𝐋𝐃𝐏𝐃𝐋.

can’t say i ever envisioned it for myself either. late night calls, going to sleep when you’re waking up, flights that dance the line of torture — it never really was all that appealing, but you’ve changed my mind entirely. suppose, in a sense, our friendship has been long distance for the most part so we got this. can’t be too different, can it? i’m giving you a round of applause for the restraint. very impressive. i won’t get too smug about about my third place ranking … for now. no promises on any future gloating though. if we keep this madness up then our relationship will be just fine. so, what did you think of the play? also, very rude of you to show up dressed like you did. took a fair bit of control to stop myself from staring at you while i was on stage.

so basically what you're saying is our bordering on co-dependent friendship is the ingredient to being pros at a long distance relationship? suppose now that i think about it, it makes perfect sense— i already have your timezone ingrained into my being and the daily morning texts and coordinated phone calls in the tiny chaos-free window we find is something we mastered a long time ago. though, i fully expect to eat my words when i leave and realise i won’t be seeing you in person until our schedules clear up, but that's a problem for the future me stuck on a twenty hour fight with nothing but my thoughts to deal with.. i know i said i wanted to squeeze in as much touristy stuff i could on my last day here but honestly? all i want to do is take rani on a walk and then have a chill day indoors before you head to the theatre. you up for a quiet day ignoring the outside world? with how much i was gushing after the show i thought it would’ve given you a hint as to how much i loved it, but i’ll happily repeat myself and tell you how blown away i was by your performance. everything, from the work the crew did behind the scenes to the story unfolding on the stage was done so beautifully, and watching you in your element was a sight to behold. oh yeah? that’s funny, ‘cause you seemed real appreciative of what i was wearing when we got back to your dressing room.

You seem to go for a lot of fantasy type shows with your roles. Unless I'm imagining things but going from Game of Thrones to Interview with a Vampire... what draws you to them? Big fan of the fantasy genre. @jvcobasil

in all honesty, i have a fantastic agent who knows her shit and is exceptionally good at knowing the type of roles i gravitate to. but what tends to draw me to projects like thrones or interview is how much i love finding humanity in an otherwise dark world and in characters that aren't necessarily "good". which i think is so inherently fascinating as an actor to be able to dive into and explore. plus dragons and vampires are cool. what’s your favourite fantasy series?

everything that has scrapped me in the last three months has been work related. when you are working at the beach anything can happen. most of the time i do too because of the kids, but i don't think that that would work. people would just laugh.

i always end a beach trip with some sort of injury, whether it's a knee meeting the edge of a sharp rock or inhaling too much salt water so i can't imagine the injuries you end up with after working on a beach for an extended period of time. sounds like a dream in theory, but all that sand in places it shouldn’t be? i couldn’t do it. what’s the best and worst part about working on a beach?

Oh darling, I feel you. but you win this time with the night shoots and the little ones, I know exhaustion is relentless. When do you rest? how can you switch off. Taking note: a quick meditation, I would add a few drops of lavender on the pillow. Hot bath with magnesium when you can. You’ve got this. Are you still filming these days, darling?

nah, don't feel sorry for me. i made the choice to have kids so the early mornings and little to no sleep is all on me. good question, never… but in all seriousness, i think carving time out for yourself is important and watching movies is one of the ways i can decompress. appreciate the tips and i will definitely be giving the lavender and magnesium a try when i hit the “too exhausted to sleep” stage. i don't start filming my next project for another month. just focusing on music and my girls at the moment. how about you, love?

It's that time of the month where I get to spend a couple of nights actually binging a show and this month's is 'The Boys'... I know it's the point of the whole thing, but have you ever wanted to beat up every male on a show before? I'm getting rage-baited but the show is so good. @limelightblvdstarters

i feel the need to apologise on behalf of men everywhere because the ones on that show are truly the most dark-sided men to ever hit the screen. honestly? i think my answer has gotta be the boys, too. i was waiting on the edge of my seat every week for those guys to get their shit rocked. so mad kudos to the writers for making you feel every emotion times a million. flipping your question to the opposite end by asking, what’s a tv show where you loved every character in it?

finally, the recognition i deserve. usually i’d hesitate handing over such power, especially when you plan on using it against me, but no regrets here. i miss you all the time too, more than the usual amount these days. diving into our feelings for each other? best thing that has ever happened to me. doing it while we’re countries apart and busy with work things outside of the vampire chronicles though? worst timing ever. oh no, you did indeed corrupt their boy this past weekend. just in an entirely different way than expected. shamelessly confessing that i’ve been wanting to be in your bed for a while now, but finding a way to voice that felt impossible until we were in the studio. three for three, baby. every song was perfect and i have no doubt the fans will agree. when you hit that studio again and start getting lost in your thoughts, i’ll be more than happy to remind you of your brilliance until i’m blue in the face. sounds like a dream of a birthday — which is what you deserve. pleased to know i secured a spot on your favorite human list too; the competition seemed pretty fierce. still stand by the belief that you’re a mad man for taking such a flight out to see me but i’m so fucking happy you’ll be here with me. can you tell i’m getting attached? because i am.

long distance wasn’t something i could ever envision for myself, but i’d try anything if it meant i get to be with you. plus i like to think if anyone can make the long distance, odd stolen weekend and the complications that come with the time difference work, it’s us. my thoughts weren’t far from yours— knowing now how it feels to have you, i have no idea how i survived so long not crossing that invisible line. got some serious restraint i didn’t know i had in me. you might even be in my top three, but don’t let it go to that pretty head of yours. you know what? i can’t even fight you on that, because yeah.. what i did was fucking mad. but also? pot, kettle. i clearly took a page out of your book and hoped on a plane to go to the other side of the world for the shortest holiday known to man just so we could be together. but maybe i did earn my title first, ‘cause even if we weren't giving this thing between us a go, i wouldn’t have ever missed my best mate's debut. i’m getting some idea, but feel free to really hammer it home.

i scraped my nee today pretty bad. did you know they make band aids to match your skin tone? it was like i wasn't wearing a thing. i think i need to get some of those to have around my house.

was it work related? I did, yeah. not that i use anything other than the disney princess plasters i got in my cupboard but the skin matching ones are dope. i imagine they come in clutch if you need to hide an injury for whatever reason.

I have a knack for bringing up very specific and niche roles people have played in the past, I don't know why, but it's really fun. Don't get me started on the realisation of how long it's been since doing certain roles, that really throws me. I haven't given stage acting much thought recently, which sounds awful because, of course, most of us British actors start there before we spread our wings. I'm certainly not opposed to going back to it, though! Shakespeare was really tough, I feel like there's so much expectation on it, but perhaps with the right director and the right vision, I'd give it another go. I think there's cycles of where the interesting roles are, at least to our own particular tastes, and right now I'm finding that more in the world of film. But who knows if that will be the case even in 2 years.

sometimes the hidden gems are the ones that stick with you the longest. it’s definitely an odd mix of feeling the years and being like “what do you mean i didn’t film it last year?” time is a bizarre thing. it doesn't sound awful. i mean, that's the beauty of what we do, right? so much variety when it comes to acting, and i like to think if your heart is pulling you in a certain direction, then that’s where you were meant to be. looking forward to watching disclosure day. steven spielberg is a beast. what was it like working with him? the film nerd in me is dying to know.

if you’ve gone mad then i’ve gone mad too because the resemblance is a bit insane. so, yes — he’s a sam junior and i’m a very proud cow dad for the millionth time in my life. keeping my fingers crossed that the race to the deadline is a little less stressful and chaotic than it has been lately. you know i’ll always come steal you away for the weekend, if time allows it. only thing stopping me from staying here and being with you is my play. unfortunately, for us, they get a tad annoying when i’m gone from rehearsal for too long. hm, guess you’ll have to show me the music and find out. promise it’ll be worth it though. definitely like riding a bike, i think. took a minute to get back into it but now i’m having the time of my life. happy father’s day, by the way. hope you get to celebrate lots with your girls today. maybe we can do dinner before i head out tonight?

sexiest cow dad i know. don’t tell me that, i might use it for evil. like begging you to come visit on those lonely nights i miss you most. which for the record is all of them, and i think the only one who’d enjoy the constant flying is the airline company makin’ bank. disappearing the weekend before you go on stage is still the most absurd thing you’ve done and of course, i would’ve loved to have you in london a little longer, but we couldn't have them thinking i corrupted their boy. had to get you back in the priest robes before the steam came outta their ears wondering where their main star was. definitely worth it. fuck, sam... if i had known all it took to get you looking like that in my bed was a sneak peek, i would've given you the songs a long time ago. feeling confident now that you're thousands of miles away to ask what your thoughts on the album are. reckon i got a three for three or should i start preparing for the brutal fan commentary? excited to see you in your element. yeah, it was a beautiful day with the girls. handmade cards, cuddles, a lovely new watch and a couple of vinyls that i have to thank aisling for. and then finished it off with dinner with my other favourite human. i'm a very lucky man. although i can’t say i feel very lucky sweating my arse off in an uncomfortable airport chair. not quite sure what i'm looking forward to most after the 24 hour flight… seeing your face again or being in a country where it's significantly cooler.

not once did i know where this story was going but i'm beyond delighted with it. cow sam? amazing. i'll be waiting by my phone for those photos to come through, ignoring the pit of jealousy about how i'm not there to see this beautiful creature in person. miss you too, mad man. sanity slipping aside, are you at least enjoying yourself? and more importantly, what does a man have to do for a little sneak peek of the new music? rehearsals are going great. nice to switch the rockstar clothes (or lack of clothes) out for priest robes. are you still coming out for opening night?

now that you've seen the cow in person, what's the verdict? is he a sam junior or have i gone completely mad? i mean, the perfectionist in me wasn't having the greatest of weeks as i tried to meet the approaching deadline i had given myself, but i wouldn't change the chaos of making music. though, i will enjoy it a little more when it’s finally out in the world and i am breathe again. you know, i was drowning in that studio so having you here to pull me out for a weekend break was the greatest thing that could have happened. by far the best birthday present i've had in a long time. the better question to ask is what do i get if i give you a sneak peek? because an "exclusive fan experience" is gonna cost you. returning to the stage after nearly a decade is a huge deal. was it like riding a bike or did you have to find your way back to it? of course, love. i wouldn’t miss it for the world.