Lafferty reveals why he won’t star on ‘The Royals’

By Natalia Ningthoujam

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) James Lafferty is thrilled about returning to "The Royals" as a director for the fourth time but the American actor-director says viewers should not expect him to act on the show as his British accent is "comical".

"The Royals", which is the first-ever scripted series for E! network, is mostly shot in London and is based on the lives of a fictional British Monarchy.

Asked if the show's creator Mark Schwahn ever offered him to join the cast of "The Royals", Lafferty told IANS in an interview from London: "No. Unfortunately, my British accent is comical. It's an English show. So, I would just like to stay on the other side of the camera on this one."

The two had joined forces earlier also.

Lafferty, 32, is best known for playing Nathan Scott for nine years on the teen drama "One Tree Hill", created by Schwahn, since 2003.

Working with Schwahn again was "definitely an amazing experience" for the actor, who also praised the team of "The Royals", which stars British actors like Elizabeth Hurley, William Moseley, Jake Maskall and Tom Austen.

"It's a very talented cast and a really hard working team as a whole. People who are making the show are definitely extraordinary. I feel privileged to come on board," said Lafferty.

Earlier, he had directed a few episodes of "One Tree Hill", but they were all his co-stars. So was he initially nervous to go behind the camera for "The Royals", which is now in its fourth season?

"It was nice to know that Mark would be there, but it was a little nerve-racking because it was completely new to me. I had to direct a cast that I had never met before.

"They had very little reason to trust me as a director. So I had to win that respect. I feel like now I have become a part of the team in a way. It feels really good, especially knowing that when I came in I was nervous. I feel really comfortable now. Everyone was very welcoming," said the "Oculus" actor.

For him, it was an "amazing experience to drop into somebody else's family. I was a fan of the show before I even came in".

He is extremely guarded about the episodes he has directed for the show, which is aired on Colors Infinity in India.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything. All I can say is that I am really happy about the episodes that I have directed. I have directed the fifth and the eight episodes of the fourth season of 'The Royals'," he said.

"I have never directed so late into the show's seasons. The cool thing about it is that at the end of the season, the characters and storyline... You get to see hints of closure and the climax is building and building. A lot of excitement happens then," added Lafferty.

Last week, he even gave a peep into "what's cookin'" on the show.

"'Sherlock' title sequence? Get it? Anyone? Anyway, location scouting for 'The Royals' never gets old. Neither does being here. Can't wait for you to see what's cookin'," he tweeted.

(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in