Actors Michael Sheen and David Tennant feature as angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley respectively in Good Omens, which is currently streaming Amazon Prime Video. The series is an adaptation of the widely popular book Good Omens authored by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in 1990. Here’s Michael and David in an exclusive Q&A with The Quint about the series and their roles in it:
Q: What appealed to you about Good Omens?
David Tennant: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Opportunities to work on material by writers like that don’t come along very often. Also, when Michael’s name was mentioned for the part of Aziraphale, I was immediately interested. We did Bright Young Things together 20 years ago but never had a scene together, and we’ve known each other since then. He is a hugely talented lovely man, and those are always the sort of people you want to work with. He’s delightful to work with, and it feels as though we have been playing these characters forever. Those things combined to make me think, “I really want to do this.” The positives were piling up early on!
When I read the script, I realised how much fun it was going to be. It is so funny and bonkers. It uses fantasy to play with reality. Terry and Neil do that so well.They give us a fresh insight into the world we are actually living in now. Good Omens does that very pleasingly and very cleverly.
Michael Sheen: I have been a huge fan of Neil’s work for years. I first read Good Omens at drama school when someone in my year introduced me to Neil’s comic books. I loved them. I had always assumed that comic books were about superheroes and wasn’t that interested in them. But this stuff was brilliant. It was great storytelling; it was dark, gritty and fantastical. It really rang my bell. So I am absolutely delighted to be involved in the TV adaptation of Good Omens.
Q: Could you outline Crowley’s costume for us?
David Tennant: We started with a Jermyn Street three-piece suit, but we have edged towards something more rock ‘n’ roll. That feels right.He has to be of now, so we have arrived at the right place.
Q: What can you tell us about your character?
Michael Sheen: Aziraphale is an angel with lovely blonde hair who was at the Garden of Eden. He has stayed on earth since and has got more enamoured with it than he should have. He should be more detached, but he’s become more human than divine. Crowley is going through the same thing on the other team. They both discover that the lines between good and evil and angels and demons have become blurred. It’s a very human predicament.
Q: How was the atmosphere on the set of Good Omens?
Michael Sheen: It’s a really nice bunch of people. We are all huge fans of the book. We have been led by Douglas, who is a lovely man. It has also been really helpful to have Neil on set. He has said to everyone that is very open to ideas. He told people, ‘Please feel free to contact me about anything.’ The morale on set has been great. All in all, this has been the most wonderful project to work on. Now I can’t wait for people to see it!
Q: What elements of Good Omens will attract viewers?
David Tennant: People will be especially drawn towards the relationship between the two supernatural beings, Crowley and Aziraphale, who have existed down the ages. My favourite sequence is at the beginning of episode three. It’s a potted history of their shared story down the centuries. They drop in on events such as theCrucifixion, the Second World War and the French Revolution.
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