James McArdle: ‘There’s ego in theatre too! It’s vanities across the board’

James McArdle: ‘I remember not being able to sleep towards the end of Macbeth’ - (The National Theatre)

Did I really say that?” James McArdle is in bits, cringing at the version of himself who 10 years ago vehemently underestimated the role TV would play in the coming years. “I said telly wasn’t the future, did I?” If a laugh can have an accent, Ardle’s – booming and gregarious – is Scottish all the way.

McArdle, 36, has reason to laugh. The Glasgow-born actor may have cut his teeth in theatre, earning acclaim for roles in productions of Angels in America, Platonov, and The Tragedy of Macbeth, but he owes his recent success to telly. Shows such as Sexy Beast and ITV’s Playing Nice helped boost his profile, alongside the wildly successful HBO crime drama Mare of Easttown, a second season of which fans have been begging for since the first came to an end in 2021. (“Um… I’ve heard all sorts,” he offers impishly on the prospect of season two.)