Russell Tovey on dark new role in ITV's The Sister: "I definitely took it home with me"

In the drama (based on Cross' book, Burial), Tovey plays Nathan, whom we follow as a secret about his past looks set to be exposed, and his life begins to unravel.

Speaking during a press Q&A, Tovey agreed that the role was the most challenging he'd done: "I think [this is the most challenging role] because, I don't really take work home that much."

He teased that the role of Nathan provided him with an opportunity to "create something that people haven't seen [him] do" before.

"The thing about this role is you exist in this contained tension, where you - everything you're saying is not what's being said, and there is anxiety and absolute fear and panic... And I really wanted to serve Nathan, I wanted to create something that people haven't seen me do that was really small, and minimal."

He continued: "Nathan's trying to just disappear, he wants to be invisible, so it's about suppressing everything, but living in that energy for this time was a lot, and I definitely took it home with me, but I felt like you had to commit to this role, I had to do that to access this character, so I had to put myself in that position so when I finished this, I was absolutely exhausted and I was just like, wow, but that to serve Neil [Cross]'s writing with the dialogue to play this character. You have to put yourself emotionally and investing in these situations."

He added that at the end of the day, Nathan "just wants to have a nice life, and he falls in love, and this is fundamentally a love story".

You can order Neil Cross' Burial from Amazon. The Sister will air on ITV from 26th October. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide.