"A film about erections and viagra could be a bit lads humour down the pub, but it really isn't. It's a beautiful mix of drama and comedy that feels real. It's an important story to tell."
This year, between Christmas and New Year, BBC One is airing a new feature-length drama about five ordinary Welshmen who embark on an extraordinary journey when they take part in the trial of a new drug that would later become Viagra. Men Up is a fictionalised account, inspired by the trial for Viagra which was held in Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in 1994.
Best-known for starring roles in Misfits and Game of Thrones, Iwan Rheon plays Meurig, a proud 41-year-old working-class Welshman who had it good for a long time. A wife, two beautiful boys and good mates.
But things took a turn when his wife, Ffion, played by Alex Roach, was diagnosed with cancer and he found he was suffering from impotence (a result of his recent diabetes diagnosis).
Now, Meurig is drowning in shame and silence but is too proud to ask for help. Because he's a man. And he thinks real men don't talk.
Men Up also stars; Paul Rhys as Tommy, a gay man who desperately lies about his sexuality because the trial was set up for straight sex, Steffan Rhodri as Colin who lives an isolated life with his crossword puzzles after his wife’s death, Phaldut Sharma as Peetham ‘Pete’ Shah who has a seemingly perfect middle-class existence and Mark Lewis Jones as Eddie, a seemingly strong man but beneath the surface is a vulnerability.
I recently caught up with Iwan to discuss the importance of the film's subject matter, working with Alex Roach again as well as filming in Wales and more.
What's Men Up about?
Men Up is kind of a story about five men from different backgrounds in Swansea, who all share one thing in common. Which is erectile dysfunction through diabetes. We're talking about the nineties, so men aren't really talking. They don't talk about their feelings. It's not done.
But then there's a clinical trial for a new wonder drug which happens to be in Morriston Hospital - and it's a true story - we play fictional people, but the trial did happen in 1994 in Morriston Hospital. And in our story these five men go on that trial.
And who is it you play?
I play Meurig Jenkins, who has just turned 40 and is diagnosed with diabetes, which affects his virility. And at the same time, his wife Ffion (played by Alex Roach) has cancer, so they've been going through a lot together as a family.
They've got two young boys. They're the kind of couple who have been together since school and from the outside, perhaps, it looks like they've got the ideal life. But really, the cracks are really starting to show inside, because they're not talking.
He's unable to tell her why he's unable to have sex, and he really wants to because he feels he's letting her down. So he's really killing himself about that. She obviously doesn't understand it and thinks other things are going on.
There's a lot more to that story, which you see in the film, but I don't want to spoil it. We meet these two characters at the fracture point of their relationship and then Meurig discovers this trial.
What was your reaction when you first read the script?
I loved it. When I read the script, I was blown away by it. I thought it was so sensitively and beautifully told, each individual storyline, each character, felt so real. You really believed that these guys existed.
A film about erections and viagra could be a bit lads humour down the pub, but it really isn't. It's a beautiful mix of drama and comedy that feels real. It's an important story to tell.
I think that's what we all loved about it when we read it. It just felt like this was telling an important story about how important it is to actually connect and communicate and reach out if you need help. That's the beauty of it.
Although these characters are fictional, the subject matter isn't, as you say, these trials did happen. Does that come with an added weight of responsibility?
Yeah. I think with every character you play, there's a pressure to be truthful, but with Men Up in particular, because we're dealing with issues that some people kill themselves over, it's not actually a laughing matter.
There's a real depression and loneliness that can be felt going through something like this, because of society's pressure and the pressue we have on ourselves - especially men - to be a man. "I'm a man, I have to have sex to show I am a man" and that's a lot of pressure to have to carry around.
So when all of a sudden that's taken away from you, how do you deal with that? And that's what this film deals with. It's how these different men deal with it in different ways and how that's affected their lives.
Men Up's got a great cast. for example Alex Roach who plays Meurig's wife Ffion. You've worked together a couple of times. What was it like to be reunited with her and this time playing husband and wife?
It was great. I love working with Alex. We get on really well and have a good mutual respect and really trust each other as actors. That developed out of working together a lot. I was over the moon when I heard she was doing it.
I think we did some really good stuff and hopefully created a really believable relationship and storyline.
What was it to be back in Wales and filming this project?
I'm not from Swansea, but it was nice to be back there. I’ve worked in Wales a lot recently, which has been great. It's lovely being back home, I love it. I've filmed a lot of cycling on the Mumbles which has been nice.
A lot of television drama is now filmed in Wales, did you see that growing up when you wanted to become an actor? Or do you think that's improved in recent years?
I think it's improved massively. Recently there's been a surge, certainly in my experience, I've just been working in Rome, but before that, every job has been in Wales. Like four in a trot which is great.
There's a lot going on, which is cool, because I think Wales has a lot to offer. The infrastructure's there now to create good stuff. It takes time, but the crews are fantastic here, the locations are amazing, there are studios here now, it's kind of a perfect place to film.
What were some of your favourite scenes to film?
A lot of stuff with Alex during the sort of midpoint where all really does kick off. I think as an actor, that's what you want. To be able to do a scene where you're coming across your own obstacles, there's real drama there. I really enjoyed those scenes.
And just generally being with all the boys as well. It was good fun. We had a really nice time together, a really good bunch of people.
This is going out between Christmas and New Year, what makes this perfect for this time of year?
I think everyone will recognise themselves or someone that they know in these characters. It's got humour but also a lot of heart, it's very warm. Obviously, there are some moments you might not want to watch with your family, but I think you should, because part of what this film is about, is about being able to communicate.
Christmas is such a difficult time as well. People do feel immense loneliness over that period more than any other time, and many of the themes in Men Up explore that loneliness, so maybe it's something that helps people go and talk to someone and communicate.
What this film shows, is how much things have changed, but also not changed that much. It's an interesting gauge to see where we've got to in 30 years.
Why do you think impotence in particular, is still such a taboo?
It's because it's about being a bloody bloke, isn't it? I think we're still stuck in that toxic masculinity where you can't say that because everyone will laugh at me. And people do still make jokes about it. It is still very much the butt of jokes.
Obviously, you can find humour in everything in life, it's often a way to deal with and transcend the darkness, and find a way into sharing. But people do still feel embarrassed by talking about it. Sexual repression is still being felt in society today.
As British people, and certainly Welsh, we're not very good at talking about things like that.
What's next for you?
I've just finished filming a pretty epic ancient Rome series called Those About To Die, directed by Roland Emmerich. It's Flavian era, Ancient Rome, 79AD, chariot racing, gladiators and how the gambling works and all that sort of stuff. The costumes are outstanding, I have to say.
Any more music coming?
Yeah, I started recording before Men Up and then I've been filming Those About to Die for 8 months but I've just started picking that up again, so yeah, that's very much in the pipeline. Hopefully get that finished early next year and we'll see what happens. Definitely on the cards.
Men Up airs Friday 29th December at 9pm on BBC One
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