Coldwater star Andrew Lincoln reveals one moment in life when he “lost it” – and talks filming shower scenes

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Prepare yourself! The fresh ITV1 suspense drama by Irish writer David Ireland, titled Coldwater, gets underway with an unexpectedly brutal act. And Andrew Lincoln is in the starring role!

In a playground of London, John (Lincoln) is spending time with his kids when he observes a man striking a boy in the face. Stricken with surprise, John remains silent. Another woman witnesses this violent act and expresses her disapproval by confronting the attacker. However, instead of stopping, the man retaliates against the woman. In this moment, John takes action – he swiftly departs from the park along with his children, abandoning the woman to endure a vicious assault.

This event causes John, his spouse Fiona (Indira Varma) and their children to relocate to Coldwater, a secluded and picturesque Scottish hamlet that John believes will be devoid of malicious individuals such as the bully at the playground. However, upon meeting his neighbor Tommy (Ewan Bremner, in an uninhibited display of eccentricity) and his wife Rebecca (a seemingly less volatile Eve Myles), John quickly discovers his initial assumptions were far from accurate.

In Coldwater, a hidden layer of slipperiness emerges, leading to an escalation from tension to chaos, disorder to destruction, and eventually, John discovers that he cannot perpetually dodge confrontations. Clearly, this tranquil haven is far from Monarch of the Glen.

What’s Coldwater about?

David Ireland expresses that he’s still uncertain about various aspects of life. Writing the first episode in 2020, during lockdown, his passion for running, reading the Bible, and true crime books, along with discussions about moving to the countryside, all contributed to the piece. As a result, each viewing reveals new insights to him. He believes it explores faith and community.

What was it that appealed to you about the part?

ANDREW LINCOLN I declined the role on two occasions. The part was terrifying since it depicted a man being disassembled, with his masculinity in tatters. He’s lost, and there’s a strong feeling of a man spiraling out of control, seeking to rediscover himself in middle age. Yet, I found myself drawn back despite my attempts to leave, primarily because I hold David’s writing in high esteem. His unique ability lies in crafting witty, humorous dialogue that both entertains and pushes you towards the edge. I would categorize it as an unconventional romantic comedy-thriller.

Familiar elements abound in this project – I see myself reflected in its parts and the concept of marriage is recognizable to me. Despite spending six months on it during its formative stages, I often found myself questioning, “What exactly are we creating? What’s the purpose?” One moment, it’s brimming with humor, and the next, it’s gruesomely disturbing. The complexity arises due to this unpredictability.

The initial sequence, showing a man brutally assaulting a woman, is incredibly unsettling, especially since the main character, whom we’re supposed to root for, stands by and takes no action.

The initial scene was what made me turn it down initially, and when we filmed it, I commented: “This will be a high-wire act.” This character isn’t a stereotype – he’s an ordinary person acting in ways people might not want to under pressure. Making that relatable for the audience is difficult.

After a ten-year hiatus from British TV, where you played Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead, Coldwater marks a significant change in the type of roles you’re taking on.

This decision was a deliberate choice, serving as a kind of refreshment following the archetype of a heroic figure. It turned out to be the ideal method for my return to the UK. Even though I haven’t actually left – my children attend school here – and I didn’t sever ties with anyone, my thoughts and professional life had been focused there, as I was bound by contract over there. Essentially, I’m seeking employment wherever I can find it.

Coldwater is about masculinity, among other things. Who taught you to be a man?

In simpler terms, my mother played a more significant role in my life compared to my father and my peers. An intriguing aspect of parenthood is encountering decisive moments, such as puberty, when children become well-versed in your personal views, beliefs, and even your favorite jokes. At these junctures, they often gravitate towards their peers. Your role as a parent, then, is to wait it out until they grow past that phase around age 24, reconnect with them, and greet each other as if meeting for the first time since their adolescence.

When I was just four years old, my father passed away, leaving me with uncertainties about what kind of role model he might have been. Fortunately, my mother remarried when I was nine and I gained a stepfather who was honest, diligent, and genuinely good-hearted – he certainly served as an excellent role model for me. As a father myself now, I sometimes feel lost and unsure, but I believe many people experience the same feelings. I strive to bring laughter into my children’s lives, and I aim to remain patient and calm as much as possible – that’s the best I can do.

Starting from the very beginning, Coldwater has scenes filled with intense bursts of violence. Has any situation or encounter you’ve experienced in real life ever been as violent as what’s depicted in this film?

On a number of occasions, dangerous situations have arisen where violence seemed imminent, but thankfully, my children were never present during these incidents. In those rare instances, I recall feeling a brief pause of apprehension before taking action. However, the actions taken were not so extreme as to create an overly frightening atmosphere. As some authors tend to be more observant than actively involved, I believe there is within me a tendency to witness and absorb events during any significant incident.

REPHRASED In the ’90s, my memory isn’t very clear, but I do recall an incident involving my high school rugby team and a Hells Angels bar. We were all a bit worse for wear, and a brawl broke out. One of our teammates had struck another individual, who in turn attacked another member of our team, breaking his nose. In the chaos, someone nearly hit me with a glass, but I managed to interject and draw attention to the broken nose, which bought us around 30 seconds to quickly leave the premises. I don’t consider my actions heroic; I believe it was more an automatic response to adrenaline.

Have you ever felt that violence within yourself?

Although generally calm and patient, there have been times when I’ve become upset, such as with my daughter at age two who refused to wear a sock. On another occasion during a PADI course in Australia, my friends Shaun (black) and Andy (Asian) were with me, along with a man named Jeff. It was a tense situation due to the presence of great white sharks in Sydney Harbour, and I had recently quit smoking. Jeff made racist remarks, which caused me to lose my temper. My friends Shaun and Andy stepped in to defend me and commented that they were accustomed to such behavior. To this day, they still recall my reaction as being similar to the character Nosferatu.

Raised in Belfast, amidst a working-class community marked by frequent violence, my childhood was characterized by initial shock, eventually acclimating to the normality of it all. The omnipresence of violence instilled within me an underlying fear that such tendencies resided within me as well. I believe this fear manifested in various ways throughout my work, giving rise to characters like John and Tommy. While Tommy embraces violence without reservation, John harbors a deep discomfort towards it despite the inner turmoil suggesting he too possesses a propensity for violence. In essence, John and Tommy symbolize different facets of my own personality.

Is there a particularly intimate bathroom sequence where you expose your backside, and I’m wondering if you find it nerve-wracking to act in unclothed scenes?

Experiencing the intimate filming process feels more like a shared bathing ritual with the camera crew rather than just another scene. The bond formed in these situations is unique and irreplaceable. As cast and crew, we’re all striving to bring something extraordinary into existence, so there’s an underlying sense of camaraderie, collaboration, and generosity that pervades. The atmosphere is incredibly respectful, a stark contrast to the chaotic Wild West-like environment on my previous project, This Life. Back then, we didn’t have intimacy coordinators, making it an absolute rollercoaster of madness.

You mention faith as a theme of Coldwater. Do you have faith yourselves?

At approximately the same time as I was penning the initial episode, I found myself praying, and I must admit, something extraordinary transpired. I underwent a unique experience that shifted my perspective and sparked an interest in me to delve into the Bible and attend church services. Prior to this transformation, I had perused it, yet not for any Christian intent. My reading was merely due to its historical significance and the captivating tales it contained – some of which were exceedingly violent. However, these days, before commencing my work, I spend a few moments reading four or five Bible chapters with a Christian focus.

AL The ambiance inside a church deeply touches me. I appreciate and respect people’s devotion, yet my motivation to attend church is only sparked by the chance to hear a gospel choir during the 90s. I am captivated by gospel choirs. Among my friends, there are those who practice Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. I admire their religious practices and how family and community play such a crucial role in many forms of worship around the world.

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2025-09-09 03:08