BEAVER FALLS STARS ARSHER ALI AND JOHN DAGLEISH TALK GUNS AND MULLETS [A WINNING COMBINATION].

You might recognise Arsher Ali (who plays A-Rab) from his role in the brilliant Four Lions, you know, that one where he gets blown up. John Dagleish (Barry) on the other hand starred in a war film alongside Danny Dyer. Yeah, these boys are involved in pretty big things... Anyway, the first series of Beaver Falls saw A-Rab, Barry and their mate Flynn (Sam Robertson) head over to the U-S-of-A for a summer of Camp America-style fun before starting work. A year later and the boys are back in town, for more sun, sea, and, uh, sexy co-stars. To find out more about the actors, we headed down to the park for an intense game of softball and a nice little chat with Arsher and John…

ON THEIR BEAVER FALLS CHARACTERS, IN THREE WORDS:
John: Constantly stoned monkey / boob-chasing stoner.
Arsher: Lovelorn sporty mental.

ON CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ENCOUNTERED WHEN FILMING BEAVER FALLS IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Arsher: Lots of springbok poo, zebra poo…
John: Yeah, we filmed in a wildlife reserve…
Arsher: Mullets! Lots of mullets! [laughs]
John: Yeah, something about the Afrikaan boys…
Arsher: They love a good mullet!
John: We actually had a game… mullet cam! Where you basically have to take lots of photos of mullets that you see, without them realising. So you take lots of photos first so that it doesn’t look like you’re checking out their mullet and then you just kind of get in front of them and go for it.

ON ACTING:
Arsher: It was all an accident! I was set to do a media placement and be a sports journalist. I don’t know what happened there… probably chasing girls or something… I ended up doing drama at college.
John: Don’t get many girls doing sports journalism! There were a few years of distraction along the way, but yeah, always wanted to act. I was on stage for the first time when I was five… it was South Pacific and I was Jerome. I had to sing that ‘Dit Moi’ song. I made my nana cry! I did lots of am dram in Essex, came to London when I was like 17 and did various jobs before going to drama school.
Arsher: He worked as a showgirl!
John: This is true… yeah…
[we reckon they’re joking but can’t confirm…]

ON THEIR FAVOURITE ROLES:
Arsher: Well I played Puck [from A Midsummer Nights Dream] recently at The Royal Shakespeare Company – that was fun, bit mental! Probably A-Rab though, because you know, I don’t get blown up and I’m not a fairy and… it’s just really fun.
John: Yeah, it’s definitely a fun job isn’t it?! This is the one. It’s just like being out and about with your mates having a good time in the sun… I did a war film that was really interesting because I’ve always wanted to fire a gun and stuff. That’s the kind of stuff that actors want to do – fire guns and play with swords… and to get behind a 1940s machine gun and get all dressed up. That was the hardest job I’ve ever done because it was in snow and with Danny Dyer! But this is definitely the most fun job.

ON SOFTBALL:
John: There are going to be many, many pictures of me being very sweaty.
Arsher: You are quite sweaty aren’t you?
John: Yeah, I’m a big sweater.
Arsher: I don’t sweat.
John: Maybe I should get that botox for my armpits so that I can’t sweat…
Arsher: Season three! Put it on your rider!

ON THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON IN THEIR PHONE CONTACTS:
John: Probably Dawn French. She played my mum for four years in a show called Lark Rise to Candleford, which was a BBC period drama. I still keep in contact with her and she sends me rude jokes. She keeps asking me to visit her in Cornwall! She’s so lovely. She’s exactly how you want her to be.
Arsher: I would have to say… Chris Morris. [Director of Four Lions]

ON THE FUTURE:
John: I’m doing a second series of a thing called Starlings for Sky that we started shooting at the beginning of August. Very happy about that.
Arsher: I’ve just finished filming a film called Complicit, which is very different to this – very intense and serious. There are crazy 14-page scenes and things like that. That had David Oyelowo in it and was directed by Niall MacCormick who did Albatross. I’m starting filming an adaptation of a book called Remainder with a first time director Omer Fast. It’s about a crazy guy who creates his own world and trys to recreate memories and stuff. We’ll be filming in London. Quite excited about that. I’m reading the book at the moment and it’s f*cking mental.

Check out our interview with Beaver Falls star Natasha Loring in the latest issue of RWD, and HERE.