Rivals star Alex Hassell confesses to wearing 'bum padding' for role

Rivals star Alex Hassell has confessed that he initially relied on "bottom padding" to portray the ultra-macho Rupert Campbell-Black, according to the Daily Mail ^[1]. The 46-year-old actor, who plays the ruthless Tory MP in the Disney+ hit series, revealed the costume secret to his co-star Hayley Atwell during his first day on set.

Speaking to the Mirror ^[2], Hassell admitted he had tried to avoid the audition entirely, believing he was not the "blond and blue-eyed Adonis" envisioned by author Dame Jilly Cooper. "I read the description and just thought, 'They're not going to cast me as that role'," he said. "I phoned my agent and said... there’d be no point." He feared he lacked the inherent "alpha" presence required for the character.

However, producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins convinced him to take the part, a decision that Hassell now considers a career-defining breakthrough. The actor credited his transformation to a personal trainer rather than extreme diets, noting that the physicality required for the role of an Olympian demanded significant work. "It’s not that people are just supposed to look like that – it took a lot of work," he told the Daily Mail ^[1].

Hayley Atwell, who plays Rupert’s ex-wife, shared the funny anecdote about the padding in an interview with Tatler, as reported by the Daily Mail ^[1]. "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'," she recalled. She noted that by the end of filming, after doing so many squats, he had "graduated" from needing the prosthetic.

The role also held a deeply emotional connection to the late Dame Jilly Cooper, who passed away in October 2025. Hassell described his final conversation with the beloved author as "moving," revealing she told him explicitly that she was proud of his performance. The Mirror ^[2] reported that Cooper initially had concerns about his dark-eyed appearance but was quickly won over by his portrayal, stating he "exudes ruthless glamour."

As Rivals returns on November 11 for its final episodes, fans will see Hassell’s Rupert in a new light, with the trailer teasing a potential romance with Taggie and a confrontation with Lord Tony. The series continues to deliver the scandal and style that made the original novels iconic, with Hassell’s nuanced performance at its heart.