Alex Hassell has revealed he was fearful of playing the ultra-macho Rupert Campbell-Black in Disney's Rivals, doubting he could ever embody the alpha Lothario described in Jilly Cooper's novels.
The 46-year-old actor, who was not the 'blond and blue-eyed Adonis' that Dame Jilly Cooper envisioned for the character, initially tried to swerve the audition before being convinced to take the role. Speaking ahead of Rivals' return on November 11, Hassell told Radio Times: "I was fearful of playing Rupert because I had an inherent feeling of what a man should be. I didn't think I was capable of playing that alpha, macho Lothario."
Jilly Cooper's Final Approval
Hassell recalled what the legendary author, who died last year, told him after he took on the role in 2024. He explained: "I'm so glad to have met her and to have spent time with her and to be told explicitly by her that she was really proud of what I was doing. That's one of the last things she said to me, and that's really moving to remember and think about."
The actor admitted he had to put in significant work to meet the physical standards required for the role. He said: "I do think it's important to say that I had a personal trainer, and I didn't do any crazy diets. It's not that people are just supposed to look like that – it took a lot of work."
Doubts Before the Audition
Hassell also revealed that he tried to get out of the audition after reading the character description. "I read the description and just thought, 'They're not going to cast me as that role'," he said. "I phoned my agent and said that the project was good and really interesting, but I just thought there'd be no point - he's blond and blue-eyed in the book. But they convinced me otherwise, and somehow I ended up getting the part, and then had to try and get over the idea that he had that description."
Dame Jilly addressed the casting a year before her death, admitting she was initially unsure but quickly won over by Hassell's performance. She said: "I was slightly concerned at first because my Rupert in the book is a blond and blue-eyed Adonis, and Alex is very dark-eyed and olive-skinned but he is such a good actor, who's done a great deal of Shakespeare, that the moment he appears on screen, he exudes ruthless glamour and later even tenderness and vulnerability. The more I see of him, the better and sexier he gets. And he's very good. They're building Rupert out as a multi-layered character, which they've done brilliantly."
