Olly Rix’s ‘Casualty’ alter ego has made him a braver actor.
The 40-year-old star was pushed to the limits in a gruelling training programme with the Special Forces as he prepared for his front-and-centre role of clinical lead Flynn Byron, who is a former Special Forces medic, in the BBC medical drama’s 12-part miniseries, ‘Internal Affairs’ and is striving to replicate his screen persona’s strength, bravery and “unparalleled” work ethic in his acting career.
He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “It’s a career that requires bravery. You can’t be faint-hearted and you do the prep and then you just turn up and be brave on the day.
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“It sounds quite sort of like demystifying and basic, but I think if you had to distill it into anything, that would be it.
“Be brave, make brave choices.”
Olly admitted that his character on the show – which is mostly filmed in Cardiff, Wales – has “some real failings” and “some massive blind spots”, but he admires how Flynn puts patients and colleagues “above financial considerations [and] above answering to the board”.
The former ‘Call the Midwife’ star added: “I think he has, as we all do, I suppose, some real failings and some massive blind spots, but I think he has a brilliant heart, and he – my God, does he go to bat for the team around him? You know, like he’s not going to let anybody push them around…
“He’s not afraid of people. He’s not afraid of a fight for the right reasons, not afraid of backing colleagues. He’s not afraid of supporting colleagues against the system that they work within.
“He’s got no time for bureaucracy, red tape.
“He puts patient and staff welfare above all of that, above financial considerations, above answering to the board.
“And he won’t back down. He won’t be [a] coward. He won’t be pushed around. And I think that’s what you want in a leader, and what you want in a clinical lead.
“And what is pretty wonderful [is] when you encounter that in real life, in a friend.
“I mean, he has a lot of failings. He has big blind spots, but, you know, he has really wonderful qualities as well…
“I hope there are some characteristics that I have.
“I mean, there’s some differences and there’s some similarities, for sure.”
Episode three of ‘Casualty’s’ ‘Internal Affairs’ – which looks at the surgery and its departmental and interpersonal politics – miniseries continues on Saturday, March 29, at 8.15pm on BBC One.