Tom Ellis Says You Could 'Definitely' Argue Oliver Is More Toxic Than Stephen AfterTell Me LiesSeason 2 Finale: 'He's Despicable' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Tom Ellis as Oliver in ‘Tell Me Lies’ season 2.Photo:Disney/Josh Stringer

Disney/Josh Stringer

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the season 2 finale ofTell Me Lies.

The actor, 45, joined season 2 ofhis wife Meaghan Oppenheimer’s hit drama series as a professor who develops a less-than-appropriate relationship with student Bree (Cat Missal) — despite being both married and at least a decade her senior.

Ellis calls his character “despicable” as he reflects on the jaw-dropping finale reveal: that his wife, Marianne (Gabriella Pession), has been aware of his affair with Bree the whole time — and this is not a new move for Oliver.

“It’s strange for me, because I’m used to playing characters that I like in some way, shape or form, or [I can] find something to like about them. And for Oliver, I found it really difficult to find redeeming features, because I don’t really think he has any,” Ellis tells PEOPLE. “And that’s the cold, hard truth of this particular story.”

Thoughthe toxic relationship between Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White) remains at the heart ofTell Me Lies, theLuciferalum says of whether his character is even more toxic than Stephen: “Yeah, I think you definitely could make that case, for sure.”

Gabriella Pession as Marianne, Tom Ellis as Oliver in ‘Tell Me Lies’.Disney/Josh Stringer

“I look at this character, and he’s a guy who has a huge responsibility towards young people [as a professor], and he abuses that responsibility. And that is something very difficult for me to get on board with.”

Ellis continues, “And there are many, many instances of these kind of relationships happening. And I think it’s important — when we’re talking about the toxic nature of sexual relationships and love — and the lies that we’re prepared to tell ourselves when those things are on the line — that’s what the show is about.”

Ellis emphasizes that he’s “not playing this character to celebrate him, I’m playing this character to be part of this storytelling,”

“I think it’s important that we explore this kind of dynamic because it does happen. And the actions that Oliver takes are not ones that I would take as Tom.”

Cat Missal as Bree, Tom Ellis as Oliver in ‘Tell Me Lies’.Disney/Josh Stringer

“I knew ahead of time where it was going, but what I wanted to do through the process of shooting it was not really think about that. I wanted to play it how the audience saw it, rather than holding onto secrets and stuff. I wanted the audience to be on the same journey that Oliver and Bree were on.”

Tom Ellis as Oliver, Cat Missal as Bree in ‘Tell Me Lies’ season 2.Disney/Josh Stringer

His approach overall to the character and the show was different than his past projects, as Ellis admits he carried the weight of Oliver’s betrayal with him for a while.

“I think, thankfully, I’ve left Oliver behind now. But no… I felt really dark at the end of it. I felt dark because I’d been part of telling that story. And yeah, I did need to kind of just remind myself of who I am and all those things.”

“I don’t think it’s something that I’ll want to kind of remunerate too much about in the future. It’s just, ‘Okay, I’ve done that, and I’m glad I’ve done it for the purposes that we’ve done it,’ but it’s not someone that I will be celebrating when I look back in my career, I don’t think.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The season 2 finale ofTell Me Liesis now streaming on Hulu.

source: people.com