Phillip Rhys – Al Sadiq
As one of British acting's best-kept secrets, Phillip Rhys is in a unique position to assess the merits of Survivors.
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If his name is unfamiliar, it's because the Londoner has spent most of his career working in the United States, with key roles in acclaimed dramas including 24, Nip/Tuck and Flatland, as well as a guest-artist spots in the likes of Bones, Shark and Navy NCIS.
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"I guess 24 and Nip/Tuck are the ones I'm most proud of, and what we're doing on Survivors is definitely comparable in terms of the writings, character development and design," he says.
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Phillip plays Al Sadiq whose pampered, materialistic and hedonistic lifestyle is abruptly ended by the virus which he survives.
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"I just responded to the material, and I really like Al as a character – he's a lot of fun to play, and he helps to bring a bit of humour into things.
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"At the same time, given all that's going on, I get a chance to do some really good, serious stuff, and working with Chahak (who plays Najid) has been a real pleasure.
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"A lot of our scenes have been together and there's an older-brother-younger-brother, father-son thing going on that's both funny and touching at the same time."
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Al is best-described as a rich, good-looking playboy.
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"Obviously, that took a lot of characterisation for me to achieve," laughs Phillip.
"When we meet him he's leading this selfish, narcissistic lifestyle funded by his rich father and, in many ways, he's lost.
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"Everything he values is basically stuff – cars, gadgets, clothes – but he wakes up one day and none of it means anything anymore, it's worthless.
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"He has to reassess his life and start from scratch. The key thing is, Al becomes a better person because of what happens, although he's initially reluctant to change."
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A chance meeting with 11-year-old orphan Najid set Al on the road to redemption.
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"By default, Najid makes him a better person, and I think they save each other," says Phillip.
"For all his faults, Al has a good heart. He's not going to abandon Najid. He initially does as little as he can but that little ends up being enough."
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Najid is a devout Muslim, but Al has no time for his faith.
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"I'm not sure whether he's a lapsed Muslim or just a lapsed human being," says Phillip. "Al's is the church of 'me'. For him, it's all about self, self, self, but he's forced to change. He actually grows up and becomes a man."
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Is he still a ladies' man, even in the post-virus world?
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"Of course!" laughs Phillip. "But he suffers as he learns to really care for people, which has been nice to play.
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"In many ways, he's the least well-equipped of the group, the least practical, but again that changes as the series progresses and the characters develop.
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"In the later episodes, I'd say he's the equal of Greg [Paterson Joseph] and Tom [Max Beesley]. If those guys are going off to do something, Al won't be staying behind to make the tea."
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Ultimately, says Phillip, Al puts his privileged lifestyle behind him and adapts to the harsh realities of a world reborn.
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"The idea behind the series is not such a vast stretch of the imagination for most of us," he claims.
"Adrian Hodges, the writer, spoke to scientists during his research who said, you know, if you take a strain of Ebola and change this, this and this, the Survivors scenario is very possible.
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"I YouTubed the original series when I was auditioning for the part, and what Adrian has done is update the concept and make it more relevant to today, taking in events over the last 10 years or so.
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"More than ever before, fear of what the future holds for us is rife – people talk about Armageddon, sell stuff and run campaigns off the back of it. That fear is everywhere."
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Phillip can next be seen in Al Pacino's upcoming movie Salomaybe. Another season of Nip/Tuck is possible, but so is staying to do more work in Britain.
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"After drama school, me and my buddy headed to the States, and it's kind of worked out for me," he says.
"But I've always gone where the work is, I came back for Survivors, and if there's more work of this quality for me here, I'll stay."
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