Adam Rayner was born in Shrewsbury, England but grew up near Norwich in Norfolk. Having an American mother and a British father means he has dual nationality, and the family lived in the United States when he was a child, albeit briefly, before returning to East Anglia. He attended Durham University, and whilst there became a member of one of the u...
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Adam Rayner was born in Shrewsbury, England but grew up near Norwich in Norfolk. Having an American mother and a British father means he has dual nationality, and the family lived in the United States when he was a child, albeit briefly, before returning to East Anglia. He attended Durham University, and whilst there became a member of one of the university's drama groups. After graduation he took the two-year course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before beginning his career on the London stage- in the American play 'This Is Our Youth', where he understudied the star, Matt Damon, taking over from him for the final two weeks of the run. Show less «
Obviously, Homeland (2011) is not just a spy thriller. It's more than that, but Tyrant (2014) will b...Show more »
Obviously, Homeland (2011) is not just a spy thriller. It's more than that, but Tyrant (2014) will be a bit more of a palace drama. It'll be about the families, but there will be political intrigue as well. Show less «
British audiences tend to want to see their own lives reflected on TV, whereas American audiences ar...Show more »
British audiences tend to want to see their own lives reflected on TV, whereas American audiences are quite aspirational and enjoy high-concept shows that show them lives that are perhaps slightly more exciting than they aspire to. Show less «
I've done shows that aired on American TV, but none of them proved to be successful, so yes, no one ...Show more »
I've done shows that aired on American TV, but none of them proved to be successful, so yes, no one here knows who I am. Show less «
I don't devour huge amounts of television. I'm more naturally inclined to watch movies, but given my...Show more »
I don't devour huge amounts of television. I'm more naturally inclined to watch movies, but given my job, I need to have an understanding of what's on TV. Show less «
To be honest, unless you rocket straight to stardom as a gorgeous young vampire, you can spend a lot...Show more »
To be honest, unless you rocket straight to stardom as a gorgeous young vampire, you can spend a lot of time working behind a bar. Show less «
Homeland (2011) is a thriller with a lot of cloak and dagger spy stuff, which is one of the things t...Show more »
Homeland (2011) is a thriller with a lot of cloak and dagger spy stuff, which is one of the things that makes it so much fun. Show less «
On his co-stars in Tyrant (2014): Good actors make you better, so it was fantastic to work with thes...Show more »
On his co-stars in Tyrant (2014): Good actors make you better, so it was fantastic to work with these people because they would always push and challenge you to bring out the best in you. You are being compelled to make that effort every day. It was lovely working with Jennifer [Jennifer Finnigan] because she and I come from a similar tradition of American television and we had an immediate understanding. You then have Ashraf [Ashraf Barhom] who comes from a different tradition. The tension between the two is fantastic; when we are playing these brothers in conflict who are mysterious to each other, even with the familiarity. It's wonderful to have that coming from different places, coming from different backgrounds both geographically, socially and in terms of acting. I think it definitely helps the show rather than hinders it. Show less «
I'm actually half Brit and half American. I have a British father and an American mother, but as far...Show more »
I'm actually half Brit and half American. I have a British father and an American mother, but as far as I'm aware, no Middle Eastern blood. Show less «
I had some great high points and thought: 'This is fantastic. I'm going to be a huge star.' Then som...Show more »
I had some great high points and thought: 'This is fantastic. I'm going to be a huge star.' Then something happens, and you can't get a job to save your life. Show less «
We shot a bit of 'Hunted' in Tangier, and you are in a very, very different world. It's very difficu...Show more »
We shot a bit of 'Hunted' in Tangier, and you are in a very, very different world. It's very difficult to blend in over there. Show less «
So my character on Tyrant (2014) is a chap called Barry Al Fayeed, and he is the second son of a fic...Show more »
So my character on Tyrant (2014) is a chap called Barry Al Fayeed, and he is the second son of a fictional Middle Eastern dictator. But, he has grown up since he was young in America. He's trained as a doctor. He's married a beautiful American girl, had two kids, so he's very much an American. Show less «
I certainly have a sliver of me, which is definitely American, and feels a great pull towards where ...Show more »
I certainly have a sliver of me, which is definitely American, and feels a great pull towards where I spent time when I was very young, which is in California. Show less «
Who knows - I would like to think that I'd be a fantastic president, and I'd be extremely levelheade...Show more »
Who knows - I would like to think that I'd be a fantastic president, and I'd be extremely levelheaded, and I'd be very fair, and I wouldn't persecute people, and I'd listen to the people that disagreed with me and all the rest of it, but who knows. Show less «
People have to respond to the characters and respond to the situations that they're in. That said, i...Show more »
People have to respond to the characters and respond to the situations that they're in. That said, it still has to be a compelling narrative that drives along and keeps people coming back week after week. So really, with any successful show you could name, there has to be a mysterious blend of both of those. Show less «
Everyone working on Tyrant (2014) wants to present the world and the issues in it in an intelligent,...Show more »
Everyone working on Tyrant (2014) wants to present the world and the issues in it in an intelligent, open, fair, non-reductive kind of way. For the actors, we have to try and make these stories as truthful and compelling as possible. Show less «
That's the great thing about university: you've got people around you who are taking a risk and tryi...Show more »
That's the great thing about university: you've got people around you who are taking a risk and trying things out themselves. It gives you the confidence to try and take it to the next step, which was drama school. Show less «
My mother is American. I first went to school in America, and we came back when I was about six to r...Show more »
My mother is American. I first went to school in America, and we came back when I was about six to rural Norfolk. In primary school, I was teased immediately and mercilessly. I probably dropped that accent within about 10 days. Show less «
I was always interested in it when I was younger, but it was when I was at university, getting toget...Show more »
I was always interested in it when I was younger, but it was when I was at university, getting together with other like-minded theatrically inclined types, that I admitted to myself that I wanted to be an actor. Show less «
We rarely just hate people or love people. Normally, the people we have moments of the most impassio...Show more »
We rarely just hate people or love people. Normally, the people we have moments of the most impassioned hate for, it's because we love them so much. Show less «
On Tyrant (2014): You have to understand that the people who were involved in it...I was just thrill...Show more »
On Tyrant (2014): You have to understand that the people who were involved in it...I was just thrilled that I was sent the script. With Howard Gordon, Craig Wright and Gideon Raff, it was clearly from one of the top stable of writers in the States. The position I was in was pretty much a gun for hire and I was thrilled that they were even seeing me. Beyond that, it was a great script and a really fabulous character; the kind of character that you are waiting your whole career to come along. It's a character that is full of conflicts, tensions and contradictions. I was just thrilled that I got the script. Show less «
