Rufus Sewell’s horse kept disrupting his lines in ‘Victoria’.
The 48-year-old actor – who portrays Lord Melbourne in the miniseries – has admitted the animal he was assigned in scenes kept grumbling when he said his dialogue and he was convinced he was doing it on purpose out of boredom.
Speaking during a Q&A at London’s Kensington Palace on Thursday (11.08.16), he said via video link: "One of the biggest challenges [when I was filming the show] was the horses. My horse seemed to think Lord Melbourne was a bit of a bore and seemed to vocalise it but it was never quite clear what end the complaints were coming from.
"But midway through my dialogue, he’d make a noise. It was a noise that made me think he was bored. I managed to keep a straight face but was the biggest challenge."
Meanwhile, Rufus – who spends the majority of his time in the US – couldn’t resist taking on the role when he saw the script because he felt it was a nice change from the bad guys he usually plays in shows and films.
He explained: "I like to think I’m pigeon-holed in two different ways … I got this script just after I’d finished playing an American nazi [in ‘Man in the High Castle’], the character [Melbourne] was so nice and warm. It just felt right. I know i said I would swear of drama but at the time it just felt right."
‘Victoria’ hit screens on August 28 on ITV.