Podtalk: Rafe Spall & Esther Smith on Season 3 of ‘Trying’

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CHICAGO – As Esther Smith says in the following Podtalk, she chose acting because she wanted to indulge in the uniqueness of individuals. In the Apple TV+ series “Trying,” Esther portrays Nikki and Rafe Spall portrays Jason, a couple who desires children and ends up … at Season Two’s end … with two adoptees. Season Three began streaming last month.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

After that dramatic end to season two, the third season picks up with Nikki and Jason waking up as new parents to two children they are still getting to know. Now they just have to keep hold of them, which proves to be trickier than they initially thought. Thrown straight into the parental deep-end, Nikki and Jason’s relationships with each other and with their nearest and dearest are being severely tested. The series rolls within the relationship that Smith and Spall has created with their characters, and the couple’s reaction to the world around them. With a spirited wit, energy and poignancy, “Trying” is more than just two people fulfilling a dream, it’s about the world that spins around them.

Rafe Spall & Esther Smith of ‘Trying’ in Chicago
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Esther Smith is an English actress and dancer who originated the role of Delphini Diggory in the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” opposite Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter. She is best known for her work in television, as an actor in several series, including “Uncle” (2014-17) and the the BBC slacker comedy “Cuckoo” (2014-19) opposite Taylor Lautner and Andy Samberg.

Rafe Spall is a veteran British actor, after making his film debut in the aptly titled “Beginner’s Luck” (2001). He has balanced stage, screen and television in his career. On stage he recently appeared in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (2022) and the one-man “Death of England” (2020). In film, he’s part of Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg’s “Cornetto Trilogy” (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End”), as well as roles in “Grindhouse” (Quentin Tarantino) and “The BFG” (Steven Spielberg). On TV, he appeared in a “Black Mirror” episode in 2014 (which also featured Esther Smith) and many series before “Trying.” He is also the son of notable British actor Timothy Spall.

As Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) in ‘Trying’ Season Three
Photo credit: Apple TV+

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Esther Smith and Rafe Spall talk about “Trying” and their adventurous careers …

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com