Tom Ellis Reveals Whether Wife Meaghan Oppenheimer Made Him Audition for “Tell Me Lies” Season 2 Role (Exclusive)

The 'Lucifer' star tells PEOPLE about his decision to join season 2 of his wife's Hulu series, and teases the "cold" character he plays

Despite his close ties, Tom Ellis admittedly never had his sights set on working on Tell Me Lies.

The Lucifer star, 45, tells PEOPLE he's "been very much there since the start of the show" given that his wife Meaghan Oppenheimer is its creator and showrunner, but he "didn't really ever envisage being in it."'

"It wasn't something that was ever discussed in our household, really," Ellis says.

It was only when Oppenheimer, 38, "started thinking about season two, and what she wanted to do and where she wanted to go with the characters, she had talked about [a certain] type of relationship being something that she wanted to explore. And then casually started saying, 'Do you think you'd be interested in doing it?'"

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Ellis says he "wasn't sure how serious she was to start with, but as it became more and more real, it was something that I quietly was getting excited about. And so when they officially asked me to do it, I was very much ready to jump on board."

His excitement to play Oliver — a sexy professor whose storyline he's keen to stay mum on until later in the series — was building as his wife's was, too. But was that excitement enough, or was he asked to formally audition to secure the role?

"They didn't [make me audition], thankfully," he reveals. "I think Meaghan's seen enough of my stuff to realize that I'm probably capable of doing it."

Tell Me Lies isn't the first time Ellis has worked with his wife, as he notes they worked together on 2018's Queen America, albeit briefly, and it "was really a pleasant surprise for both of us that we were able to separate church and state quite easily."

"It's never been a problem for us, really. I think we have a huge amount of respect for each other creatively. And I think she's really, really talented at what she does," Ellis says of working with his wife, with whom he shares an 8-month-old daughter, Dolly.

"It was a no-brainer, really," he continues. "I know a few people have gone, 'What's it like working with your wife? That must be strange.' It's like, well, actually, it's strange that it isn't strange."

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He still had some nerves, though, particularly about joining the show as one of only two new additions, the other being Gossip Girlalum Thomas Doherty.

"To come and join something always feels a little bit like a gamble, but with this one, I was just really keen to join it because I just felt it was so good," he says. "And if I could join something and continue to be impactful — to be additive as opposed to just joining for just another character — I felt that it was a really good opportunity."

Playing Oliver was "a bit of [a] challenge" for the actor.

"He's very much a colder character than I've played in the past," Ellis says. "And for me it was about working out how to desensitize myself a little bit and approach someone who really doesn't give much away."

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The first two episodes of Tell Me Lies season 2 are now streaming on Hulu. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays through Oct. 16.

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