How Alan Cumming And David Morrissey's 40-Year Friendship Helped Them Play Enemies In Tip Toe

The Huffington Post

How Alan Cumming And David Morrissey's 40-Year Friendship Helped Them Play Enemies In Tip Toe

Alan Cumming and David Morrissey in Tip Toe In Russell T Davies ’ new drama Tip Toe , Alan Cumming and David Morrissey play feuding neighbours whose turf war spirals out of control with tragic consequences. But in real life, it turns out the pair are lifelong chums. Outside of Tip Toe, Alan and David have been friends for around 40 years and, in fact, were even neighbours for a long time. Speaking to BBC News in the lead-up to Tip Toe’s release, David explained: “We have to do some pretty tough stuff, but the great thing about being with an actor who is a friend is that you can really push it.” He added that after shooting a “very confrontational” scene, he and Alan would be “hugging each other and making sure each other are alright”. Alan also told ITV’s This Morning that his friendship with David “really helped” them get through what might otherwise have been quite a difficult shoot due to the show’s heavy subject matter. In a separate interview, Russell told The Hollywood Reporter : “It turned out [Alan has] been best friends with David Morrissey for 40 years, and they’d never appeared on screen together. “When they did their first little scene on Canal Street, we all gave them a round of applause. It was such a lovely moment.” David Morrissey, Alan Cumming and Russell T Davies at the launch of Tip Toe last month The Bafta winner also told Channel 4 that it was Alan who suggested that David could play Clive, having already been cast as Leo in the early stages of the creative process. “He said, ‘oh, I’ve sent the script to Dave’. And we were like, ‘brilliant, imagine getting David Morrissey as well’,” Russell recalled. “And it happened!” Russell enthused: “The fact that that they’re friends in real life, it just shows how great actors they are because they fucking hate each other [in the show] and it’s visceral and uncomfortable. “[Being friends] gave them a lot of freedom, I think. They didn’t have to spend time getting to know each other, so I think they felt very free to go for it.” He added: “They’ve been mates for 40 years, so they knew they could go for it. And I think there’s a real boldness in what they do together.” The brutal finale of Tip Toe premiered on Channel 4’s streaming service over the weekend, with Russell previously opening up to HuffPost UK about what went into the unflinching scene . MORE TIP TOE: Russell T Davies: 'The World Is Out Of Control In A Way We Won't Even Contemplate' 9 Things We Learned From The Tip Toe Cast About The Hard-Hitting New Channel 4 Drama Tip Toe Creator Russell T Davies Talks Us Through The Show's Brutal Ending

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