Slow Horses may be led by Gary Oldman’s disheveled MI5 agent Jackson Lamb, but it was Christopher Chan’s Roddy Ho who took the reins in season five.
A clueless computer geek with an extraordinary attitude finally gets a storyline that matches the protagonist’s energy as he finds himself romantically pursued by the mysterious Tara (Hiba Bennani). At least in his mind, there’s no way he’s after more than Ho’s hot body.
Season 5 not only gave Chong a chance to flex his dance muscles (literally, with the help of “Slow Horse” choreographer Johnny White), but also to some extent flipped classic geek stereotypes, from the raw energy of the interrogation scene between Roddy and MI5 boss Diana Taverner (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) to the condoms hidden inside his golden Nikes (“He’s always ready,” Chung laughs).
But this is Roddy, and a reality check is never far away, as he eventually realizes when Tara goes on the run, leaving him to face the consequences. Blending ego and empathy, Jeong delivered a skilled performance that could win Emmy voters this season’s Best Supporting Actor (Drama) category.
Ahead of Season 6 returning to Apple TV this fall, Chung spoke to Variety about the fun of filming Season 5, the hidden details that brought Roddy to life, and the challenges of playing a character who is both endearing and unpleasant.
Roddy really takes center stage in season five. Were you looking forward to filming this season?
Yeah. In the fifth installment (the show is based on Mick Heron’s novel series of the same name), Roddy had his big moment, so I really hoped they’d renew it for a fifth season to play out that storyline, and thankfully that’s what happened.
Did you work closely with showrunner Will Smith in shaping Rody’s journey this season?
Will has always been really great, taking ideas from not only me, but Gary and Jack (Rhoden) and Saskia (Reeves, who plays a fellow agent), but he’s also worked with Saul Metzstein, who was the director of Season 3, and we came back to work on Season 5, so I already had ideas that I wanted to bring to Roddy in Season 5 and how he would play with Taverner in the cell and a very efficient shorthand for that. Is it like some kind of choreographed moment or is it more animalistic? We settled on something in between the two. That’s what you see when I monologue to the agents monitoring me in my cell.
Season 5 begins with Roddy dancing around London. How many takes and days did it take to film?
one day. I think I’ve probably done it over 25 times.
Hiba Bennani and Christopher Chan in “Slow Horses” Season 5 (Courtesy of Apple TV)
provided by apple
The scene was filmed at the Barbican in East London. Was it a difficult environment to shoot in?
It was extremely windy. But what I didn’t expect was that I was jumping around in that space so much, and it was concrete, so I hurt my back a lot, and at the end of the day I came to it and thought, “Oh, I don’t feel like I can move that well.” I also knew that there was going to be a club scene coming up, and that I would have to do a more choreographed dance with 300 extras in that scene, but that was different. It was unprecedented, and this is obviously the kind of scale that Apple likes to do, so I thought, “Oh my god, I don’t know if I’m going to get through that.” But I did!
What was it like filming the club scenes, especially the intimate moments in a crowded environment?
Understanding the camera choreography, which is obviously a huge piece of equipment, requires you to be right in the middle of Ho and Tara’s action. It was extremely difficult to perform such choreography. In one take, the cameraman was following me and Saul kept playing the music, so I went beyond the choreography I had learned and just freestyled with Hiba, who plays Tara. At one point I fell to the floor, but I went mental and got up and it felt like a real club, so I hit Vince (McGahon, the Steadicam operator) and the camera perfectly. Of course I was worried about Vince, but I was more worried about the camera equipment. Because it’s very expensive.
There’s also great choreography in the cell scene where Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) interrogates Roddy. How did you approach it?
When I first read it on this page, I thought it was so farcical and pretentious that I had to do it in a really down-to-earth, yet uncomfortable way. This book is very good at encouraging return to books, as much of the book is written from an internal monologue, including Roddy’s dialogue and perspective. So all season long, and all seasons to come, this is the first time we really see what’s going on in his head as the monologue plays out in his mind. Because he is, in this sense, a caged animal being watched. He jumps up and trembles on the window.
Things like that obviously weren’t planned in advance when working with Christine, but it’s so satisfying just to get her reaction and play with her as Ho. Because she’s so appropriate – Christine, and obviously Taverner as a character.[I’m]trying to push her buttons as much as possible and she has this cheeky little smile on her face.
It’s a very fun and dynamic game.
How much did you warn Christine about being seen by Roddy in that scene?
Of course, she blocks him before going on set, but it’s almost fun to watch her have to deal with him in real time, right?
Roddy is a fan favorite character, but he must be a difficult character to play. He’s as unpleasant as he is endearing, unforgettable, and funny at the same time. How much do you think about the balance of those aspects when playing him?
forever. We knew that a lot of the focus of Season 5 would be on him, so it was a very delicate balance to play. You don’t want too much of him to be overwhelming, you don’t want it to lean into farce, you don’t want it to be too big and out of place… Everything that Ho does is really based on who he is, and it’s the same character that’s been around for the past four seasons, and this time there’s more of him in the show. You see him at home, you see him in the restaurant with Ram, you see him in all of these different situations because you’re used to seeing him behind the desk and this is who he is in those different environments.
I think the characteristic of Ho is that he is never joking, everything is genuine and authentic. That is his reality, and everyone else is like a small piece in it. So just holding on to that as an anchor throughout this season has helped me get through every beat. I thought, “Oh, this might spill over into something that’s gone too far.”
Viewers love seeing how Roddy changes his look from season to season. Do you work with the costume and make-up teams for Ho’s appearance? And does that extend to Roddy’s apartment, which we get to see properly for the first time?
When I first got to set up to show them[Ho’s apartment]it was pretty much complete and everything there was based on who Ho was as a person, so I didn’t really have to ask for much. They put all his protein shakes in the cupboard, they put all his Red Bulls there, they put all his favorite snacks there. As an audience member you’ll never see it, but as an actor it’s very helpful to have those things available to you and to be in that world from the beginning.
I have worked with the production designer and props department for the past five seasons. They, like me, are responsible for building the character in many ways. Because what they give me influences my actions as a character. So I think everyone, not just actors, is well versed in creating characters.
Lenny Rush and Christopher Chan in “Slow Horses” Season 6 (Courtesy of Apple TV)
And what about the hair?
Hair has also been a conversation between me and makeup designer Lucy Civic since Season 1. Starting in season 3, we started giving Ho more of a look. And I wanted him to do a cunt in season five. Because I thought it was the perfect way for him. And it was her idea to make it lilac, so it was a really great collaboration with the hair and makeup department and the costumes. Department too.
Saul’s vision for Ho this season was: “I want him to wear a regular tracksuit, like the everyday tracksuit that you see in the opening scene, and then put on a fancy tracksuit, his peacock-like tracksuit, and that’s what you see him wearing throughout the season.” So[costume designer]Guy Speranza very carefully created a purple-ish metallic thing and a very special material in the details. The zipper has a little dragon on it, the cuffs are gold, and the Nike shoes I’m wearing are gold, but there’s a little pocket in there that Ho keeps a condom in there for later use, but you never see it, but again, he always seems to be ready. But the fun of being an actor is in all of these little details.
What can we expect from Roddy in Season 6, which is scheduled to begin in September?
New hairstyle! We’ll definitely see the hangover of what happened in season 5, and he’s still trying to come to terms with the fact that Tara may not have been his true love. The Slow Horses band together and continue on the run from evil forces.
And then obviously Lenny Rush came on board and we got to work together and he’s a great guy and getting to see him in that world and he’s done a lot of comedy so it’s really great. I’m really excited for him.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
