In Series 2 of the hugely acclaimed TV production The Tourist, Elliot (Jamie Dornan) and Helen (Danielle Macdonald) travel to Ireland to find answers about Elliot’s identity, but instead they are forced to face the dangerous consequences of his past actions.
The second series relocates from Australia to Ireland, with filming taking place in a number of locations including the capital city of Dublin, and various locations in Wicklow, including the seaside town Bray, the rural village of Kilpedder and the stunning Wicklow Mountains, all just a stones throw from the capital.
Writers and Executive Producers Harry and Jack Williams explain how the second season came about: “The idea for season two started with the characters, said Jack Williams. “Making the first series, what we enjoyed as both viewers and writers, was the relationship between Jamie Dornan’s character and Danielle MacDonald's character. The thing we wanted to write about was “what does that look like if it continued?” With the revelations at the end of series one, can you continue a relationship with something like that? Can you look past the past?”
Harry Williams adds: “Additionally, we wanted to move it to a different country because we felt we had done Australia and none of Elliot’s history is from there. In series two we are asking where did he come from? The ambitions were to continue what we did with series one, which was to strike a balance between the comedy, thriller, emotive elements of the drama. So, for series two we have dialled it up a bit as we know Jamie and Danielle can handle the balance so well.
Filming in a different country added a different element to the show: “Visually, series one was very distinct: we loved the way it looked and felt, our director Chris Sweeney did such a good job,” said John, “and while obviously we wanted it to have a lot in common with that, it is a new country, it’s a new story. The Australian outback is very different from the very green and rainy country that is Ireland. So, we’ve been trying to take what we did in season one and keep that very cinematic feel, getting some big wide landscape shots and finding a sensibility that works for series two.”
Cast Q&A **Only to be used as part of ensemble pieces**
Jamie Dornan – Elliot Stanley and Executive Producer
Tell us about your character’s journey from series 1?
I play a man of many identities. In the beginning of the first series, Elliot finds himself in Australia and after a long car chase with a truck, Elliot gets hit off the road and has an accident, waking up with no memory of who he is. A couple of people help Elliot piece things together and try to find answers which essentially leads him to some very dark places. For the second series we pick up with Elliot in Ireland where he tries to discover his real family and get some answers on who he is. Whilst Elliot is in Ireland, he also gets caught up in all kinds of craziness with people trying to kill him.
What were you expecting from the second and what made you want to continue the project?
You are always hoping to find an audience that is sort of willing and hungry. We were only ever meant to have the one series; I remember Jack and Harry Williams who created the show saying it will just be one.
I don't think we expected it to be the most watched show in the UK that year and when there's that much of an appetite, it felt like the right thing to give people more. With it being so successful there's also a lot of pressure on the second series. You want to get it right and it’s a very different setting. For the second we are in Ireland, which has a very different vibe. It's tricky trying to establish the different settings and make it its own thing but also honour what people loved about the first series. I was excited by it, it’s an exciting thing to continue the journey. Selfishly for me, not having to uproot my entire family again was quite a good thing.
What would you say are the central themes of this series?
Family is a big theme in this series. We're dealing with a guy who has no concept of who he is, and you can only imagine how terrifying that is, but little by little there are these kernels of information revealed to him and he starts to piece his history together and his family history. It's not that pretty, but it's vital and it's a big part of our story.
So family is a major theme. Love is a big theme too. We begin the second series with the two of them together and their love, trust, and support for each other is very crucial to the journey that they go on.
How does Elliot's self-discovery journey progress in the series and what challenges does he face?
He finds out a lot more about himself now that he's back in Ireland; the land that he's from. There's a lot of big discoveries about who he is and who his family are. Elliot finds out a lot about the sort of shenanigans that his family have been involved in and the implications that's had on his life. He doesn't understand what’s going on because he doesn't have any recollection of why these people know him, as it's all from his life pre-accident.
There are some incredible stunts in The Tourist, what was the most challenging to shoot?
I had to hang off a cliff for a long time. I was harnessed but you couldn't really see it and the whole point of the scene is that I’m hanging there for a comically long period of time. So, this does mean to film it, I really was hanging there for a long time, and I have a dodgy shoulder which really paid the price for hanging there for a whole morning. That was the most tricky and annoying scene to shoot because I'm an old man and my shoulders don't work.
What do you hope viewers will take away from The Tourist?
I hope they enjoy it as much as the first. We are offering up something a bit different purely by geography. I feel like the colour of the Outback, the scale of it and fear was a major character in the first series. We've taken that away this time and we have suddenly gone from the orangey dirt of the Outback to the lush green settings of Ireland. Particularly with the first episode, it's like a Tourism Ireland advert. It's different and I hope that people are on board with that and get the same sort of satisfaction as they did from the first series. The humour is all there, and the story is as mad as the first series.
What do you think about series two will appeal to international audiences?
I find, having left Ireland 22 years ago and travelled pretty much everywhere since, there's a real intrigue with Ireland. People are just fascinated by Ireland, and I feel like everybody sort of has a bit of a love for the place and the people. Usually if they've been here, they think of it and speak of it very fondly. So hopefully that's a big appeal, we're showcasing Ireland in a big way with loads of Irish talent and some very funny Irish people.
What do you think makes Jack and Harry's writing so unique and exciting for actors?
They're just bonkers and I can tell which is a Jack line and which is a Harry line. They do write separately and together. It's a strange way they do it, but it's totally their own thing and it's unique and they've managed to do that over the years. They also have a very strong identity when they write and that shows how involved they are in the show. Their writing is very unique, I sometimes think it takes a minute to get into the rhythm of how they write. Luckily, I've had a lot of time to do that because I've got a series under my belt. But it's interesting watching other actors come in and try to sort of work out that rhythm too.
It's totally its own thing and I don't think anyone plays with genre as sharply as Jack and Harry do. It's a lot of fun to play with on set.
How does it feel to bring the show home to Ireland?
It's amazing. The first day of shooting we were in Kilpedder in Wicklow, and I was walking through the trees and the worst rain I think I've ever seen came in and I thought, this is what it's like to film in Ireland.
I had sort of forgotten it being three or four years since I filmed here but Ireland is beautiful. I've been to parts of Ireland that I'd never been to before. We predominantly filmed in Dublin and Wicklow, but we've managed to travel a little bit outside of there and got to showcase what a beautiful place Ireland is.
Working with an Irish crew having the same sort of sense of humour has been great. It's been a dream to shoot here.
You will always get different experiences. I think season one of The Tourist was one of those times where we'd all been in lockdown for a year, and then we flew to Australia to shoot the show in the Outback. Everyone was in a tiny little town at the same pub every night and so it was one of those experiences where everyone was family instantly. It was beautiful and it was something we all needed after being locked up for a year. This is also the first time I’ve brought back a character; I haven't ever done a continuous show before. So, it has been a completely different experience for me, and I think that is probably the biggest difference between any other project I've done.
Danielle Macdonald – Helen Chambers
What Helen’s been up to since we last saw her?
Helen has left Australia and gone to Ireland with her boyfriend, to try and figure out a little bit more of who he is.
Series two introduces a wealth of new quirky characters. What new dynamics do they bring?
We've got two feuding Irish families that our characters get entangled in. As a result, there's a lot of quirky characters within that, which has been fun to play with. I think I came on set and all of a sudden nothing was familiar. I was with completely new actors, directors, and creatives. It was really interesting to throw Helen into that world and see how she reacts; it has been fun.
What do you think makes The Tourist so appealing to viewers and what can viewers expect from series two?
I'm excited that it resonated with audiences. I think The Tourist is unique and it is in its own kind of genre. It's got some darkness in there but it's also quite funny at times. It also has lots of quirky characters. The locations really become a character in the series, and you'll find Ireland is a big part of series two which will draw people in.
What were you expecting from the scripts for series two?
I had no idea what to expect for season two. I just love the writers and I had an amazing time with them. I think that they have such an interesting way of writing; it's so quirky and grabs you in. So, when they said they had an idea for season two I said yes before I even knew what it was. Mainly because I wanted to work with them again and we had such an amazing time filming season one. I also love working with Jamie, so I was in straight away.
Can you tell us what challenges Helen’s faced with this series?
Helen has come a long way. She started out as this character that has a very strong moral compass but was in a very toxic and abusive relationship. She then went through a lot of crazy stuff and found her own voice and confidence. Season two really leans into that, her discovering herself further. She's still Helen, but she's also a bit more confident, a bit stronger, and a bit more vocal in certain ways which has been interesting and fun to play with.
What's your favourite scene to film and why?
There was a scene I was filming with Jamie, and we'd had a long day. We had some emotional scenes, and we were shooting out of order. So, at the very last scene of the day, we were in a car and had to sit in there and talk. I had a monologue about sausages, and we both just lost it. We just could not stop laughing for about seven minutes straight, to a point of hysterics. We could not keep it together. Luckily, we got through it in the end.
How do you think her relationship with Elliot will be received?
Helen was in an emotionally abusive relationship with Ethan and that resonated with audiences a lot more than I even realised it would. Her relationship with Elliot is different because he accepts her for who she is. He's very open, loving, and kind with her. Whilst he is discovering himself, he's also discovering love, which is interesting, because he's got this whole new, fresh start. But I do think about the fact that he did at one point essentially kidnap her in season one. Not a great start to a relationship but it did end well.
Overall, we discover a lot about Elliot and Helen and their relationship and that will be interesting for people to follow and make their own judgement on.
How does The Tourist differ to your other projects that you've recently worked on?
You will always get different experiences. I think season one of The Tourist was one of those times where we'd all been in lockdown for a year, and then we flew to Australia to shoot the show in the Outback.
Everyone was in a tiny little town at the same pub every night and so it was one of those experiences
where everyone was family instantly. It was beautiful and it was something we all needed after being
locked up for a year. This is also the first time I’ve brought back a character; I haven't ever done a
continuous show before. So, it has been a completely different experience for me, and I think that is
probably the biggest difference between any other project I've done.
What do you think will appeal to international audiences about series two?
It's about two families who are at war with each other. I think that is something that can be related to in almost any culture and will have a lot of appeal. The series is also about relationships and figuring out who you are. These are themes that everyone encounters no matter who you are or where you're from.
I think that it'll appeal in that way too. On top of that, the series is quirky, Irish and a little bit Australian. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, but also make you laugh. You've got a little something in there for everyone.
What do you think makes Jack and Harry Williams’ writing so special?
Jack and Harry have a unique writing style. You never know where their writing is going to take you or where it's going to lead to. They’ve got a lot of little “Jack and Harry-isms” in the scripts too which are fun. I think they write because they love the stories, and they don't force it. They have so much fun in their writing that we have fun on set acting it out. I don't think it always feels that way, but it's one of those projects where you feel the fun and you feel the creativity and you can have a voice and have a say. It's never taken too seriously in the right way too, and it's been fun getting to work with them.
What has been your favourite location to film and why?
My favourite location was where we filmed by a lighthouse in Wicklow, on Wicklow Beach. There were three lighthouses there, and I couldn't figure out why there were three. I then found out one was built and couldn’t be seen by the ocean, so then they built another one and accidentally did the same thing.
So, then they built a third, which I just thought was hilarious. There were also wild horses running around set. It was just so stunningly beautiful.