Gavin and Stacey star explains drastic change to appearance for My Lady Jane role
EXCLUSIVE: Rob Brydon, who'll soon be returning as Uncle Bryn in Gavin and Stacey, made a striking change to his appearance in the new Amazon Prime Video series My Lady Jane.
My Lady Jane: Emily Bader stars in trailer for Prime Video series
Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon grew a real goatee for his role as Lord Dudley in My Lady Jane but admitted some regrets about the decision when he realised how long he’d be filming.
The new Amazon Prime Video series follows an alternate history of Lady Jane Grey (played by Emily Bader), who in reality was beheaded as a traitor after just nine days on the English throne.
Showrunners Gemma Burgess and Meredith Glynn’s gripping series follows Jane’s adventures in a world where she escaped execution and is also populated by people who can transform into animals.
Meanwhile, Rob’s scheming character Dudley hatches a plan to marry Jane to his son to ensure his family’s royal lineage.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, he revealed: “One of my reasons for wanting to do the show was that it was a different sort of role for me.
“Somebody scheming and manipulative, with a sort of darkness to him as well. So, that was big because I don’t normally get offered those sort of roles.”
When he first signed up for the project, Rob thought a new beard was the perfect way to differentiate Dudley from his other iconic parts.
“So, then I thought, ‘How else can I be a little bit different? Maybe I should try and look a bit different in this’,” he went on.
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“Because it’s such a recognisable - within people who are aware of me - face, whether as Bryn or hosting shows. You want to be different.
“I thought, it’s not really reinventing the wheel, but I’ll have a beard. A goatee beard.”
Rob grew out his striking new look, which was then combined with a pearl earring, quiff and authentic Tudor dress before it dawned on him how long he’d have to keep it up.
“But, of course,” he added. “I sort of forgot it was a seven-month shoot for me, which meant I had this b****y beard for a long time.
“People outside of shooting this would think this was some personal choice, that in my mid-to-late-50s I had suddenly decided the goatee was the look for me. It was some sort of cry for help.”
When the trailer for the series was released in May, Rob joked on his X (formerly Twitter) profile: “For everyone who over the last year and a half has asked, ‘What's with the beard?’ This is what's with the beard…”
Despite needing some awkward explanations, Rob felt the beard was still the perfect choice for the Machiavellian Dudley.
“But I do think it helps with the character,” he said. “And then the earring wasn’t my idea, I hadn’t thought about all the jewels, the rings and the earring.
“But I think it all helps for the character, and on a personal level it helps me in trying to show something a little different.”
After taking on a villainous role for My Lady Jane, Rob will be reprising his most iconic character, Bryn, in one last episode of Gavin and Stacey airing this Christmas on BBC One.
My Lady Jane will be released Thursday, June 27 on Prime Video.
