Aden is well known on television as Jack Maddox in The House of Eliott, Edward Campbell in Holby City, and for guest roles in numerous series including The Crown, Van der Valk, Vera, Silent Witness and Ivanhoe. His many theatre credits include Dominic Dromgoole’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe; An Inspector Calls on Broadway; productions for The Peter Hall Company at the Theatre Royal Bath, West End plays, and productions staged by the RSC and the National Theatre.  Now marking his tenth production at the Theatre Royal, Aden last played Bath in Caroline’s Kitchen in 2019.

How would you describe ART, for the uninitiated?

It’s a short, sharp shock! No great play should be too easily definable, but it’s essentially about three men who have been friends for a long time. The fault lines in their relationships are exposed by an all-white work of art that one of them has bought for a vast amount of money. My character thinks, to use his own word, that it’s shit.

Do you have some sympathy for his argument?

I actually quite like modern art. My daughter is an artist and I’m fascinated by it. However, I recently saw a sculptor who was selling a work that was a square of empty space. He said it was an installation and it was up to you to imagine what the artist was intending, and I think that’s on a par with the piece of art in the play. I found it puzzling, it’s fair to say.

Do you think your character, Marc, is more upset with the fact his friend Serge likes the work, rather than the work itself

Yes, and that’s the catalyst for their argument. Marc says at one point he’s appalled that Serge could go ahead and buy the painting without asking him first. It suggests a power dynamic in which the pupil has dared to supplant the teacher. It’s really interesting.

What do you think makes the play so effective?

I think Yasmina Reza writes power dynamics very well. There’s something very Pinteresque about it. And Christopher Hampton has done a fantastic translation, which really emphasis the British humour and class aspects of the play.

Are you excited to be working with director Iqbal Khan?

Absolutely. I was playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the RSC a few years ago, and Iqbal’s production of Tartuffe was running in the Swan Theatre at the same time. So I went to watch it, and thought it was flipping brilliant. It’s not an easy play to get right, and I’m hard to please, so anyone who can come up with a production as good as that is clearly hugely talented.

You’ve done a lot of stage work over the years. Would you describe theatre as your first love?

My first professional job was in theatre, at the Royal Exchange, and I’ve worked pretty consistently on stage ever since, with the odd break for filming. I wouldn’t say I particularly love it, it’s just what I’ve done. But having said that I’d much rather watch a play than a film. When theatre’s good, there’s nothing quite like it.

What are the roles you look back on most fondly?

I’m very proud of Noises Off at the National Theatre. Physically it was really tough – I remember dripping with sweat and feeling sick after every show. But those first few performances at the National were just magnificent. I wish I could have watched them myself! I also have very fond memories of doing Betrayal in Peter Hall’s first season at Bath. Harold Pinter wasn’t incandescent about it, so it must have been an absolute triumph.

ART is presented by Joshua Beaumont with Original Theatre. You’ve worked with Original Theatre often before?

I’m very fond of Original. I go a long way back with them, and I really admire their enthusiasm for theatre. They manage to revivify the flagging, cynical part of me, which it’s easy to have after a long time in the business! They’re celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and it’s an incredible achievement to have got this far, without any Arts Council funding. I applaud them from the rafters.

What advice would you give to aspiring actors?

I wouldn’t dream of giving anyone advice, but if they insisted I would wish them a huge amount of luck. It’s much harder now than when I was starting out, I think. It’s a really tough environment for young actors. My advice would be to start doing Marvel films, quick. And don’t come to me for advice!

ART appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 3rd to Saturday 7th September.

To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit theatreroyal.org.uk