Rob Lowe was left confused after being thrown into “the world of Brexit” in Lincolnshire.
The star worked in Boston in the East Midlands county for new ITV comedy drama Wild Bill.
Lowe, who plays an American newcomer in the new series, said he was so perplexed by the region and its accent that he did not have to act as an outsider.
Speaking to Radio Times magazine, the actor termed the area “the world of Brexit” and said he got the impression of a region in transition.
He said: “I was literally like my character. ‘How far is Boston from London? Can I bike there?’
“I would show up and I wouldn’t have one idea what people were saying. Couldn’t understand a word. I didn’t have to do any acting.”
He added: “It’s clearly a world looking for its identity. And is in turmoil and transition. And also, I’m pretty sure [it’s] factual: there’s a lot of crime at the moment, a lot of unemployment there.”
Brexit features in the storylines of the new ITV show, airing on a channel Lowe was previously unfamiliar with.
He stars as a “Wild” Bill Hixon in the show, an experienced American investigator recruited by police in the UK.
The move was a change for Lowe, who has previously starred in US series The West Wing and Code Black, but he has welcomed local cuisine.
He said: “The Lincolnshire sausages. You cannot beat them.”
The full interview can be read in Radio Times magazine, out today.