August 2, 2023
2023 Rewind: Full-Frontal Made Jack Armstrong a Little Nervous While Filming Brit-Com 'Patterns'
Timothy Rawles READ TIME: 5 MIN.
Speaking of the quarantine, "Patterns" was filmed during it. The whole world was on hiatus in 2020. When he wasn't filming his scenes, Armstrong was just like the rest of the world; locked up indoors. He wasn't alone like his character.
"I was at home with my partner and our dog. We had a situation which was different for a lot of people. We were able to see each other and enjoy the company even in the sort of the darkest throes of COVID," he says, adding that the only difficulty stemmed from not being able to perform because his line of work was obviously affected. "It didn't really exist. And it also meant that coming out of the pandemic, you were saying yes to things and doing things which you might not have done previously, but you were so keen to get out there acting and performing again. It was tricky. So my overall view of that period of my life was it was difficult But I feel very lucky that I was in the circumstances that I was. I was very thankful for having company which I know a lot of people didn't have."
Director of "Patterns," Rex Glensy was determined to get his series made safely through the pandemic. Some of the scenes were shot on location. One of them was in Ben Cohen's old rugby club. "We had to get permission from the Interior Secretary here --- the Home Secretary essentially --- allowed us to travel because the hotel where we stayed wouldn't let us stay unless we had governmental permission to do so. We were lucky that the movie industry was classified as an essential industry."
As much as Armstrong loved the production team, they loved him back. Glensy was so pleased with his work that he has been invited back for the continuation of the series. "He is a fantastic actor and great at his craft. He gets invited back for that reason and for the fact that everybody likes working with him, which as you know, in this industry is as important as being good. So, we look, we look forward to having Jack around for 'Patterns Two,' and if the public wants it, 'Patterns Three, Four and Five.'"
Until the cameras start rolling again for the sequel, Armstrong continues his pursuit of entertainment projects. "I'm still doing what I always do, which id seeking out interesting projects, shorts or series," he says. "I also model and do presenting as well, to tide me over between the gaps of the more narrative stuff. I'm also a dad so I'm also very busy day to day doing that stuff."
"Patterns" is now