'...“It’s fun playing bad, but actually he’s not,” the actor says, smiling as he reflects on his character, Crowley. “He’s a villain with a heart. The amount of really evil things he does are vanishingly small.”
...As it always has, “Good Omens” dissects the view of good and evil as absolutes, showing viewers that they are not as separate as we were led to believe growing up. Aziraphale and Crowley’s long-standing union is proof of this. The show also urges people to look at what defines our own humanity. For Tennant — who opted to wear a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Leave trans kids alone you absolute freaks” during a photocall for Season 2 — these themes are more important now than ever before.
“In this society that we’re currently living in, where polarization seems ever more present, fierce and difficult to navigate. Negotiation feels like a dirty word at times,” he says, earnestly. “This is a show about negotiation. Two extremes finding common ground and making their world a better place through it. Making life easier, kinder and better. If that’s the sort of super objective of the show, then I can’t think of anything more timely, relevant or apt for the rather fractious times we’re living in.”
“Good Omens” is back by popular demand for another season. How does it feel?
It’s lovely. Whenever you send something out into the world, you never quite know how it will land. Especially with this, because it was this beloved book that existed, and that creates an extra tension that you might break some dreams. But it really exploded. I guess we were helped by the fact that we had Neil Gaiman with us, so you couldn’t really quibble too much with the decisions that were being made. The reception was, and continues to be, overwhelming.
Now that you’re no longer bound by the original material that people did, perhaps, feel a sense of ownership over, does the new content for Season 2 come with a sense of freedom for you? This is uncharted territory, of sorts.
That’s an interesting point. I didn’t know the book when I got the script. It was only after that I discovered the worlds of passion that this book had incited. Because I came to it that way, perhaps it was easier. I found liberation from that, to an extent. For me, it was always a character that existed in a script. At first, I didn’t have that extra baggage of expectation, but I acquired it in the run-up to Season 1 being released… the sense that suddenly we were carrying a ming vase across a minefield.
In Season 2, we still have Neil and we also have some of the ideas that he and Terry had discussed. During the filming of the first one, Neil would drop little hints about the notions they had for a prospective sequel, the title of which would have been “668: The Neighbour of the Beast,” which is a pretty solid gag to base a book around. Indeed there were elements like Gabriel and the Angels, who don’t feature in the book, that were going to feature in a sequel. They were brought forward into Season 1. So, even in the new episodes, we’re not entirely leaving behind the Terry Pratchett-ness of it all.
It’s great to see yourself and Michael Sheen reunited on screen as these characters. Fans will have also watched you pair up for Season 3 of “Staged.” You’re quite the dynamic duo. What do you think is the magic ingredient that makes the two of you such a good match?
It’s a slightly alchemical thing. We knew each other in passing before, but not well. We were in a film together [“Bright Young Things,” 1993] but we’d never shared a scene. It was a bit of a roll of the dice when we turned up at the read-through for “Good Omens.” I think a lot comes from the writing, as we were both given some pretty juicy material to work with. Those characters are beloved for a reason because there’s something magical about them and the way they complete each other. Also, I think we’re quite similar actors in the way we like to work and how we bounce off each other.
Does the shorthand and trust the two of you have built up now enable you to take more risks on-screen?
Yes, probably. I suppose the more you know someone, the more you trust someone. You don’t have to worry about how an idea might be received and you can help each other out with a more honest opinion than might be the case if you were, you know, dancing around each other’s nervous egos. Enjoying being in someone’s orbit and company is a positive experience. It makes going to work feel pleasant, productive, and creative. The more creative you can be, the better the work is. I don’t think it’s necessarily a given that an off-screen relationship will feed into an on-screen one in a positive or negative way. You can play some very intimate moments with someone you barely know. Acting is a peculiar little contract, in that respect. But it’s disproportionately pleasurable going to work when it’s with a mate.
Fans have long discussed the nature of Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship. In Season 2, we see several of the characters debate whether the two are an item, prompting them to look at their union and decipher what it is. How would you describe their relationship?
They are utterly co-dependent. There’s no one else having the experience that they are having and they’ve only got each other to empathize with. It’s a very specific set of circumstances they’ve been dealt. In this season, we see them way back at the creation of everything. They’ve known each other a long time and they’ve had to rely on each other more and more. They can’t really exist one without the other and are bound together through eternity. Crowley and Aziraphale definitely come at the relationship with different perspectives, in terms of what they’re willing to admit to the relationship being. I don’t think we can entirely interpret it in human terms, I think that’s fair to say.
Yet fans are trying to do just that. Do you view it as beyond romantic or any other labels, in the sense that it’s an eternal force?
It’s lovely [that fans discuss it] but you think, be careful what you wish for. If you’re willing for a relationship to go in a certain way or for characters to end up in some sort of utopian future, then the story is over. Remember what happened to “Moonlighting,” that’s all I’m saying! [Laughs]
Your father-in-law, Peter Davison, and your son, Ty Tennant, play biblical father-and-son duo Job and Ennon in Episode 2. In a Tumblr Q&A, Neil Gaiman said that he didn’t know who Ty’s family was when he cast him. When did you become aware that Ty had auditioned?
I don’t know how that happened. I do a bunch of self-tapes with Ty, but I don’t think I did this one with him because I was out of town filming “Good Omens.” He certainly wasn’t cast before we started shooting. There were two moments during filming where Neil bowled up to me and said, “Guess, who we’ve cast?” Ty definitely auditioned and, as I understand it, they would tell me, he was the best. I certainly imagine he could only possibly have been the best person for the job. He is really good in it, so I don’t doubt that’s true. And then my father-in-law showed up, as well, which was another delicious treat. In the same episode and the same family! It was pretty weird. I have worked with both of them on other projects, but never altogether.
There’s a “Doctor Who” cameo, of sorts, in Episode 5, when Aziraphale uses a rare annual about the series as a bartering tool. In reality, you’ll be reprising your Time Lord role on screen later this year in three special episodes to mark the 60th anniversary. Did you always feel you’d return to “Doctor Who” at some point?
There’s a precedent for people who have been in the series to return for a multi-doctor show, which is lovely. I did it myself for the 50th anniversary in 2013, and I had a wonderful time with Matt [Smith]. Then, to have John Hurt with us, as well, was a little treat. But I certainly would never have imagined that I’d be back in “Doctor Who” full-time, as it were, and sort of back doing the same job I did all those years ago. It was like being given this delightful, surprise present. Russell T Davies was back as showrunner, Catherine Tate [former on-screen companion] was back, and it was sort of like the last decade and a half hadn’t happened.
Going forward, Ncuti Gatwa will be taking over as the new Doctor. Have you given him any advice while passing the baton?
Oh God, what a force of nature. I’ve caught a little bit of him at work and it’s pretty exciting. I mean, what advice would you give someone? You can see Ncuti has so much talent and energy. He’s so inspired and charismatic. The thing about something like this is: it’s the peripherals, it’s not the job. It’s the other stuff that comes with it, that I didn’t see coming. It’s a show that has so much focus and enthusiasm on it. It’s not like Ncuti hasn’t been in a massive Netflix series [“Sex Education,”] but “Doctor Who” is on a slightly different level. It’s cross-generational, international, and has so much history, that it feels like it belongs to everyone.
To be at the center of the show is wonderful and humbling, but also a bit overwhelming and terrifying. It doesn’t come without some difficulties, such as the immediate loss of anonymity. It takes a bit of getting used to if that’s not been your life up to that point. I was very lucky that when I joined, Billie Piper [who portrayed on-screen companion, Rose] was still there. She’d lived in a glare of publicity since she was 14, so she was a great guide for how to live life under that kind of scrutiny. I owe a degree of sanity to Billie.
Your characters are revered by a few different fandoms. Sci-fi fandoms are especially passionate and loyal. What is it like being on the end of that? I imagine it’s a lot to hold.
Yes, certainly. Having been a fan of “Doctor Who” since I was a tiny kid, you’re aware of how much it means because you’re aware of how much it meant to you. My now father-in-law [who portrayed Doctor Who in the 80s] is someone I used to draw in comic strips when I was a kid. That’s quite peculiar! It’s a difficult balance because on one end, you have to protect your own space, and there aren’t really any lessons in that. That does take a bit of trial and error, to an extent, and it’s something that you’re sometimes having to do quite publicly. But, it is an honor and a privilege, without a doubt. As you’ve said, it means so much to people and you want to be worthy of that. You have to acknowledge that and be careful with it. Some days that’s tough, if you’re not in the mood.
I know you’re returning to the stage later this year to portray Macbeth. You’ve previously voiced the role for BBC Sounds, but how are you feeling about taking on the character in the theater?
I’m really excited about it. It’s been a while since I’ve done Shakespeare. It’s very thrilling but equally — and this analogy probably doesn’t stretch — it’s like when someone prepares for an Olympic event. It does feel like a bit of a mountain and, yeah, you’re daring to set yourself up against some fairly worthy competition from down the years. That’s both the challenge and the horror of doing these types of things. We’ve got a great director, Max Webster, who recently did “Life of Pi.” He’s full of big ideas. It’s going to be exciting, thrilling, and a little bit scary. I’m just going to take a deep breath.
Before we part ways, let’s discuss the future of “Good Omens.” Gaiman has said that he already has ideas for Season 3, should it happen. If you were to do another season, is there anyone in particular you’d love to work with next time around or anything specific you’d like to see happen for Crowley?
Oh, Neil Gaiman knows exactly where he wants to take it. If you’re working with people like Gaiman, I wouldn’t try to tamper with that creative void. Were he to ask my opinion, that would be a different thing, but I can’t imagine he would. He’s known these characters longer than me and what’s interesting is what he does with them. That’s the bit that I’m desperate to know. I do know where Crowley might end up next, but it would be very wrong if I told you.
[At this point, Tennant picks up a pencil and starts writing on a hotel pad of paper.]
I thought you were going to write it down for me then. Perhaps like a clandestine meeting on a bench in St James’ Park, but instead you’d write the information down and slide it across the table…
I should have done! I was drawing a line, which obviously, psychologically, I was thinking, “Say no more. You’re too tempted to reveal a secret!” It was my subconscious going “Shut the fuck up!”
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“Drowning in You” [Young!Aegon X Twin!Sister!Reader]
Warnings: Incest - Obscene language - mention of oral sex
summary: One night, you were passing by your brother's room to see the maids rushing out of his room, crying like babies. Which prompted you to enter his room and see what what's wrong with him.
You were in your room with your ladies-in-waiting talking and laughing before they retire to their chambers to let you rest but you couldn't sleep.. It was a rainy winter night a very calm and romantic evening.
So You decided to go out and wander around the Red Keep, specifically your brother's room... your lover'. You put your cloak over your robe and left your room towards his own.. While you were walking towards his room, you saw the maids running from his room crying.
You entered his room and looked around to find his room in chaos and mess. He was clearly angry And very desperate.. you look at him and said “What's wrong Aeg? ”.
He quickly turned to you and wiped away his tears “Nothing ”. he replies
She quickly approaches his bed, holds his cheeks and looks into his eyes “You can lie to whoever you want...but not to me”.
“The servants, the bloody bastards,” He grumbled, not looking at you. His words were barely understandable with all the shouting, his lips seemed on the edge of tears. “They do not listen. No-one listens to me. My mother does not.”
He was about to say something else, but stopped at the last sentence, taking a breath. “I have no-one.”
“Aeg- you said but he interrupted you “Mother.. mother was screaming at me once again!”
He said, his body language seemed very frantic and anxious. His fists were clenched tightly as he stood over his bed. He looked like he was on the brink or crying once again, but his ego was too big for him to cry in front of you. Instead, he punched a few pillows, making them go flying about.
“She’s always screaming at me! But never at Aemond or Helaena. She must hate me.. she must.”
“She doesn't hate you! ”. you reply
“Then why doesn’t she give me a hug like how she does with Aemond and Helaena?”
He started to have his voice break, you could tell he hated to be upset and was trying not to cry. “Why doesn’t she give me sweet words like how she does to Aemond? Is it because I’m not good enough?”
“I think we are equal in this”. you said
“You think we are equal!? She doesn’t treat us as equals!” The boy was getting very angry now, clearly he wanted to have some sort of attention from his mother but she wouldn’t give it to him. So he wanted you to comfort him instead.
“How is it fair. Aemond never gets yelled at, but I do. And she tells him she loves him, but she never says the same to me. You see how unfair it is?”
“Can you shut up for a second? ”. you reply
“I’m just trying to talk to you!” He said, he was a little surprised he got snapped at by you, but this anger quickly turned to rage as he became even more mad.
“I can talk if I want to! Why are you being so mean to me!? he replies.
You immediately pressed his lips with yours to make him shut up for a while. That quick peck was all it took, that little amount of attention put a big smile on his face. His whole body language shifted the moment you kissed him.. as if in that very instant everything that was stressing him out disappeared.
“No one else here loves me, but you do. I think you are the only one who loves me.”He said, laying down back onto his bed as he watched you closely.
He saw you come closer and slowly sat on him. He was still staring at you, his eyes focused on all the movements you made.
It was like everything before you disappeared as time passed. The noises of the world around you two melted away, a soft smile ran across his face.. he didn’t speak but he was enjoying the moment.. he was starting to feel comfortable.. the thought of his mother was fading away..
He pulled you closer so his lips met yours again Your kisses were to gentle and loving.. A few kisses, your gentle and loving lips touching him made his heart feel warm. Aegon’s heartrate quickly sped up as he felt your whole body get even closer to his. His lips meet yours and for a quick moment.. everything feels perfect. Nothing else exists in this moment except you two.
He slowly unbuttoned you nightgown, Aegon’s body moved to the moment as he felt the touch of you soft skin. His hands moved quickly as he undressed you, he slowly pulled off your nightgown until you were completely bare to him.
“You are worse than the whores of the Street of silk, Do you know that sweet sister?”. He was teasing you with the harshness of his words.
“Rude!”. You chuckle and stared at him with a cheeky smile on your face.
“Oh? Am I? ” He said playfully, he was just teasing you. your giggles were what made his heart skip a beat before going back to his normal rhythm.
His hands started to drift towards your chest, his fingers touching your soft skin as he smiled.
“Do not touch ”. You tease him and slap his palm playfully.
“Oh but I want to!”He said, a playful smirk forming on his face as he tried to grab your hand once again, his eyes locking in on your hands.
Eventually, once he got your hand, he started to play with it, kissing your knuckles playfully. It seemed like he was so desperate for love or any sort of affection. His body language was very relaxed as compared to earlier when he was all angry and upset.
“Oh, I'll let you, but first.. ”You look into his eyes and smile slyly.
“What? ”. he smilies back at you.
“I want you to fuck me by using your tongue”. you said.
He smiled at you from ear to ear and then got up to lay you on your back. You wrapped your legs around his neck you smiled sexyly..
He kissed your inner thigh “My pretty little whore ”. he chuckles.
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