Exclusive Interview: Rafe Spall on the Fire Beneath the Surface in ‘Smoke’

Nothing is ever quite as it seems in Smoke, the hypnotic new Apple TV+ series that unfolds like a slow-burning thriller—thick with tension, loaded with misdirection, and built to keep you guessing. True to its name, the show plays in smoke and mirrors, drawing viewers into a world where revelations lurk around every corner and leave audiences questioning what—and who—they can trust. At the heart of it is a cast of characters pulled in opposing directions, including the one played by Rafe Spall—a man in power whose composed exterior gradually gives way to choices that quietly, but profoundly, upend everything around him.

It’s a role that demands both restraint and volatility, often in the same breath—and Rafe walks that line with unnerving precision. From the moment he appears on screen, there’s a sense that something is simmering just beneath the surface. He plays a man who’s outwardly controlled, even charismatic, yet whose decisions reveal an unsettling undercurrent—one that becomes harder to ignore as the season unfolds.

Pop Culturalist sat down with Rafe to dive into the process behind his gripping performance—how he worked with creator Dennis Lehane to shape the character’s arc, how scene partners like Jurnee Smollett elevated the work, and why the most honest moments often come when you abandon everything you’ve prepared.

PC: I’ve got to say, I think audiences will be questioning how they feel about your character the most. That’s a testament not only to Dennis [Lehane] and the writers but also to your performance. What were the early conversations you had with the creative team about this character and his motivations? So often in television, you’re learning more about your character with each new script. Did your opinion of him change over the course of the season?
Rafe: Dennis, like any great author, had a very clear idea of the character. When he sent it to me, I read the first two episodes, but he also included a detailed breakdown of where the character was headed. He even sent me specific references—real people he thought this character resembled. He had a very precise vision of what he wanted from this person. So, it was my job to serve that vision as much as possible.

TV is a writer’s medium, just as theater is a writer’s medium. Film belongs more to the director. It’s all about the text. And when you have someone as brilliant, experienced, and detailed as Dennis Lehane, it makes my job very easy. I just have to do my best to bring his vision to life. We also had great directors on the show who helped support that. But when someone as sharp as Dennis is guiding the story, it really does make everything easier.

PC: Speaking of that discovery—you do all that work before heading onto set, but once you’re there, so much of it is further enhanced by who you’re acting opposite. How much does that process get influenced by your scene partner, particularly Jurnee [Smollett], given the unique dynamic between your two characters?
Rafe: That’s very astute of you. You’re absolutely right. You do all the work before hand and then you throw it all out the window the moment that you step onto set because the most important thing in acting in a scene is that it’s alive. In order for it to be alive, you need to be open because if you’re closed off and you’re doing the lines in the way that you rehearsed it in the mirror the night before, then it’s dead. Audiences can tell that instantly.

That’s very astute of you. You’re absolutely right. You do all the work beforehand, and then you throw it all out the window the moment you step onto set, because the most important thing in a scene is that it’s alive. And for it to be alive, you have to be open. If you’re closed off—if you’re just delivering the lines the way you rehearsed them in the mirror the night before—then it’s dead. Audiences can tell that instantly.

What’s really interesting from an audience’s point of view isn’t necessarily the actors themselves, but the energy that’s organically created. That’s chemistry. That’s what we respond to. When you’re working with people at the absolute top of their game—like Jurnee, Taron [Egerton], Greg [Kinnear], John [Leguizamo], Anna [Chlumsky], and all these amazing, racehorse actors—it not only makes the work easier, but an absolute pleasure from a creative point of view.

PC: Without giving any spoilers, Episode 8 is so pivotal for your character. There’s a moment toward the end of that episode where you go from a level-headed state to a much more heightened one. How different is the preparation for a scene like that compared to everything you shot earlier in the season?
Rafe: The preparation is the same—you learn the lines, you think about it, and you go deep into your own soul the night before and in the lead-up to the scene. But that part is very private. Then you show up and try to connect, to serve what’s been written. In this case, what’s on the page is a mercurial character—someone who swings wildly with his emotions and can’t regulate them. That’s something I can relate to in my own life. I’ve been there. Sometimes you let yourself down, you overreact, you say things you regret. It’s very human.

We’re in the business of portraying humans, and when the writing is this good, it makes the work much easier. I just hope that, from the audience’s perspective, it’s not only entertaining but also something they can recognize in themselves.

New episodes of Smoke drop every Friday on Apple TV+.

Photo Credit: Apple TV+