Disney+ 'Rivals' cast used fake cigarettes due to Wales smoking ban

Oliver Chris, who plays James Vereker in the Disney+ series 'Rivals,' revealed that the cast used plastic e-cigarettes while filming in Wales because it is illegal to smoke in the workplace there, including TV sets. The series, based on Dame Jilly Cooper's novel, was filmed at Llanhennock House in Monmouthshire for season one and at Foxfield, an £8m mansion, for season two. Chris noted that the fake cigarettes may have been digitally altered in post-production. He described playing the 'unremittingly horrible' Vereker as a pleasure. Show writer Laura Wade shared that Dame Jilly Cooper criticized the team for making her 'macho men' cry too often.