Forget Ross and Rachel. Devi and Paxton from Never Have I Ever? Those on-screen couples have nothing on Hannah and Nathan from The Split. Brought to life with incredible vigor and nuance by Nicola Walker (Last Tango In Halifax, Unforgotten) and Stephen Mangan (Episodes), beleaguered Hannah and Nathan have become the most intriguing, have-to-watch couple on the BBC. The show, which follows a family of all-female lawyers and unfolds in the fast-paced world of London’s high-end divorce circuit, is a multi-layered if not witty examination of modern marriage and the legacy of divorce. It’s one of the most-watched dramas overseas and now, of course, American audiences are steadfastly catching on—and tuning in.
What’s the allure? Relationships. Nothing is as rosy and murky as that, eh?
Season Three of the acclaimed drama recently dropped and there’s plenty at stake creatively. For starters, this is the final season. After spending several years watching Hannah and Nathan—and their families—ponder the states of their lives and the importance of their relationships, the intensity dial is suddenly turned up. “[Creator] Abi Morgan always had three seasons in mind,” says Stephen Mangan, who infuses Nathan the Barrister with realistic devotion. “It’s sort of rare for a writer to know specifically how long a story should go. This business is often driven by economics. So, if something is a hit, you’re encouraged to roll it out for as long as you can. But Abi has always had three seasons in mind. It’s going to finish after this season, even despite being one of the most popular dramas in the UK.”
We find Hannah and Nathan at a new low point in their relationship this season. Sure, they’ve “split,” but prepping for divorce suddenly occupies the picture. From the get-go we find Nathan, unbeknownst to Hannah, having met somebody, and it’s a blow that Hannah must deal with right at the top of the season. “I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but it’s such a beautifully written and compelling piece of drama,” Mangan muses, noting that he believes everybody can relate to the series, whether they’re married or parents or partners or delving into intimate relationships. “It’s such a focus of all our lives, whether we desire a relationship or don’t have one or we have one and it’s going well, or we are in the middle of our own sticky mess of separation,” he explains. “It’s real, and it’s a real treat for me to be part of this series.”
Creating A Compelling Series
With Morgan at the helm of the drama, the creator has given audiences a bevy of flawed characters to savor. The Defoes are a powerful family of all-women London divorce lawyers, and when we first tuned in, Hannah quit the family firm, joined a rival firm, and began working alongside an old flame. High-stakes divorce settlements are part of the game, but so, too, becomes Hannah’s sudden diverted interests. Emotional volleyball between mothers and daughters and sisters brought out the drama, too, of course, but from the initial introduction to Hannah and Nathan, audiences were given a complex couple to route for. When asked what audiences are actually “relating” to and connecting with, Mangan says it’s the “human” story.
“Nice people living nice lives doesn’t make good drama,” he notes with a chuckle. “There’s a range of people struggling to get through that crap life throws at them. I think everyone can relate to that in one way or another. Because it’s so beautifully written by a woman writer, which has to be said—and I’m not speaking out of turn here, because Abi has written a book about her challenges—I think she did what a great writer does. Which is take those incredibly tough life situations and turn them into art. She’s filled the scripts with compassion, love, depth, understanding, and rage. And it’s very powerful.”
Morgan is a remarkable storyteller. Her recent memoir “This Is Not A Pity Memoir,” sailed up the charts. In it, she reveals the grueling challenges she faced when her partner of 20 years suddenly thought she was a stranger. That’s impactful enough. Add major health scares into the mix, and it becomes quite a bit to manage.
“When you come across somebody who can channel that real-life stuff so well, it really stands out,” Mangan says. “And Abi has done that. By the time you get to season three of anything, the writer is writing for the actors she knows. They’re getting a feel for what those actors can do and what they’re capable of. So, there’s been a great synergy with the series.”
Finding Standout Roles
For many people tuning in, it’s been a joy to watch Mangan embody Nathan as a man who cannot find a square within himself to land on. “My character is a mess,” he admits. “He’s weak. He’s got himself into a terrible situation where there’s almost no good answer. And for an actor, that’s fantastic. Part of the problem when people go through these things is to know with real clarity what it is you feel and what you want. We’re not all in touch with ourselves that we can put our fingers on those things.”
How great would that be, though—to be able to understand what’s gone wrong and what needs to be addressed and “fixed.” “People get confused or hurt, they feel vulnerable, they don’t want to let go, they’re afraid of being alone,” Mangan says. “They can be selfish, and sometimes they can make stupid choices. My character has all those factors going on. So, as an actor, it’s an absolute treat.”
Another stellar aspect of the character is that Mangan works alongside Walker, whose take on Hannah has turned heads for two seasons. Curiously, the actors knew each other since they were teens. They even went to the same college and often paired up in acting classes. In the series, audiences may notice pictures of the couple, which are real photos of them taken decades earlier. “We definitely have a rapport and trust each other implicitly,” he says. “She’s a wonderful actress, and we were given great material to work with.’”
Up next for the actor is publishing his second children’s novel. The actor, who has three boys, originally wrote a children’s novel and named the main character after his youngest, who was then a baby. When it was published, “I realized I have two other children and I was going to have to write at least two more books,” he says, “so, Frank’s book (“The Fart That Changed The World”) is just getting published. And then Harry’s book.” Beyond that, there’s a new series in the works and a starring role in a film that was penned about seven years ago, which, coincidentally, centers around a global pandemic. “I don’t know if the world is ready for a light-hearted look at a pandemic,” Mangan quips, “but that’s what the movie is. So, maybe it will be the best timing for a film in the history of cinema?”
As for his character in The Split and what makes for a good relationship in the real world, Mangan is candid. “I am not a relationship guru at all. And I think a lot of it is luck. Who knows? It’s like making great television or great movies. If there was an absolute cast-iron formula for success, we’d all be following it. And how many volumes of poetry and self-help books and novels have been written out this thing? We’re just endlessly fascinated, aren’t we, as humans, by love? It’s such a mysterious thing.”
Tune into The Split on BBC America, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
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