Interview: Sam Heughan and Jessica De Gouw on ‘The Couple Next Door’
In The Couple Next Door, Sam Heughan and Jessica De Gouw trade period costumes for suburban secrets in a thriller that peels back the facade of picturesque neighborhoods to explore what really goes on behind closed doors. The six-part series introduces us to Danny (Heughan), a confident traffic cop with a magnetic charm, and Becka (De Gouw), a yoga instructor whose glamorous exterior masks deeper complexities. When new neighbors Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) and Pete (Alfred Enoch) move into their upscale street, the lines between friendship, attraction, and betrayal blur, setting the stage for a darkly compelling drama.
For De Gouw, who’s no stranger to period dramas, the shift to a contemporary setting was a refreshing change of pace. “For me, it just depends on what the story is and who the team are,” she says. “I have such a love for period drama, and I’ve done an awful lot, and it does offer a whole world creation in every aspect of production, which is a joy to be a part of. But then also doing a contemporary piece is equally joyful. It just sort of depends on what you’re saying, who you’re working with—both are wonderful.”
Heughan, who’s spent years in period settings himself as Jamie Fraser in the beloved Outlander series, says both settings have their advantages. “With period pieces, you have so much to dig into in terms of the area, the time, the social customs,” he explains. “And then with a modern thing, I guess you have to sit down and really talk about what we’re creating here. But I certainly do love the modern call times and that you don’t have to be in early makeup or hair, for the women, especially. And no wigs, right? There were only a couple of wigs in this show.” De Gouw laughs, adding, “Very few wigs.” What about corsets? “No corsets,” she confirms. “Thank God. They’re tough, they’re tough. You get used to them, but they suck.”
The real heart of the show, though, lies in its characters, particularly Becka’s role as what De Gouw describes as the moral compass of the story. “I’m really glad that’s come across, because that’s what we felt as well,” she says. “She and Danny are choosing to live a very different life to what is expected of people, generally. But I think the conversation around that is really important, and so it was important that we played them without judgment. Becka was played without judgment—that she chooses this life and she’s felt very empowered by it.”
As the story unfolds, Becka’s journey becomes one of self-discovery and reconnection as she finds herself growing suspicious of her husband’s feelings towards their new neighbor. She also unwittingly becomes the target of obsession of their creepy neighbor Alan Richardson, who stalks her on social media and even goes as far as to crash her yoga classes in an effort to get closer to her. “When we meet Becka and Danny, they are a little disconnected, and they’re a little behind in sort of understanding that, and that’s the journey that they go on,” De Gouw explains. “Her journey is really one of breaking through this feeling of disconnection. She’s being shaken out of a situation where maybe she was becoming a bit complacent.”
For Heughan, Danny’s dynamic with Pete, phenomenally played by Alfred Enoch, is one of the show’s most fascinating aspects. Danny and Pete initially don’t get along – but as the show progresses, they become closer as they start to realize they’re not as different as they once thought. “On the surface, Danny may seem like this toxic alpha male, and I think him and Pete certainly don’t initially hit it off,” he says. “But there’s also moments where they are quite intimate with each other and reveal a different side to each other. We did laugh quite a lot because we enjoyed those moments where Danny is trying to be the alpha male and Pete actually overthrows him or becomes more dominant. It was kind of fun.”
“Working with any of these actors was just so rewarding, and I think everyone fought and stood up for their character to get their viewpoint across,” gushes Heughan of his co-stars. “It’s an ensemble piece, and they all have different relationships with each other. They’re constantly changing as well, but on the surface, I think people can make assumptions, and perhaps, when they watch the show, they’ll find out the reality is very different.”
The Couple Next Door is now airing on Starz.
