British actor Luke Pasqualino is keeping his chin up although the BBC announced last month that his show The Musketeers will not be renewed after the third and current season ends.
He is confident the series has told a good story while it lasted.
"Other retellings of the Musketeers story have a fairy-tale element to them, but ours is a lot more gritty. It feels a bit more adult, which I think makes it more real," the 26-year-old tells The Straits Times in a recent telephone interview. "I feel very sad to see its end, but I have every confidence the fans will love viewing it as much as we enjoyed making it."
In Singapore, all 10 episodes of Season 3 are available for viewing on demand on BBC First (StarHub TV Channel 522), ahead of the show's British premiere this weekend.
The TV series is adapted from Alexandre Dumas' classic adventure novel The Three Musketeers (1844), which follows a young man named d'Artagnan, who travels to Paris and befriends three formidable soldiers of a military unit known as the Musketeers Of The Guard.
Pasqualino plays d'Artagnan, a role he has enjoyed performing "tremendously".
"When you first meet him in Season 1, he's just a farmer's boy. By Season 3, he's a war hero. He's also married now and so it has just been a huge journey for him," he says.
"For an actor to have that kind of opportunity to have such a story arc is more than I could have hoped for. I have loved every bit of his development."
Besides bidding a reluctant farewell to the role, the bachelor will miss seeing his co-stars on set.
"Part of what makes the chemistry between the cast so apparent onscreen is that the camaraderie is also there in real life. We're all like best friends. We love one another to bits," he says of his castmates Tom Burke (who plays Musketeer Athos), Santiago Cabrera (Aramis) and Howard Charles (Porthos).
Up next for the actor, who had roles on dramas Skins (2009-2010) and The Borgias (2011-2012), a movie, Solar Eclipse: Depth Of Darkness, and a five-part BBC series, which is in production.
"After that, I'll go back into the big wide world of unemployment. I guess I'll see where things take me then," he says.
Until then, perhaps he could pass some time by reliving his Musketeer experience on his own.
He says with a laugh: "I would make a pretty good Musketeer in real life. I like to go horseriding, being outdoors and getting my hands dirty building things. So, I think I would do really well as a Musketeer."
•The Musketeers 3 is available on demand on BBC First (StarHub TV Channel 522).
•Follow Yip Wai Yee on Twitter @STyipwaiyee
