Warning: spoilers ahead for series two episode four of The Bay.
The Bay star Taheen Modak, who plays Med Kharim in the ITV show, has recalled how Game of Thrones star James Cosmo tapped into his emotional side when making himself cry for a scene.
At the beginning of episode four of the crime drama, which aired on Wednesday evening, viewers were left devastated when it was confirmed that police officer Med had died after being targeted in a hit-and-run.
While filming the new series, Taheen shared the screen with several well-known actors, including James, Sharon Small and his co-stars from the previous series Morven Christie and Daniel Ryan.
During a recent conversation with Metro.co.uk over Zoom, Taheen recollected a scene he appeared in with James, in which the His Dark Materials star – who plays Bill Bradwell, the father-in-law of the murdered Stephen Marshbrook (Stephen Tompkinson) – cries while looking at a picture.
‘There was a moment. I remember sitting opposite James Cosmo and there’s a scene where he looks at a picture and he cries. He cried every time perfectly, real tears, really tearing up,’ Taheen said.
‘I was just watching in awe and then the director came over and said to him, “We got it, but I was just wondering, what were you thinking during that moment?”’
Taheen remembered feeling quite taken aback by James’ profound answer to the question.
‘James Cosmo, a big man but a soft teddy bear underneath with just the biggest heart and considering what he’s done, not a pretentious bone in his body, he just sort of sat there and went: “Life”,’ the Two Weeks To Live actor said.
‘I don’t know what it was. [There’s] just so much gravitas in him as a person.’
Taheen explained that he learnt a lot from acting alongside his The Bay co-stars, one of the most important lessons being about how ‘life experience’ and ‘enjoying your life’ can benefit their craft.
‘The wholeness you’re able to bring to a character once you start to feel fulfilled by your life – you’re then able to produce work like James Cosmo does, like Morven does, like Dan does, like Sharon does, that audiences ultimately love. That really guttural, honest work,’ he stated.
‘As a new actor, that can be quite nerve-wracking or difficult to tap into, but getting to watch them do it like that was just beyond. They’re experiences that I will never forget.’
When Taheen took on the role of Med straight out of drama school, he couldn’t help but notice certain similarities between his own life and his character’s progression in the police force.
‘His journey in the police force is quite parallel to my journey as an actor,’ he said.
‘The Bay season one was my first job out of drama school. So he’s quite new to the job just like I was new to the job.’
Taheen found it ‘really satisfying’ that the second series saw Med ‘have his own little storyline’ and is ‘chuffed’ to see the response the character’s death has had, with many fans upset that his ‘journey has been cut short’.
‘To see the response to Med, for me, I’m just quite chuffed to see that people relate or just enjoy something that I’ve done,’ he remarked. ‘I’ve enjoyed hearing the audience feedback. It’s been nice.’
The Bay returns next Wednesday at 9pm on ITV and is available to watch on ITV Player.
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