Pip Torrens has caught viewers' attention with his latest formidable character, with fans singling him out for praise after watching the trailer for Sky's upcoming drama WAR. The actor, best known for playing Tommy Lascelles in The Crown, stars as ruthless lawyer St John Smallwood in a cast led by Dominic West and Sienna Miller.
Fans praise Torrens' performance
His appearance has already prompted an enthusiastic response in the trailer's comments section. One viewer wrote: "Pip Torrens (Tommy Lascelles) being a scathing force!" Another declared: "Dominic West, Sienna Miller great, but I could listen to Pip Torrens recite a 1,000-item shopping list and will be enthralled."
For Torrens, 66, playing someone with so few moral reservations has its appeal. Speaking to Radio Times, he explained that self-assurance was key to making a lawyer convincing on screen.
Torrens on playing a powerful character
He said: "There's a real attraction in playing a powerful character because you're embracing an amorality you can't afford in your own life. I've played a lot of unpleasant people, and it's therapeutic, a kind of cleansing process."
Torrens' character certainly seems confident of his abilities. In the trailer, Smallwood assures his wealthy client Morgan Henderson, played by West: "Thanks to me, you are bulletproof."
That promise faces a stern test as Henderson's divorce from Hollywood star Carla Duval, played by Miller, becomes a fiercely fought public spectacle. With the dispute turning into a PR war, Smallwood starts to fear that his opponents have the advantage.
WAR plot and cast
The eight-part first series follows rival London law firms Cathcarts and Sons and Taylor and Byrne as they fight the headline-grabbing case, with Smallwood acting as the sardonic legal chief prepared to pursue victory at any cost.
Looking back on the variety of his work Torrens observed how his work has been "incredibly different", quipping: "I went straight from doing a very intimate, intense scene with Claire Foy in The Crown to playing this mad Nazi doing a Full Metal Jacket spoof completely naked in a sports centre."
Speaking to The Film Podcast in 2021, Torrens said he hadn't heard anything for two months after his audition for Tommy Lascelles, but when he realised he had landed the role, he shared: "I was fairly clear in my mind that this could be a complete game changer."
He was right, as the series went on to win numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Drama. It is still considered among the greatest TV shows of the 21st century.
Joining Torrens in his new series WAR are Nina Sosanya, Celia Imrie, Nick Mohammed and Miles Jupp, while Archie Renaux plays young lawyer Johnny Warren, who "enters a ruthless world where every decision could make or break careers, reputations and lives".
The drama already has a second series commissioned, with Marissa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald and David Harewood set to feature. WAR is coming to Sky and NOW on October 2.
