{"id":431966,"date":"2026-05-08T16:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/431966\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:03:09","slug":"half-man-interview-stuart-campbell-mitchell-robertson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/431966\/","title":{"rendered":"Half Man interview: Stuart Campbell Mitchell Robertson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid the turbulence of Half Man\u2018s second episode<\/a>, Niall Kennedy (Mitchell Robertson) and Ruben Pallister (Stuart Campbell)\u2014whose moms have been dating and living together for years\u2014share a weirdly intimate moment. Fueled by drugs and enraged at his estranged dad, Ruben asks Niall to stand on his feet so they can dance atop the dishes he smashed on the floor only moments earlier. The shot of them slowly hugging and twirling in Niall\u2019s university dorm room encapsulates their strange push-and-pull, the kind where a volatile Ruben commands, and Niall quietly complies, because he\u2019s both enamored and scared of his \u201cbrother from another lover.\u201d As Campbell puts it to The A.V. Club, it\u2019s what makes them \u201ctoxic but intoxicating\u201d to watch in HBO\u2019s limited series.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through this tumultuous and decades-spanning relationship, series creator Richard Gadd (who plays older Ruben, alongside Jamie Bell<\/a>\u2018s older Niall) examines how emotional repression can lead men down a dangerous, violent path. Much like Gadd\u2019s previous award-winning debut series, Baby Reindeer<\/a>, Half Man is unsettling and provocative, demanding a high degree of intensity from the actors. Luckily, breakout stars Campbell (Karen Pirrie) and Mitchell (A Very British Scandal) sink their teeth into the younger versions of Ruben and Niall seamlessly. In fact, Gadd told TV Guide<\/a> that he zeroed in on them from their initial self-tapes after seeing \u201cevery young actor in the entire country\u201d during the casting process. So what did they bring to their auditions that they think worked in their favor? Mitchell tells The A.V. Club he was determined to capture the many nuances of Niall\u2019s personality because of how the character resonated with him. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I went through anything similar, of course,\u201d Mitchell adds, \u201cbut I\u2019m from the same place as Niall. I felt a certain responsibility because he\u2019s such a unique Scottish character, so there was a lot of truth in what I was trying to do.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Half Man focuses on how and why, while growing up near Glasgow in the \u201980s, Niall has trouble accepting his sexuality, even though his mother is a lesbian. In episode two, he admits to his college crush, Alby (Bilal Hasna), that he believes it\u2019s more shameful for men to be gay than it is for women. Most of all, Niall does everything in his power to hide his reality from Ruben, afraid of how his almost stepbrother will react. Mitchell convincingly brings Niall\u2019s internal dilemmas to life\u2014the fear and guilt are palpable in his expressions. \u201cHe\u2019s panicking often, but hopefully, you can also see him trying to lean into what he\u2019s experiencing as the show progresses,\u201d Mitchell says, while discussing his view on Niall\u2019s behavior. \u201cHe\u2019s struggling to accept a part of himself. I can understand the concept of having negative feelings toward yourself. That\u2019s what I wanted to do justice to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for Campbell, his goal was to convey to the audience why Niall might be drawn to someone like Ruben, who invites destruction wherever he goes. \u201cRuben has a lone wolf survivalist energy, with pent-up hostility that you instantly notice. But it was important for me to develop a lightness wherever possible to balance it. That\u2019s why I think he jokes around as much as he does. I wanted to show him as a vulnerable young man, too,\u201d the actor says\u2014a stark contrast to the explosive, unpredictable Ruben introduced in the premiere. Episode two reinforces this further. The hour ends with Ruben, who, while staying with Niall on campus, attacks Alby so viciously that he gets arrested.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet for all the hell that breaks loose before the violence erupts, Campbell notes that one of the scenes where Half Men behaves like a fairly normal college drama was the hardest to shoot. He was surprisingly nervous about playing spin the bottle on screen: \u201cI had anxiety about figuring out how to capture the way Ruben fills up that room with his power and personality. It can be scary to play that energy up in front of a group of other actors. But I\u2019m happy with how it turned out because we all got on so well. It was a safe environment for us to take risks and challenge each other, so that was a rewarding day of filming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Half Man digs into Ruben\u2019s anger at the world, his dad, and anyone who gets in his way. It\u2019s often triggering to watch Campbell\u2019s depiction of Ruben\u2019s mania, especially as he refuses to communicate his emotions healthily. Somehow, Niall is the only one Ruben strives to take care of, despite\u2014or likely because of\u2014their polar opposite personalities. (It\u2019s also probably why Niall can\u2019t stay away from this particular agent of chaos.) Campbell tells The A.V. Club that it\u2019s why he was drawn to Ruben\u2019s dualities. \u201cI do feel the need to protect this character sometimes,\u201d he adds. \u201cHe\u2019s a walking, talking contradiction, but that\u2019s the joy of being an actor and getting to go to these dark places. Half Man presents them as flawed and fully fleshed out, but it\u2019s why they feel like real humans.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club\u2018s TV critic.\u00a0<\/p>\n