Emmett J. Scanlan has admitted he didn’t expect the global success of Fool Me Once.
The Irish actor starred opposite Michelle Keegan, who he described as “beautiful inside and out”, in the hit Netflix series, which was recently named the streaming platform’s sixth most popular show ever.
Speaking exclusively to Goss.ie at the 2024 IFTA Awards, he said: “Absolutely not. I don’t think any of us were [expecting it].”
The crime series is an adaptation of the book by acclaimed author Harlan Coben, and received 98,200,000 views in its first 91 days on the streaming platform.
Emmett continued: “I know Harlan Coben and I know how he writes with Danny Brocklehurst and all the great writers that we have…
“There’s a nucleus of a team that do these shows, and they’re ferociously talented and they know exactly what to do and they’re very hungry about putting out really interesting content for the masses.
“So I knew that I was in good hands when Harlan messaged me and asked if I wanted to be in it, so I didn’t need to read the scripts, I didn’t need to know what the character was about, I just said yes, and then let the cards fall where they may,” he told Goss.ie.
“And then come February, we were filming for about five months, I had a great time with Michelle [Keegan], she’s a wonderful, wonderful leading lady, wonderful actor. Really beautiful inside and out.
“And we just had fun, and by the time it landed on New Year’s Day, it was just pandemonium really.
“Everybody had either seen it or they had heard about it, and yeah you just never know, you just never know, its done so so well.”
Emmett played Military Police officer Shane Tessier in the series, the close friend and former colleague of Michelle’s lead character Maya.
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The star-studded cast also included Dame Joanna Lumley, and Richard Armitage.
In the show, the seemingly widowed Maya Stern (Michelle Keegan) has her life thrown into chaos and conspiracy as she begins to question the mysterious death of her husband Joe Burkett (Richard Armitage).
Maya also grows suspicious of her mother-in-law Judith Burkett (Joanna Lumley) and what part she and the rest of his family had to play in Joe’s disappearance.
