Ahead of the release of the highly anticipated second season on Rivals, IMAGE sat down with the ladies of Rutshire to talk furthering Dame Jilly Cooper’s iconic legacy, the transformative power of a shoulder pad, and the carnage of Maud and Declan O’Hara.
For the uninitiated, Rivals is a steamy, scandalous romp. Based on the books of Dame Jilly Cooper, the period comedy-drama is set in 1980s England — Rutshire, a fictional county in the Cotswolds region, to be precise. As the name would suggest, conflict and contention comes to the fore quickly within the world of an established television station.
Season two picks up where we left off, with a more ruthless than ever Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) determined to dismantle his rivals piece-by-piece. Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences. As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?
Ahead of the release of series two, IMAGE caught up with Irish actress Victoria Smurfit, who plays Maud O’Hara, and Lisa McGrillis, who plays Valerie Jones. Read on for our interview.
Congratulations on another incredible series of Rivals. I just loved it so much. I wanted to start off by mentioning Jilly Cooper, who we sadly lost last year. I wonder how it felt for you as fans and now as actors to be continuing that legacy through this show, bringing her stories and writing to new audiences?
Victoria Smurfit: It’s such a privilege. There is a pressure, but there’s also an excitement to be able to keep her name current and relevant for generations to come. My eldest daughter was 19 when the first season came out, and she was at the apex of the offended generation, and she said, “You make so much more sense to me now, Mom.” For that generation to have really grabbed it, understood the tone and loved it, that’s just incredible.
Lisa McGrillis: What was really beautiful was that Jilly had been across all of the scripts, and Dominic Treadwell-Collins had said that she had actually signed off the final episode — what a pro! She knew what the series was, she knew the story arcs, and she was happy. It was such a privilege, because she used to come to set a lot, and she would often sit there just twinkling at you, smiling. She was so thrilled that Rivals had been turned into this smash hit Disney show. She couldn’t quite believe it.
All of Jilly’s characters have that light and shade, that depth and intrigue under the surface that really makes you want to lean in. When you’re getting reacquainted with Maude and Valerie, are there particular touchstones that you go to to get back under the skin. Is there a particular element of their personalities that you wish you could emulate, or maybe just enjoy relishing getting to embody?
Lisa McGrillis: It’s very interesting revisiting a character that has already been created, because there is a pressure to tap back into their tone of voice, but with a character like Valerie, it’s actually quite easy. The way she dresses completely forms her as a character. She’s so incredibly subtle. She’s a joy. You would put an outfit on, her thing is two pieces pulled in at the waist, a little peplum, and you think: it’s not quite right. Then you find the most garish belt, and just cinch it in at the waist, and there’s Valerie. Costumes and hair are essential for getting into a character for me. And it’s easy when the writing is as good as it.
Victoria Smurfit: In a lot of Jilly’s writing, you have the English establishment, you’ve got the class system and the hierarchy, and then you throw in this bohemian Irish family and it all starts rubbing up against each other. I always think that Declan and Maude are actually one of the most honest couples, because they’re just like, boom. In the world of the upper-class British, tabletops are all clean and lovely, and everything’s just perfect. And then you open up a drawer and there’s carnage in there, whereas Maud and Declan throw the carnage on the wall, on the floor, and have it everywhere. Their life is spilled out; it’s everywhere.
Rivals is streaming now on Disney+.
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