Daniel Mays 'underestimated' psychological effects of playing 'monster' John Worboys
Believe Me star Daniel Mays "underestimated" just how much it would "psychologically" affect him "humanising a monster" while playing 'black cab rapist' John Worboys in the new ITV series, and he sought help from a counsellor to get him through the hard-hitting taxi scenes.
Daniel Mays "underestimated" just how much it would "psychologically" affect him "humanising a monster" while playing 'black cab rapist' John Worboys in new ITV series Believe Me.
The 48-year-old actor didn't expect to use an on-set counsellor's services while shooting the programme, but he changed his mind when filming hard-hitting taxi scenes.
Speaking on Lorraine, he said: "There was always the facility of a counsellor. I was a typical man and was like, 'I'm not going to be needing that.'
"But the last week was all of the taxi scenes, and I spoke to the counsellor for half an hour.
"I underestimated how much this psychologically affected me.
"I'm being asked to humanise a monster.
"But you have a responsibility, even with someone like John Worboys, to play it three-dimensionally and truthfully and rounded as possible.
"But, ultimately, what you're dealing with is a deeply dangerous and deserved and narcissistic individual."
Believe Me tells the story of how the victims of Worboys - one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history - were failed by the system.
He was convicted in 2009 for sexually assaulting twelve women between 2006 and 2008, with their cases selected from a large number of suspected further victims.
Daniel admitted the Believe Me scripts hit particularly hard because he has a 13-year-old daughter, Dixie, who will soon be taking taxi rides herself.
He added: "I'm a parent now. Our daughter Dixie is 13 and she's venturing out on public transport, and before long she'll be in the back of a taxi.
"So, when I first read the scripts my head went immediately to that place."
Daniel also insisted it was "paramount" that he got the portrayal of Worboys "right".
He said: "The onus on me getting it 100 per cent right and telling the story as truthfully and as in-depth as possible ... it was paramount I got it absolutely right."
Believe Me focuses on the ordeal of Sarah (Aimée-Ffion Edwards) and Laila (Aasiya Shah), who reported sexual assaults by Worboys (Daniel Mays), and how the Metropolitan Police failed to thoroughly investigate their allegations, leading them to feel that they were just not believed.
