Rivals star Alex Hassell reveals how he got in shape to play Rupert Campbell-Black as he recalls his 'moving' final conversation with Jilly Cooper
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Rivals star Alex Hassell has revealed how he got in shape to play Rupert Campbell-Black as he recalled his 'moving' final conversation with Jilly Cooper.
The 46-year-old actor has played ruthless Rupert across two seasons of the raunchy Disney+ show based on Dame Jilly's 1988 novel.
Now, in a new interview with Radio Times, the actor has opened up about how he prepared to take on the role and how he doubted his ability to play the ultimate alpha male.
He said: 'I do think it's important to say that I had a personal trainer, and I didn't do any crazy diets.
'It's not that people are just supposed to look like that – it took a lot of work.'
Alex added that he was fearful to play Rupert because he had an 'inherent feeling of what a man should be'.
Rivals star Alex Hassell has revealed how he got in shape to play Rupert Campbell-Black as he recalled his 'moving' final conversation with Jilly Cooper
The 46-year-old actor has played ruthless Rupert across two seasons of the raunchy Disney+ show based on Dame Jilly's 1988 novel
Despite his doubts, the actor's portrayal of the Tory member in the hit series is widely considered a career-defining breakthrough for him.
He also received praise from Jilly herself, before her passing in October 2025.
On meeting the beloved author, he said: 'I'm so glad to have met her and to have spent time with her and to be told explicitly by her that she was really proud of what I was doing.'
Alex added that was his final conversation with the star and that it's really'moving to remember'.
It comes after his co-star Hayley Atwell revealed Alex wears 'bottom padding' for his role in the hit series.
Hayley, who plays Rupert's icy American first wife in the second season of the show, has spilled her co-star's secrets in a new interview with Tatler.
She admitted she was 'so nervous' about embedding herself in with the all-star cast during her first day on set, but after meeting her onscreen ex-husband she knew she would fit in.
Leading man Alex broke the ice with a costume confession, Hayley explained.
He also received praise from Jilly herself, before her passing in October 2025 (pictured in May 2025)
The full interview is avaiable on the Radio Times website
'Alex came up to me and just went, "I'm a bit embarrassed, I have to let new people that come on set know… I'm wearing a bum". And he pulled up his suit jacket and I was like, "Oh, damn.".'
Hayley explained 'there were certain scenes, because he's an Olympian, which called for… a little bit more presentation on that side.'
'By the end of it, he'd been doing so many squats that he didn't need the bum any more. It was a graduation. And I thought, "I'm so in love with these people, I'm going to have a great time".
Rivals returns on November 11 for the final episodes in its second series, and the residents of Rutshire are seeing out the season in style and scandal.
A new trailer released last month teases episodes 7-12, which will pick up after the mid-series finale and the tragic death of Monica Baddingham (Claire Rushbrook).
Lady Monica's husband Tony (David Tennant) is far from the grief-stricken widower, as the trailer shows the furious TV boss amping up his franchise war against Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner).
'Your wife died in my arms, broken by your games,' Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) tells him, only for Lord Tony, shotgun in hand, to declare 'well she's not here anymore. I've got nothing left to do but fight.'
Elsewhere, the country set's slowest burning love affair between Taggie (Bella Maclean) and Rupert teases a happy ending at least, as the trailer concludes with the two leaning in for a firework night kiss.
The first three episodes of six will drop on November 11, with weekly releases of the remaining three episodes following after.
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