Interview with Santiago Cabrera

Tell us about Aramis at the beginning of series three
We meet the three Musketeers very early on in the first episode, having been at war for so long. When we meet Aramis in the monastery, we get a sense of a different type of hardship; he has been growing up and moving on.

Why does Aramis leave the Musketeers?
There is a lovely scene in the first episode with Aramis and Athos, where he tells Athos he had to leave to protect the Queen. A monastery is the opportunity to reflect on what you want out of life, and he wanted to explore his relationship with God. There is also a moment with the main Abbot, who allows us to see into what these four years have been like, but you see that Aramis is still as confused as he was the day he arrived. Over time, he realises he was born to be a Musketeer. It’s that excitement and living life on the edge. His relationship with Porthos also finally settles down, as at its core there is a genuinely strong bond there.

Tell us about Aramis in series three
There’s no romantic side to Aramis this time, but there’s still a fun element to the character, and I wanted to bring that back this series. I discussed with the writers about Aramis fully embracing the life of a Musketeer. He is happy to be back. He is relishing the fight and doing a good job.

What are the villains like in this series?
We meet Grimaud very early on and we see his sadistic side, an ingrained evil from the beginning. Governor Feron fills that political gap that the Cardinal held and teams up with Grimaud, which makes them a dangerous couple. Then you have the captain of the guards, a contemporary of the Musketeers, but he’s working with the other two.

What about the new additions to the cast, including Rupert Everett and Matthew McNulty?
It’s great to see fresh faces; it brings in a new dynamic alongside the original faces. Even just from the read-through, Matthew McNulty, who plays Grimaud, had a great sense of the character, and then Rupert Everett, who bought his incredible experience to the role of Feron. You can tell he’s having a great time, and is having great fun with his character, bringing humour to the show, which the Musketeers has always had and has maintained. Then we have Matt Stokoe, who plays Marcheaux, and Andre Flynn, who plays Gaston - his enthusiasm is brilliant. It reminds you how much of a brilliant job this is.

What do you think the audience appeal of the Musketeers is?
Fans will be very excited by a whole slate of new characters and it’s darker. It’s great living with these characters more; the fans know them better than anyone.