Sanditon star Ben Lloyd-Hughes has revealed the incredibly windy conditions he and his co-star Rose Williams experienced whilst filming one of the most important scenes of season three.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, the actor, who plays leading man Alexander Colbourne, described what it was like to film one of his final scenes with Rose, who plays heroine Charlotte Heywood, on a cliff overlooking the sea.
Spoilers for season three, episode six ahead!
The scene in question sees Alexander stop Charlotte's carriage on her way out of Sanditon after learning that she has called off her wedding to Ralph Starling. When they approach each other along the cliff's edge, Alexander informs Charlotte that he is not engaged to marry Lydia Montrose, as she was led to believe, and declares his undying love for her before they embrace in a passionate kiss.
© ITVBen explained that the scene was just as dramatic to film as it plays out on screen, telling HELLO!: "It was incredibly windy and there was a lot of talk about whether we'd have to re-do the scenes. But Rose and I loved how windy it was.
"We both felt it added to the drama, it added to the sense of the elements being there and being realistic to what it would have been like to be on those clifts, albeit on a very windy day."
He continued: "There was a slight fear of genuinely being blown away and the poor crew members having to hide in their big coats."
© ITVDetailing how he and Rose went about filming the crucial scene, he continued: "Because it's such a big scene for those characters and the story, we were able to think about the specifics of how and when we would approach each other and what we would say in particular to break down the barriers that had been building up over two series and the pride that is going through both their veins and the misunderstanding.
"There was so much being released in those moments and hopefully it comes across, the poignancy of how much these people meant to each other."
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© Photographer: Rob YoungsonSince its debut in 2019, the period drama has amassed a legion of dedicated fans, who petitioned to save the show after it was cancelled by ITV following the UK premiere of season one.
When asked if he felt pressure to honour the fans while filming Alexander's profession of love on the clifftop, he said: "Certainly".
"Knowing how much the series meant to so many people, it's such an honour and a privilege to do anything that has any interest or following," he explained. "Just to know that there were people following it and wanting it to be good.
© Photographer: Rob Youngson"Pressure is a privilege, as Billie Jean King famously said, and it certainly is true but you do wake up in the morning and think, 'There's an awful lot of people who want this scene to be a certain way and I hope we do it justice,' and I certainly think we did. Rose is terrific in it."
