Tom Ellis Dives Deep Into the Dark Heart of 'Tell Me Lies' Season 2: A Villain Even He Can't Forgive

A Role That Tests the Boundaries of Sympathy

After years of charming audiences as the devilishly handsome Lucifer Morningstar, Tom Ellis has taken a sharp turn into morally murky waters. In Hulu's addictive drama Tell Me Lies, which just wrapped its second season, Ellis portrays Oliver—a married professor who embarks on a secret, toxic relationship with a student named Bree (Catherine Missal). The role is a far cry from the celestial charisma of his most famous character, and Ellis admits it was a deeply uncomfortable journey.

“There wasn’t a lot about Oliver that I could forgive,” Ellis confesses in an exclusive interview. The actor, who joined the series created by his wife Meaghan Oppenheimer, found himself wrestling with the very nature of his character. “I had to get over that hurdle and think about playing someone who doesn’t think about consequence.”

Why Oliver Is So Hard to Watch

The show, based on the novel by Carola Lovering, thrives on moral gray areas. It doesn’t label anyone purely good or evil—it simply shows people making devastating choices. But Oliver, with his manipulative power dynamics and cold emotional armor, stands out as a figure the audience (and even the actor) can't root for.

Ellis explains, “I think there’s a quiet sociopathic nature to him, for sure.” The only hint of a backstory comes when Oliver alludes to his first wife’s death, a small nugget that might explain his brokenness. Yet Ellis is quick to note, “That’s not an excuse. When you work in education, you have a huge responsibility toward the welfare of young people. People who abuse that power—I really don’t like it.”

The Intimacy Coordinator: A First for Ellis

Portraying a predatory student-teacher affair required a delicate approach. Remarkably, Tell Me Lies marked Ellis’s first experience working with an intimacy coordinator. “I didn’t know how that was gonna be because I’ve spent 25 years without one,” he says. “But I was actually really grateful, in the end. It took away a lot of the uncomfortable feelings.”

The presence of a professional helped both Ellis and Missal navigate scenes that could have been emotionally raw. “Back in the day, there was no way to diffuse that discomfort. You just had to get on with it,” he recalls. The #MeToo era has shifted the industry, and Ellis appreciates how the coordinator ensured a safe environment, allowing the actors to focus purely on the storytelling.

Staying Present in the Toxic Bubble

To avoid judging Oliver prematurely, Ellis and Missal deliberately avoided looking too far ahead. “We didn’t wanna get too far ahead of ourselves,” he says. They performed the relationship as it evolved on screen, taking each scene step by step. This approach helped keep the performances raw and organic.

It wasn’t until after filming wrapped that the weight of Oliver’s actions truly hit him. “I sat down to decompress and really thought about the actions of Oliver, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m gonna have to leave the country.’ It was a really tough watch for me to go back and see it.”

The Challenge of Turning Off Warmth

Ellis describes himself as a naturally generous and warm person, making Oliver’s cold detachment particularly hard to embody. “Oliver isn’t like that at all. He’s cold and withdrawn, and he has his cards very close to his chest. Switching off that warmth was something I found difficult,” he admits. His solution? Desensitize himself to the situation and treat it as normal—until the work was done.

The Power of Simple, Direct Notes

Working with his wife, creator Meaghan Oppenheimer, brought a unique dynamic to set. Ellis praises her ability to give precise, no-nonsense feedback. “Sometimes directors talk around the houses, protecting your feelings. Meaghan is straight to the point. That’s something I really appreciate as a performer,” he says. The simplicity and effectiveness of her notes allowed him to adjust instantly without second-guessing.

Coming Next: 'Second Wife' and a Lighter Role

Fans of Ellis will be relieved to hear his next project offers a reprieve from dark drama. He stars in Oppenheimer’s upcoming series Second Wife, a show he describes as “much funnier than Tell Me Lies” with “a lot more levity.” His character, Jacob, is a loving father—a trait Ellis personally connects with. “One of the things I really relate to with that character is that he loves being a dad. That’s something that makes me feel the most normal,” he says.

The show, while not without its shadows, explores more understandable choices. “I can relate much more with Jacob in Second Wife, for sure,” Ellis laughs.

The Relatability of Bad Choices

What makes Tell Me Lies so compelling, according to Ellis, is its refusal to shy away from the human capacity for error. “We all have bad choices within us and we all can do things that you feel are the right thing at the right time,” he reflects. The series, set largely in 2008, also offers a lens into how conversations about consent and power have evolved. “Looking at it back then, it’s quite a murky world,” Ellis notes.

For now, Ellis is content to let the audience sit with the discomfort Oliver creates. He sums up his experience succinctly: “I’m along with the audience on this one. I do not like the guy.”

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