escorting contract killer Tibor Stone, played by Rahim, to a court hearing. After their convoy is ambushed, they must flee a crime syndicate while handcuffed together.
Hoyle, known for 'Boiling Point' and 'Big Boys', described the intense preparation: 'There was no getting-to-know-you dinner. Just a hello, now let's put the resistance band on and try to roly-poly together.' She added that her character, a new mother six months postpartum, drew on interviews with friends who became fiercely protective when separated from their children.
Rahim, star of 'The Serpent' and 'The Mauritanian', said the handcuff device forces character development: 'My character is reshaped – he changes from a bad man to a different man.' The actor also discussed his decision to avoid stereotypical terrorist roles due to his Algerian heritage, and his first co-executive producer credit on the series.
'Prisoner' airs on Sky, offering a modern take on the classic 'handcuffed together' trope seen in films like 'The Defiant Ones' and 'The 39 Steps'.
