Raoul Moat actor Matthew Stokoe reveals emotional toll of playing killer in new ITV drama

Virgin Radio

13 Apr 2023, 11:09

Actor Matthew Stokoe has opened up about the emotional toll that came with playing infamous killer Raoul Moat in the new ITV drama.

Thirteen years ago, Raoul Moat shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, her new partner Chris Brown and traffic officer David Rathband before going on the run for a week and shooting himself in a stand off with the Police.

It was one of those cases the nation will struggle to forget and it led to a huge investigation of the police force.

Now, quite controversially, it is being turned into a true crime drama for ITV and actor Matthew Stokoe has opened up about how playing the killer affected him.

Speaking to virginradio.co.uk and other press at a Q&A for the new series, he explained: “I think I prepared myself quite well and I was in quite a robust place when I went into [the series]. But through osmosis, I think when you play a person like that, there's kind of sadness that creeps in.”

The actor continued: “I felt very much like the majority of my time filming, it was either kind of by myself in a tent somewhere in the woods or I was in the gym, or I was in my hotel room, and it was kind of just that on a loop for a few weeks. I think that when the subject matter is so heavy, you really do take it seriously and try to commit to it and give it the effort that it deserves.

“Over time, there's an accumulative pressure that comes up and I've never been one of these people that, you know, go to a really dark place and method acts… but by the end of the job, I felt very much like I had been through some really heavy, sad grief or loss of some experience.”

Stokoe reflected on how most of the time when he finishes an acting job, he feels like he’s on “cloud nine”, but with this series he had to take some to decompress and “get out of that mindset”.

There have been mixed feelings about a crime drama being made about the Raoul Moat case, because of how horrendous it was. But, writer Kevin Sampson reassured viewers the victims’ stories are being handled with care.

You can read more of what he had to say here.

The Hunt for Raoul Moat premieres at 9pm on Sunday 16th April on ITV and ITVX.