British actor Christian Cooke, who replaced Ed Westwick in BBC thriller Ordeal By Innocence, has said he wanted to make the role “his own” and “interpret it my own way”.
Cooke replaced Westwick in the BBC One drama after the Gossip Girl star was accused of sexual assault, which he has denied.
The adaptation of Agatha Christie’s story was also pulled from the Christmas schedule following the accusations.
Cooke, 30, told BBC Breakfast: “I didn’t have a clue and I wouldn’t have wanted to know. Every actor would interpret a role differently and perform it differently and so a prerequisite for me was that I could come in and make it my own and interpret it my own way”.
The actor, who has previously starred in Love, Rosie, Where the Heart Is and Cemetery Junction, said the 12-day reshoot was “surprisingly seamless”.
Agatha Christie's Ordeal by Innocence is coming to @BBCOne at 9pm on Sunday 1st April! Find out what the cast have to say about the new adaptation.#OrdealByInnocence in one word… More at: https://t.co/Pvc77kLDCR@Ella_Purnell @morvenchristie @LukeTreadaway pic.twitter.com/QbNtvBeq0b
— Agatha Christie (@agathachristie) March 21, 2018
He told BBC presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty: “It was surprisingly seamless which is a credit to the producers and the director, I think they had obviously worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get everybody back together and logistically I’m sure it was difficult for them, but they were very sensitive towards the fact that they wanted it to be a fresh experience for me and the cast were more than welcoming and to be honest it felt like the first time for everybody.”
The three-part drama, which airs on Sunday, also stars Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor and Eleanor Tomlinson.
The first episode airs at 9pm on April 1.