Andrew Lincoln, star of the upcoming ITV thriller Coldwater, has revealed that he turned down the leading role twice before finally accepting it. The actor, best known for playing Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, returns to UK screens as John, a man grappling with past traumas that resurface to torment him.
In Coldwater, John relocates his family to the fictitious Scottish village of Coldwater, seeking refuge from a violent incident and identity crisis in London. However, he struggles with the monotony of life as a middle-aged stay-at-home father, and his suppressed anger threatens to disrupt his existence. His friendship with neighbour Tommy (Ewen Bremner) draws him into a series of disconcerting events, entangled in Tommy's web.
Lincoln, who also serves as executive producer, said: 'I got sent the script and loved it, it made me laugh in all the wrong places, made me squirm with recognition, and constantly surprised me with the unpredictability of the characters, but it made me scared as well. I was quite scared about playing a character that was so unpleasant and weak and emasculated.' He added that he said no twice before a conversation with writer David Ireland convinced him to take the role.
Comparing Coldwater to The Walking Dead, Lincoln called it 'a palate cleanser' and a chance to 'play something that is diametrically opposed to an archetype of a hero, and to look at another version of masculinity.' The series airs from Sunday, September 14 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
