Winning a BAFTA is an impressive achievement—but how many people can say they have also taken part in a fart-off with Sir Gary Oldman?
Lenny Rush, the 17-year-old British actor who joins Season 6 of Apple TV’s Slow Horses, can claim both accomplishments. Judging by the way he describes his “unreal” time on the acclaimed spy series, it may be difficult to decide which experience meant more to him.
Rush plays Reece Nesmith, a murder witness who goes on the run alongside Slough House’s unconventional MI5 agents. As the youngest person the Slow Horses have worked with so closely, Rush was delighted to discover that Reece would share Lamb’s—played by Oldman—fondness for profanity and confidently spar with him, Roddy Ho—played by Christopher Chung—and the rest of the misfit team.
“It’d be horrible if they brought the kid in and then the show got a little bit more family-friendly. No one wants that,” Rush told DECIDER over Zoom. The young actor, who frequently steals scenes with sharp sass and impeccable comic timing, added that the writers could have made Reece a quiet child who simply tagged along. Instead, they gave him plenty to do—and Rush said he was “very pleased” with the result.
Rush spoke with DECIDER about Reece and Lamb’s memorable fart-off, his comic chemistry with Chung, the Episode 4 confrontation with Hugo Weaving’s Frank Harkness at Shake Shack, and his experience joining the series six seasons into its run.
DECIDER: You joined Slow Horses in its sixth season and became the youngest person to work this closely with the team. What was that experience like?
LENNY RUSH: It was brilliant, and I was really excited that they had made that choice. I would have hated it if bringing in a young character meant making the show more family-friendly. I was already a fan of Slow Horses before joining, so I felt incredibly lucky. Reece was such a fun character to play. The writers could have made him someone who barely spoke and simply stood around, but they gave him a substantial role. I was really pleased, and we had a fantastic time.
Reece forms an immediate bond with Lamb, and they seem like kindred spirits. What was it like working opposite the legendary Sir Gary Oldman?
That meant a lot, especially because I was arriving as a new cast member six seasons into the show. Everyone welcomed me. Chris Chung was incredible, Saskia Reeves was wonderful, and I learned a great deal from her. She’s very wise and kind. The entire cast was brilliant, and I had such a good time with all of them.
Reece and Roddy make for one of the season’s funniest pairings. How did you and Chris develop their affectionate but antagonistic dynamic?
He was almost like a big brother during the shoot because so many of my scenes were with him. Even when we weren’t interacting directly, he was often there, so we spent a lot of time together. Chris is hilarious, and I really like him as a person. We still keep in touch, which is lovely.
MORE ON THIS: Kuwait City: World’s Hottest City – NewsFinale
The role gave you plenty of opportunities to show off your comedic timing. Did the writing or performances ever make you break character?
I was lucky during the fart scene because Reece is laughing, so I was allowed to laugh too. If everyone had been standing there in silence, I wouldn’t have managed it. Roddy Ho is the character who makes me laugh most, though. His remarks are so ridiculous and offensive, and it’s especially funny because they come from Chris Chung, who is such a kind person. Watching him become someone as awful as Roddy is a real treat.
Episode 4’s trip to Shake Shack was one of the season’s standout scenes. After learning from your BAFTA Film Firsts video that you enjoy playing villains, how much fun was it to trade insults with Hugo Weaving’s Frank Harkness?
I spoke with Hugo quite a bit, although much of what happened behind the scenes was probably me fanboying. [Laughs] In the Shake Shack scene, Reece goes in, insults Hugo, and then doesn’t speak again until the end. That meant I could sit back and watch Gary Oldman and Hugo Weaving do what they do best. I was essentially living inside my favorite show. It was unreal. I may be mistaken, but I believe it was also Lamb and Harkness’ first interaction.
You won a BAFTA for Am I Being Unreasonable?, and a video of your memorable scenes prompted me to finally add it to my watchlist. I also noticed Dustin Demri-Burns, who played Min on Slow Horses. Did he give you any advice before filming?
Dustin is great and very fun to work with. It would have been brilliant to see Reece and Min share a scene, because that could have been hilarious.
Slow Horses is unusual in that it continues to deliver a strong new season almost every year. After working on so many sets, what stands out most about your experience on the series?
I learned a huge amount from the job. The strangest part was struggling to believe it was actually work. [Laughs] It felt completely unreal. My advice to anyone joining the show in the future would be to appreciate every moment. I had an amazing time, but I was always thinking about the next day’s scenes and what we had coming up. Then suddenly it was over, and I realized how much I would miss everyone. You really have to take it all in.
Stay tuned for the rest of DECIDER’s conversation with Rush later this season, and read our interview with Slow Horses star Tom Brooke.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of Slow Horses Season 6 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.