Diksha Sundriyal
Hulu’s ‘Rivals’ recreates the 1980s Cotswolds and brings the drama and intrigue of upper-class English society through a myriad of characters, all of whom are involved with one another in some very interesting ways. While there is a lot going on with a lot of people, the main focus is on the rivalry between Rupert Campbell-Black and Lord Tony Baddingham. Rupert is best known for being a womanizer with a reputation, but he is also an ex-Olympian and the Minister for Sport in Margaret Thatcher’s government. Tony, on the other hand, is the owner of an independent TV production company called Corinium. The dislike between the duo is mutual and leads to some very complicated circumstances, which get more twisted as the story progresses. The duo remains at the heart of the show, and interesting as it might be to watch their feud, it is all completely made up. SPOILERS AHEAD
Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Baddingham are Imaginary Rivals with Interesting Origins
All the events and the characters in the Hulu series are fictional, as they all originate from the mind of author Jilly Cooper, whose novel, ‘Rivals,’ serves as the source material for the show. While Tony Baddingham is well-known amongst the fans, it is Rupert Campbell-Black who enjoys the most popularity amongst the readers, as he also happens to be the character that recurs the most in Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles. Rupert made his first appearance in the 1986 novel, ‘Riders,’ and has since appeared, in various degrees, in several of the series’ books. For the most part, the characters in Cooper’s books are made-up. However, the author did confess that she found inspiration in people around her to concoct the core of the characters, to which she later added plot and drama to make things spicier for the readers.
Lord Tony Baddingham is not inspired by any particular person, but Cooper has talked about the inspirations behind Rupert Campbell-Black. On several occasions, she has mentioned a group of men that she drew upon to sketch Rupert’s personality. Queen Camilla’s ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, has been named amongst the inspirations, along with Rupert Lycett-Green, Mickey Suffolk (the 21st Earl of Suffolk), and David Somerset (the 11th Duke of Beaufort). Cooper revealed that she was inspired by the charm and glamor of the aristocrats, especially their playful manner and easygoing personas, which she imparted in Rupert.
Cooper also mentioned that it was only the best bits of their personalities that she used for the fictional character. All the bad and objectionable things that Rupert does do not reflect on the real-life men and are all made up by the writer to advance the plot. Apart from this, Cooper revealed that she also drew inspiration from her father and husband to craft other characters in the book but did not mention whether any of the fictional men in her books are specifically based on the men in her life.
The Actors Brought Their Own Twist to the Characters
In her books, Cooper creates quite a detailed world with characters receiving deep explorations of their ambitions and desires. The actors, Alex Hassell and David Tennant, who play Rupert and Tony, respectively, have talked about how much the script itself informed them about the peculiarities of their characters. Hassell revealed that he started reading the books after he was cast but has limited himself to the story as far as it is covered in the first season. Tennant, on the other hand, talked about the love his wife has for Cooper’s books, which is one of the reasons why he wanted to work on the show. However, once he sunk his teeth into Tony’s character, he found him to be a very fascinating person with many layers.
Hassell felt the pressure of playing Rupert from day 1 because he knew how iconic the character was among the readers. From getting horse-riding lessons to getting a proper full-body tan, the actor had to go through quite a lot of preparation for the role. Considering that Rupert is described as one of the best-looking men in the country, Hassell knew that the way Rupert carried himself needed to reflect the repertoire he had already established before the events of the show. Calling the character confident, yet at times, predatory, the actor revealed that he focused a lot on the body language to nail the character.
To get in the mood, Hassell even created a playlist containing songs like Kiss by Prince and Need You Tonight by INXS to evoke the sexy vibe Rupert always seems to exude. The wardrobe also helped him get into the character, as it closely reflects who Rupert is. The brilliant supporting cast also helped elevate his confidence by incorporating objectifying looks for Rupert in their performance, allowing the actor to feel the self-importance that the character must experience on a daily level. With all of this, the actors were able to find a sense of truth in their characters and bring an air of realism to them, even though they remain entirely made up.
Read More: Rivals Ending, Explained: Does Tony Die?
