Warning: Spoilers ahead Slow Horses Season 4, Episode 1.Slow Horses Season 4, Episode 1 is now streaming on Apple TV+, and what an emotional roller coaster of an episode. The series follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground section of MI5 called Slough House. Season 4 wastes no time getting into a mystery that is sure to be at the center of the rest of the season, involving River Cartwright (Jack Louden) and his grandfather David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce).
The TV series is based on a book series by award-winning author Mick Herron. The first book in his series is called Slow Horses, with eight more to follow, leaving the door open for many more seasons to come. Slow Horses Season 5 has already been confirmed. Slow Horses Streams on Apple TV+.
Screen Rant Talked to Slow HorsesChristopher Chung, who plays Roddy Ho, about the emotional premiere of Season 4. He reveals how he felt when he realized he was leading the first scene of the season – and just how much chicken he consumed while filming it. Christopher also talks about the big twist that comes at the end of the premiere episode. He also discusses whether he thinks Roddy has evolved over the last three seasons and what it’s like working with Gary Oldman and the rest of the incredible cast.
Continuing Slow Horse with Seasons 4 and 5 is “A Dream Come True”
“I think, as a viewer, it’s really easy to get invested in something that you know isn’t going to be canceled.”
Screen Rant: How does it feel to not only get a fourth season of Slow Horses, but a fifth too?
Christopher Chung: It’s pretty awesome. You know, not many shows make it past two or three seasons these days, so to be on season 4 and have season 5 already filmed is a dream come true. I think, as a viewer, it’s really easy to get invested in something that you know isn’t going to be canceled. It’s nice to know that we can continue with these people, because they are so much fun.
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Screen Rant: Let’s talk about the cast. What’s it like working with Gary Oldman and everybody?
Christopher Chung: It’s crazy in the best way possible. Every day is a day to play and have fun, especially when Gary is on set. But even when he wasn’t, he set the tone for the rest of us to be really comfortable in what we were doing and what we wanted to achieve by making the show. We’ve had it since the first season, and I think it’s really allowed all of our work to grow exponentially and become richer and more detailed and has allowed us to have fun the whole way.
Slow Horses season 4 opener was “sick”
“To go from season 1 to come to open season 4? It was brilliant.”
Screen Rant: You must open the new season!
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Christopher Chung: I know. When I read the script, I was like, “Oh my god, this is sick.” I was beside myself. Actually, I think we were filming season 3 when Will, our writer, started writing passes on season 4. He told me he had a brilliant idea for the opening of season 4, and it’s going to be me opening in it. I was like, “This is wild to me.” To go from season 1 to come to open season 4? It was brilliant. So much fun. And such a fun way to do it and to reveal the plot.
Screen Rant: But how much chicken did you have to eat? I’m so invested in this. I need to know.
Christopher Chung: There’s a lot of food in this show. So much. Gary with his noodles. I drank copious amounts of Red Bull. The chicken, I think we have a count. I think it was like 20 drumsticks.
Screen Rant: Is it at least good?
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Christopher Chung: It was all right. You never really see all the chicken that gets eaten though, you know? It was a lot.
Screen Rant: I love how brilliant the opening is. What was your reaction when you first saw it all together?
Christopher Chung: Do you know, I think the first time I saw it was in the trailer. And of course, the explosion was put in afterwards, but I remember how epic it felt because we had a huge crane shot when it was moving, and I remember thinking, this is going to look crazy because the colors are so vibrant too, because It’s just around Christmas, and it’s orange and red and blue. And then you really get to dive into the action of Western Acres. So I think when I saw it, I was completely blown away. no pun intended.
Roddy wanted River’s computer for parts in Slow Horse Season 4, Episode 1
“We’re trying to find the balance of the tone of the scene to make it work.”
Screen Rant: When River dies, Roddy immediately goes for his computer. You are the technical guy. Wouldn’t your computer be better?
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Christopher Chung: I pass it for parts because I need an extra hard drive. I absolutely have a better computer, but definitely needed an extra hard drive. I need a couple of cables to hook up my other monitors. So it’s all just to delete it.
Screen Rant: This scene is so great. Like everyone else is crying and you are just focused on the computer.
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Christopher Chung: The thing about that scene that’s really difficult is so many things happen in that scene. I deliver information that River is dead to Moira initially. Then Louisa gets it and obviously has a huge emotional response. Then informing all the other slow horses to get the information to them. And then delivering something completely out of the blue that I have a girlfriend.
So to be able to balance the comedy, the drama, and actually get plot in one scene is really difficult. And do not make it a wink to the camera, as it is strange. We’re going to break the tension and make it funny, but trying to make it from a real place is not easy. It’s ups and downs.
Screen Rant: How long did it take to get this shot right?
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Christopher Chung: The scene took quite a while, actually. Because we’re trying to find the balance of the tone of the scene to make it work. And Rosalind too [Eleazar] Throw a prank on JK [Coe] And her goal is not great, so a little more than we needed.
Christopher reads the Slow House books to find out when he dies
Screen Rant: Watching this episode of Slow HorsesThey shoot him in the face, and it is not clear whether it is really him or not. When reading the script, is it vague? Did you know there was a twist at the end of the episode that it wasn’t River?
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Christopher Chung: Because I had read Mick Heron’s novels before, I knew why the little hand was there. What you don’t get from the script but you do when you watch it, is what Gary does. He tells the whole story of River doing this to cover up because he needs time. I’ll buy him time by telling Emma Fleet it’s him. And he does it in such a quick look, but it tells a whole story and I think that’s just… you just watch it and you’re like, this is magic.
Screen Rant: I’m one of those people who stays away from the books until the series is done because I don’t want to be spoiled.
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Christopher Chung: I just wanted to know when I die. I just have to know.
Roddy “is the most fun to play” for Christopher Chung
Screen Rant: Do you feel like Roddy has evolved over the course of the last four seasons?
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Christopher Chung: I think the thing about the characters in this show is that whatever growth potential they have is very minimal and small. Which is why I think they’re all stuck in this purgatory-style house. I think that if you ask the question, how he grew up, he would have a really inflated feeling that I survived a Russian assassin, and I saved Lamb, I drove the bus into a house. And I saved the girl. He would think that all the things he has so far have really made him this hugely formed and complete man. And he learned from his experience, where in fact, he did none of that.
Screen Rant: But it’s fun to watch.
Christopher Chun: He is and fun to play. I remember when I walked out of my first, well, my only audition for the job, James Ho, our first season director said, “You look like you’re having a lot of fun out there playing him. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” , don’t you?” And said, “It’s the best fun. And at least if I don’t get the job, at least I got to play him for a bit.” And now he has been with me for four years and he is always in my ear.
About Slow Horses Season 4
Slow Horses is an adaptation of CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning Mick Herron’s first novel in the “Slow Horses” series, which follows a team of British intelligence agents serving in a dumping ground section of MI5 – Slough House. Gary Oldman stars as Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but irritable leader of the spies who ends up in Slow House due to their career-ending mistakes.
Check back soon for our upcoming Slow Horses Season 4 Interviews:
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Saskia Reeves
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Aimee-Fion Edwards
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Christine Scott Thomas