The following contains major spoilers for The Rig, now streaming on Prime Video.
Martin Compston is once again back on television in Prime Video's new series The Rig. One of the special things about Compston's career is how he continually challenges himself -- and the audience -- by picking roles that are so different from each other. The Rig is no exception as Compston portrays Fulmer Hamilton, the lone-wolf communications officer on the Kinloch Bravo oil rig that gives the show its title. Even within an already restricted environment, he's still on his own.
That's a change of pace from Compston's best-known role as Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in BBC One's smash hit Line of Duty. In The Rig, the actor is isolated both literally and metaphorically. That framing allows the audience to think about how Compston would do if he was in another solo, more action-oriented role. Based on his performance, he would be an excellent choice to continue what Daniel Craig started as a grittier James Bond.
Line of Duty Has Prepared Martin Compston for Bigger Action Roles
Compston's role in Line of Duty has deservedly made him an international star. Over six seasons and counting, series creator/writer Jed Mercurio has given the actor tons to play with as Steve evolved from a young counter-terrorism officer into a hardened member of AC-12, the top anti-corruption unit. There's been plenty of action in the series, from car chases to shootouts, with Line of Duty Series 6 finally giving Steve the promotion he deserved for at least three years. Compston has done enough stunts across the 36 episodes to show he has what it takes to be an action lead.
The problem with Line of Duty is that when Steve gets involved in the action, it's usually him taking most of the punishment. Mercurio has also thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the character. Series 1 included Steve being tortured and needing to be rescued by frenemy Tony Gates (Lennie James before he joined the now-cancelled Fear the Walking Dead). Series 4 had him viciously beaten and temporarily in a wheelchair, and that storyline extended into a painkiller addiction later on. Viewers have yet to see Compston in an action role where he is the one in control, and the James Bond franchise is the epitome of that idea.
The Rig Proves Martin Compston Can Be a James Bond Candidate
The Rig is completely different from Line of Duty, despite having several actors from the show in its cast. It's a science-fiction thriller, and by the third episode, it winds up going in too many different directions. However, Compston does a lot with the material he's given. Iain Glen's Magnus has to run the Kinloch Bravo, so it's Fulmer who goes out into the proverbial field. In the third episode, a sequence with him on top of a crane is reminiscent of Bond's now-infamous crane sequence. All that's missing is a bad guy for Compston to fight. Later on, he's the first of the three main characters to brave the contaminated portion of the rig. Magnus and Emily Hampshire's Rose only go in after Fulmer does.
Compston also gets to play with the internal conflict of the character. Fulmer is presumed infected, then inexplicably told he's fine, and then finds out he's not fine. The emotional beats Compston moves between show he's got the chops if the Bond producers stick with the realism and the tragedy that started in Casino Royale. Fulmer struggles with self-loathing and a search for purpose, just as Bond did then, but he also grits his teeth and gets on with it like 007. Even the show's forced reveal that Fulmer and Rose are in a secret romance at least proves Compston can make the best of an obligatory romantic subplot, which most Bond films have had. Craig was brilliant at tearing past Bond's surface, and in The Rig, Compston likewise elevates an underwritten character. He could easily pick up where Craig left off if he wanted to; at the least, audiences can see he's ready for more action roles.
The Rig is now streaming on Prime Video.