Christopher Chung says he was surprised to learn his character Roddy Ho would be at the center of the story in Season 5 of Slow Horses, which wraps up Wednesday on Apple TV+.
The screen adaptation of Mick Herron's best-selling novels follows a group of MI-5 rejects, including arrogant computer expert Roddy, who are remanded to the dilapidated Slough House office under the dubious supervision of the disheveled Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman).
Season 5 sees Roddy over the moon because he has a new girlfriend, however, everyone around him thinks she is too good to be true, especially since someone also seems determined to kill him.
"When we had the cast and crew showing of Season 4, all the heads of department -- hair, make-up, costumes, lighting -- everyone said: 'Oh, have you read the new scripts yet? You're in it heaps. It's going to be your season!'" Chung, 37, told UPI at a recent New York Comic Con press conference.
"So, it was very exciting for a whole of five minutes and then it became quite anxiety-inducing. But, it was great fun. It's nice to be able to take Ho outside of Slough House and see what he's like and unveil another layer to him that I don't think the audience has seen," he said.
"Every season, you see something a little bit more of each of the characters that gives him a little bit more depth. [Executive producer Will Smith] gave me such a great tool box of bits and pieces to play with throughout the season."
Chung said he hadn't read the books before he went up for the role.
"But once the audition came through, I speed-read through the first novel," he recalled.
"Then, when I was cast in the show, I went through all of them -- mostly to see what Roddy's arc would be and if I could service my mortgage and if I was going to die," he quipped.
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"So, once I realized that [Season] 5 was really going to be his season where he takes more front and center, I was really going towards that."
Chung said his portrayal of Roddy differs from Herron's depiction of the character in the books.
"Most of his dialogue is through internal monologue, which you get a lot of in this season, but it's really helpful for me to see kind of a blueprint of what his world is," the actor added.
The memorable street dance sequence Roddy has at the top of Episode 1 was the most physically demanding thing Chung had to accomplish this season.
"We did how many takes? Many, many," he said. "It was very windy. It was very taxing on the body. It was very exhausting, but I think it came off pretty well."
Chung said he can't imagine ever being as invested in a character for as long as this again.
"Someone that I feel like is kind of always constantly with me in some way, shape or form," he added.
"When I'm out in the world, the normal world, that's not Slough House, I'm constantly seeing things or picking up things through Roddy's gaze and messaging Will and Saul [Metzstein] about them," Chung said. "I've seen this person that reminds me of him. I think he would totally wear this T-shirt."
He said Roddy is so embedded in him at this point that he talks about him at home in his sleep.
"My wife said to me a few months ago that I was sleep-talking in his accent about Slough House," Chung laughed. "So, I don't know if there's really a separation now, which is kind of concerning."