For the past six years, Rafe Spall and Esther Smith have been capturing hearts with their portrayal of Jason and Nikki, a couple navigating the emotional rollercoaster of adoption, in Apple TV‘s acclaimed series Trying.
In a case of life imitating art, the co-stars found love off-screen, too, becoming a couple in 2022. The pair welcomed their first child together in 2024 – just as Nikki and Jason were settling into life as adoptive parents.
Trying stars Rafe Spall and Esther Smith found love off-screen (WireImage)
“It feels really special,” says Esther, 39, the West Midlands-born actress known for her roles in the BBC sitcoms Uncle and Cuckoo. “It gives me a different understanding of what being a mum is.”
For Rafe, 43 – the son of the Bafta Award-winning actor Timothy Spall – fatherhood is the ultimate blessing. “It’s the best thing about my life,” says the star, who has three children with his former wife, the actress Elize du Toit.
The London-born actor, who has appeared in films ranging from Hollywood blockbusters like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to cult-comedy favourites such as Shaun of the Dead, says his two-year-old is “a constant delight and a constant joy”.
Now, as the highly anticipated fifth season of Trying arrives, Rafe and Esther’s characters face fresh chaos when the biological mother of their children, Princess and Tyler, turns up on their doorstep.
Rafe Spall as Jason and Esther Smith as Nikki in Trying (Apple TV)
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Sitting down for an exclusive chat with HELLO!, the couple open up about the joys of parenthood, surviving their awkward teenage years and why Rafe is ready to cheer on his children if they choose to follow him into the family business.
Rafe and Esther, what’s the secret to your on-screen chemistry?
Rafe: “I can only talk about it from the point of view of Esther being extraordinarily talented. It’s going to sound as though I’m blowing my own trumpet, but chemistry is just good acting. You can fake it if you haven’t got it with someone in real life. But if you’re acting opposite someone who is open and ready to be spontaneous, you’re going to get chemistry.”
Esther: “I think it’s one of those things that’s just so mysterious and unknowing. When you hit on that chemistry with someone, it feels like gold and you feel safe. It’s a relief, actually, because that’s half the job. If you’ve got a good rhythm with each other, it gives that freedom to improvise more.”
What were you both like as teenagers?
Rafe: “I used to get into trouble a lot at school. If you were to read one of my reports, it would say that Rafe was disruptive. I think it was because I was dyslexic and felt stupid, and my educational needs weren’t met, so I would act out. But I was always kind and creative, and the same person that I like to think I am today.”
Esther: “I think I thought I was a wonderful teenager, but my mum might tell you that I was a bit of a hormonal nightmare! When I was at school, I was incredibly awkward, hiding myself in my jumper. I had two strands of hair essentially gelled to my face, and loads of eyeliner.”
Rafe and Esther play a London couple navigating the emotional rollercoaster of adoption (BBC/Apple Video Programming/Idil Sukan)
What was it like to welcome a baby while filming Trying?
Rafe: “It’s the blessing of my life to have four gorgeous children. The baby that Esther and I share is a constant delight and a constant joy. When everything else is finished, it’s all that matters, really. She’s the best, as are all my kids.”
Esther: “In terms of the timeline of filming – not the timeline of the show – I became a parent at a similar time as Nikki did. It feels nice to have shared that journey with her, even though we got to it differently.”
Rafe, how does being a father now compare with when you first had a child aged 27?
“I was one of the first people in my friendship group to have a baby. If I met a 27-year-old now and they told me they were having a baby, I’d be like: ‘Wow, that’s young.’ Parenting is about failing and trying again. You think you’ve got it figured out, but you haven’t.
“No one’s an expert at it, because every kid’s different, and you parent them differently because you’re at different stages in your life. I can’t say what that is… we’ll see when the therapist’s bills arrive in a few years.”
The couple welcomed their first child together in 2024 (Apple TV+)
Do you think your children will follow in your footsteps?
“If they wanted to, and I knew that they were doing it for the right reasons, I’d do nothing but encourage it. Something my dad has always said about wanting to be an actor, or an artist in general, is that it’s an affliction. It’s something you’ve got no real choice in, because it’s a part of who you are as a person.
“If they exhibit that, fantastic. If they don’t, I’ll encourage them to do anything that makes them happy.”
Trying is available on Apple TV. New episodes release weekly through 26 August.
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