Pilot season's such a strange time. You get such a concentrated amount of scripts. A lot of them become white noise after a while. When something really pops, it becomes apparent very quickly. I'm quite instinctive about that. I know, normally by about 10 pages in, whether I want to do something or not.

Tom Ellis

Categorized in : You Pilot Time White

One of the big parts of my decision-making process is knowing that when you're signing up for something, you're signing up for multiple seasons, should it be successful, and in theory, you want it to be successful, but you also want to be doing something that you're enjoying.

knowing decision successful

I've been acting for many years, and the more you do, the more confidence you get about "this is my career and this is what I'm going to be doing."

careers acting years

Being a son of the pastor, I was never allowed to play Joseph or any of the big parts for political reasons.

play past son

Trying to find a human side to the character is a way to give them a chance to have people like them.

giving character people

We're characters not of this world, so our knowledge about stuff, that other character's don't have, is quite fun.

fun character world

The fact that you can say stuff to people that other people are only thinking is always fun. It's a great tool for comedic moments, as well.

fun people thinking

If I'm going to put my name to something and commit to something that's going to take up a lot of my time, it has to be something that I know is going to be enjoyable and worth my while. Otherwise, what's the point?

commit enjoyable names

As an actor, I enjoy variety. That's a big thing for me. by Tom Ellis

As an actor, I enjoy variety. That's a big thing for me.

enjoy bigs actors

When you're a drama student, I think the most you hope for is to... by Tom Ellis

When you're a drama student, I think the most you hope for is to make a living out of acting.

acting drama thinking

The weird thing about drama school is that you train for three years for one thing and then more often than not, it's something that you haven't trained for that you end up doing.

drama years school

Being on the floor of a TV show is sometimes a quite frustrating... by Tom Ellis

Being on the floor of a TV show is sometimes a quite frustrating experience.

tv-shows tvs sometimes

I wanted to work on a cable show and with a writer/director because that's a much more fulfilling and freeing experience, as an actor.

actors shows directors

I grew up on the very human side of Christianity, so messages in the household I grew up in were about peace, love, and being understanding of everybody, which I think is quite cool.

cool think love peace

Lucifer likes to have fun, but we need to make sure that he's also rooted in a proper journey. For the first few episodes after a pilot, you're just trying to establish your world and the starting points for your characters. But I feel like, as the stakes went up, the 'Lucifer' veneer got less and less.

feel you journey world

I'm not a blokey bloke. I don't take myself too seriously. But that doesn't stop me being a bad person sometimes and doing things I regret. Such as having a child with someone you've split up with, then falling in love and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone else. That's quite difficult.

myself me love life

My take on 'Lucifer' was pretty much laid down by Tom Kapinos when he wrote the original pilot script for it. I remember reading it for the first time, and I was about four or five pages in, thinking this is so funny, and I know how I would want to do this if I was going to do it.

time remember funny thinking

In terms of, like, getting into a mindset, I use music all the ti... by Tom Ellis

In terms of, like, getting into a mindset, I use music all the time when I'm working.

like music mindset time

I walk in, and people go, 'Oh, look who it is! It's the devil! Speak of the devil!' It's fun. I'm having a lot of fun. I'm not going to lie. It's a little bit like being able to say anything you want to and getting away with it. 'Rush' was fun because he thought he was immortal, but this is more fun because Lucifer is immortal.

walk you devil people

When I was eight or nine, I came to London for the day from Swindon and went to The National Gallery. I remember standing in Trafalgar Square with my best friend Tim, who was covered in pigeons because I put bird seed on his head.

best day best-friend bird

Both my daughters are both so unimpressed when they see me on television. I want them to say, 'Oh, Dad!' But I say, 'Who's that?' and they say 'Dad' with no real interest, even if I'm wearing a long wig and riding on a horse! I think I'll have to read a 'CBeebies' bedtime story instead.

me riding dad long