Tortured Pasts and Minimalist Spaces Draw Tom Hiddleston and Diego Calva Together in ‘The Night Manager’

Even “The Night Manager” production designer Victor Molero has a hard time keeping track of MI6 agent Jonathan Pine’s (Tom Hiddleston) many aliases, not least because season two of the show sees him embark on a covert mission in Colombia beyond the purview of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. In the long-awaited second season of the Emmy award-winning show, the hotel night manager-turned-spook must infiltrate the inner sanctum of upstart arms dealer Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva), who turns out to be the illegitimate son and protégé of Jonathan’s nemesis Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Hidden from the world, Teddy was raised in isolation in a Catholic monastery—a deep trauma that informs his business dealings, his immediate, intense connection with Jonathan, and his devotional- and contemporary art-filled mansion in the hills of Medellín.

“We needed Teddy to go face-to-face with our hero. Not Jonathan Pine, Matthew Ellis,” says Molero, referring to Jonathan’s latest dilettante-financier persona. “It's very confusing, even for us.” While Tenerife and other parts of Spain doubled for various Colombian locations, the pivotal scenes at Teddy’s mansion were filmed on location. “We decided that Medellín would be the right city to show the culture,” says Molero, envisioning “a big house” in the lush hills above the bustling city. “Not bad… nice pad,” Jonathan says, posturing as Matthew Ellis, to Teddy, as he strolls out onto the chic pool deck with a stunning, expansive view of Medellín. “It’s the fucking Hollywood Hills over here.”

Molero explains that finding the “right one” for Teddy proved challenging—first, in terms of avoiding previous on-screen stereotypes of Colombian drug lords and underworld figures with “really, really tacky taste,” he says. “Teddy was deeper than that.” His elegant, understated mid-century modern décor—sleek dark wood tables, immaculate cream-hued couches, and pared-back chairs—signals more than just his cultivated taste or a pretense. A lone brown leather Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer is the only recognizable design piece in the minimalist space, reflecting Teddy’s guarded personality. The spacious, sunlit living room, with sliding glass doors leading out to the chic pool and sweeping city view, conveys who’s in charge. “He needs to represent power,” says Molero. “But his power is not coming from vanity. It’s coming more from his tortured childhood.”

As he takes in the poolside view and ingratiates himself with Teddy, Jonathan quietly cases the house. His gaze lingers on his host’s spare, “monastic” bedroom—just a wooden chair and a carved headboard, the walls stark white and bare except for a crucified Jesus. “We pulled back a little bit of the [opulence] of the house and tried to do something more austere, clean, and minimal to show that he's a very tortured character,” says Molero, referring to a deleted flashback scene showing a young, disconnected Teddy in his monastery bedroom hurting himself with the cross above his bed. “He was educated in a very boring and austere life, with all the priests and no other children around.”

Along with being a merchant of war, Teddy’s in constant conflict with himself and his emotions. “He's a very sensitive character, so the only way to decorate this house was through art,” says Molero. With the help of his Colombia-based set decorator Melissa Villegas Solórzano and art director Diana Trujillo, he emphasized local artists for Teddy’s disciplined, intentional décor that subconsciously conveys his complexity.

Molero imagined Teddy would be drawn to Bogotá-born Javier Vanegas’ introspective black-and-white photography and sculptures. “A little bit pre-Columbian style, and very cool,” says Molero. He also incorporated textile art by socially conscious weaver Vanessa Gómez. “Teddy’s very clever. He knows how to manipulate the situation and get what he wants,” says Molero. “At the same time, he has the capacity to love and to fall in love. So art was a way to give more layers to the character.”

In a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game, Jonathan races to thwart Teddy’s world-destabilizing machinations—but the two share a deeply rooted connection. They both have serious daddy issues. Teddy longs for the approval of his manipulative, withholding dad, Richard, who, in turn, serves as a de facto father figure to Jonathan (whether the spy wants to admit it or not). Jonathan, too, carries the same emotional scars—his con-man father stole his ability to trust anyone—and a similar taste in minimalist interior design. Notably, in the season premiere, Jonathan wakes up in his bare bones London flat. A smattering of prints and paintings that feel like they came with the model unit break up the white walls. “It was very clinical, very clean,” says Molero, connecting the inextricably linked adversaries. “Jonathan and Teddy have this kind of attraction to each other.”

During their initial flirtation at Teddy’s gala in Medellín, the two exchange intense stares and entendre-filled banter, culminating in a steamy dance sequence in the square. “You feel attracted to someone who has been through something similar to you,” says Molero. “So it was intentional to put these characters together to look at each other and say, ‘We are tortured people, and we can understand each other.’”