An Interview with Christopher Chung from ‘Slow Horses’

Christopher Chung as Roddy Ho in Episode 401 of ‘Slow Horses’ – ‘Identity Theft’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Christopher Chung is a supremely talented and accomplished actor that has earned his way into our hearts via his portrayal of the sometimes loveable, sometimes frustrating Roddy Ho in the Apple TV+ series, Slow Horses, and with season four underway, we were able to sit down with Christopher to discuss his time on the show.
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John Betancourt: I would love to know what it means to you an actor to be back for a fourth and epic season.
 
Christopher Chung: I mean, I think with the way that streaming is now, like, you're lucky to get past the first two seasons, so the fact that we've managed to get to Season Four is a godsend, in some ways, and to be able to do it on a show that's been so well received and loved by the audiences is a bonus. So, it's a very exciting season. I think it's one of the best seasons that was done.
 
John Betancourt: I have to agree, and you actually bring me right to my next question, the fact that fans just cannot get enough of this show. And I'm very curious, what you think allows for this show to resonate so well with audiences.
 
Christopher Chung: I think it's… they're just, they're very relatable characters. You know, it is a spy thriller, but it's not in the James Bond world. It's not sleek, it's not sexy. It's very much driven from a place of reality and truth. And I think when people fantasize about what it's like to be a spy… it makes it a little bit more touchable and accessible, because all of the characters are forward. And I think that's what people really enjoy about the Slow Horses and, you know, being invited into Slough House to see to see us all in our fuckery. (Laughter from Christopher and John)
 
John Betancourt: That also leads me to my next question. Because you bring up a really good point about the realism of the show, and that applies to the characters, and I’m very curious how you as an actor have made Roddy so real and so dynamic, because he's someone that we instantly can just think of in our own workplaces.
 
Christopher Chung: Yeah, I think you know, someone asked me that question the other day, if Roddy was based on any one person in particular that I knew. And I'm surprised by how many people come up to me nowadays and say, “I know someone exactly like your character,” and it kind of flabbergasted me, because I've kind of made him an amalgamation of, like, some of the worst bits of some of the worst people that I know, but also some of the like…. I've tried to make him very well… I've tried to make him likable in what he does. I think the thing that the trick with Roddy is, is that he sits on the edge of being an absolute prick that you don't want to see any more of. So, making sure that everything that I play with him is coming from a place that's not malicious, you know.
 
John Betancourt: I get that. Kind of just that, there's an innocence, but also a purpose behind his madness.
 
Christopher Chung: Correct.
 
John Betancourt: Out of curiosity, just as a quick follow up to that one, because I'm always curious with actors that get a play character that are so not them. Does Roddy ever come home with you mentally, or is he somebody that stays at work?
 
Christopher Chung: (Laughs) What's funny is, like, I've never lived with a character for as long as Roddy. And he's, he is everywhere in my head. Now, you know, I was in New York with my wife a few months ago, and we were shopping, and I saw a t-shirt that completely resonated with him, and I had to buy it. You know, I look at -- whenever you're out in the world, because you're always trying to, like, think of new ideas, or how would your character respond to certain things, he's always kind of there, narrating slightly like that.
 
John Betancourt: Now this show is, obviously, an actor's paradise. You each get to do such incredible work, week in and week out, that obviously leaves us in awe. And I'm curious what it means to you as an actor to work on a series that really does give you so much to work with.
 
Christopher Chung: It's a… it's a gift, isn't it? I mean, I think every actor has been in a situation where, you know, the material is not great, or your costars are not great, or the conditions that you're working under are not great. And you know for the last four years that we've been making the show, all of those boxes have been ticked in in an excellent way like that. It's an absolute dream of a job to have. So, I feel extremely lucky every time I step on set, you know, to get to work with Gary (Oldman), with Saskia (Reeves), Jack (Lowden), Kristen (Scott Thomas), you know, we are like, in so many ways, like a small kind of dysfunctional family, but it's great fun. So, it's excellent.
 
John Betancourt: I am curious, without spoiling, what you're looking forward to audiences experiencing in the next five, six weeks, without any spoilers of course.
 
Christopher Chung: I think, um, there's the big twists that come. I think you know, especially from episode one, it has left so many questions open. You know, is River really dead? What slow horse is in like… in jeopardy? There's so many threads that need to be tied up within the next five episodes. It's really difficult to choose one that you would focus on. So. Yeah, we'll go with the twists.
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you today, over the course last four years, what have you been most proud of thus far when it comes to your work on the show.
 
Christopher Chung: At the end of season one, there's a line when River tells Roddy why he's in Slough House, and he says to River at the end, “They tried to cage me up, but you can't cage a dragon.” And James Hawes, our director of season one, had just left the camera running, and that is something that just kind of fell out of my mouth with any preparation. It was just a bit of improv, but it made it into the cut, and I feel like it was a moment for me where I’m like… I hadn't thought about that line. It kind of came out of nowhere, and it just really meant that I had found Roddy at the end of by season one. So, I think that's that was probably one of my proudest moments.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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