Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden spends most of his energy trying to not laugh (Exclusive)

Wikipedia describes Slow Horses as a spy thriller but does not mention the comedic element that permeates through the show. Led by Gary Oldman, the humor is just as prevalent as the action sequences, which are indeed aplenty.

Slow Horses season 3 continues in the same vein as the two that preceded it. New episodes of the hit espionage drama premiere weekly every Wednesday through December 27, exclusively on Apple TV+.

SK POP connected with Jack Lowden, who plays River Cartwright on the show, who confessed that much of his energy was spent trying not to laugh. When asked how the actor keeps a straight face when Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb unleashes his one-liners, he replied:

"Barely. I barely keep a straight face. Quite often, most of my energy is going into not laughing. Or cringing. Or whatever."

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Jack Lowden told us his favorite Jackson Lamb line from Slow Horses season 1

The Scottish actor challenged you, the reader, to keep a straight face while acting with Gary Oldman and his deadly comedic chops. He said:

"Those scenes are among the most fun just to see what on earth that man is going to do next. It’s tough. I would challenge anyone to do it. I really would. It’s not easy (chuckles)."

As misanthropic as Oldman (of Batman fame) is in several of the scenes, there is no doubt that some of his one-liners are in a league of their own. Lowden picked his favorite:

"Oh. My favorite line is still from the first season. And I think a lot of it is also how Gary delivers them. But there’s a situation happening in season 1. And none of us are understanding. And he says it’s like trying to explain Norway to a dog. I think it’s a wonderful line."

And sometimes, Oldman doesn't even have to articulate this sarcasm. The veteran actor's mannerisms are enough to make Lowden laugh out loud. He added:

"But there’s also a brief moment…it’s not really a line in this one…I think in the third episode, when he’s being called to say that Marcus and Shirley are being arrested because of possession of drugs or something like that. And he’s told by a police officer. And Gary just goes uh-huh. It just broke me. The way that he does that. Yeah. It’s wonderful. (chuckles)"

Fans of the first and second seasons can expect the same hilarity, the same sense of adventure, and the same ineptitude from the agents as the two other seasons. Only this time, the stakes are much higher than before.

"I think the stakes of Slow Horses by nature are hugely high, through the roof. That’s just part and parcel of Slow Horses, that the stakes are always high. The fact that it’s one of their own, that’s sorta been taken, so to speak is probably the big difference in that it definitely motivates them a lot more. It’s still the same high octane inadequacy smashing together which is Slow Horses."

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The show also stars Rosalind Eleazar, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Jonathan Pryce, and Sope Dirisu, among others. Read our interview with director Saul Metzstein here.