You would think a starring role in one of the biggest TV series of the past decade would mean future success and a choice of projects guaranteed.
Not so much, apparently, according to Rob James-Collier, whose role of troubled Thomas Barrow in ‘Downton Abbey’ made him one of TV’s most familiar faces over the past six years. However, as he tells HuffPostUK, that hasn’t made for automatic career success by any means, and he sat tight for seven months waiting for the right project.
He explains: “Some people see me and think ‘You’re on Downton, it’s really easy, you’ll get loads of work.’ But unfortunately, it’s not the case. It’s hard to get work as an actor. 99% of actors will spend more time out of work than in, and that’s just a fact.”
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Rob James-Collier is willing to wait for good work following his 'Downton' success
ITV
He shrugs. “You get a lot of interest, but it’s not necessarily the stuff you want. That’s not to say it’s bad, you get offered parts in films, this film, that film, but the subject doesn’t interest you or whatever, and for me, my mandate is to try to do something new and different.
“I’m just lucky to be here. I did a business degree and then a marketing one, so I’m cheating just to be here now.”
Rob is back on our screens this week as a policeman with a broken leg. He’s one of the stars of new ITV cop drama ‘The Level’, set in Brighton - telling the story of Detective Sergeant Nancy Devlin (Karla Crome), her attempts to do good, despite a dodgy past with ties to haulage boss and criminal Frank Le Saux (Philip Glenister).
Why did this project make it past Rob’s out-tray? He cites the quality of the script, the chance to film in Brighton, and also the rest of the cast that includes Amanda Burton and Philip Glenister.”
Now it’s behind him, does he miss ‘Downton Abbey’?
“It’s something that’s been part of your life of six years, so it was a big deal,” he says. “I met up with a couple of the crew last week for beers in London.
“You miss the framework and the security, you miss knowing it’s going to happen again next year, but at the same time, you’ve got the uncertainty of the future, as much as it is daunting, it’s exciting - you don’t know where you’re going to be.
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'The Level' - cop drama set in Brighton - comes to ITV this week
ITV
“I left ‘Coronation Street’, everyone thought I was mad, and then I got to dance with Dame Maggie Smith in a Christmas special. If you don’t take the risk and aren’t prepared to fall flat on your face, then you won’t get the reward.
“It doesn’t always work out like that, but I like the uncertainty as much as the certainty. That’s where the fear factor comes in, and you have to be at your best. It isn’t easy for most people, so when you’re in, I genuinely appreciate it.”
Is there a Plan B for this most personable of actors, who’s as enthusiastic telling me about his house renovation as he is about his latest work? He smiles. “Get my gas-safe certificate, and carry on renovating houses.
“I have a nice balance in life, which keeps me occupied. I like to renovate the odd house because I like it. I’m not a qualified spark or a gas-safe engineer, I can’t come round and do your boiler, but I like to keep my hand in.”
‘The Level’ begins on Friday at 9pm on ITV.
Top Drama Picks For Autumn 2016
The Fall (BBC Two)(01 of12)
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The third and final series finds Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson pitted against serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan). With Spector captured and injured in the final scene of the second series, it’ll be interesting to see what writer Allan Cubitt does in this final run to round things off in a satisfying conclusion to a memorable trilogy.
Our Loved Boy (BBC One)(02 of12)
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The story of Damilola Taylor and the aftermath of his senseless death, as told through the eyes of his grieving family in this feature-length drama. Their quest for justice sits alongside their personal battles with a cast led by Babou Ceesay and Wunmi Mosaku, in a story told with the support of Damilola’s tireless father Richard Taylor OBE.
The Missing Series 2 (BBC One)(03 of12)
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Writing brothers Harry and Jack Williams (who also wrote ‘One of Us’) are back on more familiar ground of the trauma surrounding a missing child. No James Nesbitt in this one, instead we have David Morrissey and Keeley Hawes as a couple whose lives are overturned when their missing daughter returns after 11 years. The thing we’re most looking forward to? The return of Tcheky Karyo reprising his role of the compassionate detective Julien Baptiste.
Close To The Enemy (BBC Two)(04 of12)
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‘One Day’s Jim Sturgess leads the cast in this six-part series set in a bomb-damaged London hotel in the aftermath of World War II. Sturgess’s Captain Callum Ferguson is an intelligence officer whose job is to persuade a captured German scientist to lend his skills to the RAF’s task of developing the jet engine. All is not as it seems.
Tutankhamum (ITV)(05 of12)
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Max Irons and Sam Neill star in this four-part mini-series, re-telling the story of Howard after and his discovery of the tomb of the most fascinating of Egyptian pharaohs. With Irons as Carter, Sam Neill plays his supportive patron Lord Carnarvon, who defies all doubt to keep Carter’s dreams of discovery alive.
Broadchurch (ITV)(06 of12)
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David Tennant and Olivia Colman return for the final series of this haunting series, joined once again by Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan as grieving parents Beth and Mark Latimer. Following the mistakes of the second series, writer Chris Chibnall instead focuses on a brand new case, with detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller investigating a sexual assault, while the close Dorset community must once again deal with the unwelcome attention foisted on them.
The Halcyon (ITV)(07 of12)
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The title refers to a five-star hotel in the centre of 1940 London society at a time of falling bombs and heightened emotions and fears. Steven Mackintosh and Olivia Williams lead a cast that also includes Kara Tointon and Alex Jennings.
Paranoid (ITV)(08 of12)
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Arguably the jewel in ITV’s winter schedule, this is an eight-part series exploring what happens when the murder of a mother in a school playground proves to be far less clear-cut than at first appeared. Neil Stuke, Indira Varma and Robert Glenister star.
Tina and Bobby (ITV)(09 of12)
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The lady who can currently do no wrong, Michelle Keegan, stars as the wife of the revered England football captain, as they became the most recognisable couple of their generation. As the country got swept up in World Cup euphoria and by the Moores in particular, this most normal of couples must face some huge challenges. Alongside Michelle is Lorne MacFadyen as Bobby - Patsy Kensit and David Bamber also appear.
National Treasure (Channel 4)(10 of12)
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Robbie Coltrane gives an ironically compelling turn as a huge entertainment star caught up in an historic sex allegation. As the police work their way through his complex life, those closest to the ‘national treasure’ must deal with the effects of secrets uncovered and loyalties tested. Julie Walters, Andrea Riseborough co-star.
Humans (Channel 4)(11 of12)
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After the surprise phenomenon of Series 1, Gemma Chan and co return for a second series of compassionate sci-fi, exploring what happens when robots become loveable.
The Young Pope (Sky Atlantic)(12 of12)
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Following a rapturous reception to its debut episode at the Venice Film Festival, Jude Law brings his troubled Pope Pius XIII to screen. The first American pope in contemporary times, the pontiff is a man of a great power who nevertheless fears losing those closest to him, and even being abandoned by his God. Alongside Jude, Diane Keaton, Ludivine Sagnier and James Cromwell star.