"WHEN I READ THE SCRIPT, IT WAS A WONDERFUL CHALLENGE”

Actor Matt Smith and musician and writer Nick Cave discuss Smith's lead role as a sex-obsessed salesman in the Sky adaptation of Cave's novel The Death of Bunny Munro

- By NICK REILLY

A charismatic Time Lord with two hearts. Charles Manson. A dragon-riding prince fashioned from the brilliant mind of George RR Martin. The roles played by Matt Smith throughout his career are the mark of an actor who is every bit as eclectic as he is hard to pigeonhole. There’s no risk of that variety ending with his latest role, either, as the eponymous lead in Sky’s adaptation of Nick Cave’s 2009 novel The Death of Bunny Munro. Smith’s character is a sex-addled cosmetics salesman who goes on a road trip with his son after his wife takes her own life, sending him into a wild spiral of chaos. It’s as pitch black and morally conflicted as you’d expect from a character created in the mind of Nick Cave and you’ll seldom be able to take your eyes off the screen. A wank at a funeral. A ceremonial piss across the bathroom of a customer who has wronged our hero. It’s frequently challenging and mad stuff, especially as Bunny’s young son wakes up to the realisation that his heroic father might not be the man he thought he was.

But for all Bunny’s flaws, Cave admits: “There are malevolent people in the world and people that just have a screw loose and they enjoy inflicting misery on the world. I don’t think that is Bunny Munro.”

It’s this central premise which informs an intriguing and often unforgettable adaptation of Cave’s work. We caught up with both men to discuss the project.

Matt, I wanted to ask about your relationship with Nick’s music and whether you’d interacted with the man himself before taking on this project?

Nick Cave: What a fucking horrible question! “Oh, I hated his music!”