The Sky Atlantic comedy thriller has been one of the most successful endeavours for the programme since it began, and while that’s largely down to its stellar cast it’s also as a result of the razor-sharp writing and completely unexpected twists and turns.
Returning to the complex character of Jim, Hollywood actor Tim has had a difficult job to portray two characters simultaneously, and it was important for him to be able to switch between the men in smooth succession.
What’s more, many viewers weren’t able to tell the difference between family-man police Sheriff Jim and the violent unpredictable alcoholic Jack, so it was even more vital to ensure the nuances of the characters.
Now the star has revealed he used improvisation to bring the men to life, which brought even more realistic features to the plot and storyline features.
Speaking to Express.co.uk and other media, Tim said: “Yeah it was kind of the format that we used, what is the situation that you’re in and how is your character going to operate within that?
“Because we knew what and who they were more than we did in the first season, so it was a question of coming up with stuff that’s fun for you guys to watch.”
The star also shared how much he’d looked forward to getting back to the set, as he shared the cast had become like a “family”.
“It was good to go back to the family and and by that I mean the crew and the cast,” he went on. “And we had a few new additions and ‘God’ over here [pointing to his friend and newcomer John Lynch].
“So it was good, but you hit the ground running [with these things].
“We started working with the scripts, with the dialogue, talking about character and season arc and how we want to play it.
“So it was immediately exhausting and then you’ve got a long, long, way to go so it’s not fun,” he laughed.
While Jim will have his own problems to contend with, the rest of the family are deeply struggling after the events of season one.
Anna Worth star Abigail Laurie teased: “I think at the beginning of the second season she is in shock, completely and very traumatised.
“And has to get away from these two. She does that and she finds solace in this [new] family, they welcome her in, everything seems peaceful and idyllic.
“It gives her the time to try and understand what she really wants and who she is, and who her parents are.”
“Good luck with that!” Tim laughed.
“But yeah definitely I think throughout the whole season it’s about her trying to find her way back to them,” Abigail added.
Genevieve O’Reilly’s mother-of-two Angela will be enduring her own suffering too, but she will cling onto her new friendship.
“I think we started season one with very different Angela,” she said. “I think the idea of what she wanted to be or what she hoped they could be as a family, and I think what happened at the end of season one just kind of obliterates any thought of that any more.
“I think where we meet them at the beginning on the top of that mountain. That’s evident, they’re just a little shattered family,” she lamented.
“There’s only three of them now. I think she desperately wants to hold onto something, but she doesn’t know what to hold onto. She doesn’t know, she’s got no ground, she’s got nothing.
“So Elizabeth [Christina Hendricks] comes along and she holds onto Elizabeth, she lost her daughter she tried to kill her husband, at this stage she hasn’t got much has she,” Genevieve added.
Tin Star season two returns tonight at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.
