So this is one of those great shows of one of those great,
almost like top line descriptions.
Someone just explains it in a way to someone says, what's this about?
When obviously, you know, when you get a sign on to a project,
you want to know so many things, who's directing it?
What's the character like?
And all these sort of stuff
that when you get a great little premise, a great little line, can that sometimes
be enough for you to go, Okay, this one sounds like it
Sorry. I'm just thinking. I'm just thinking.
Yes, I'm thinking about the call that I got about this show.
Ruth Kenley-Letts, who is one of our executive producers.
I've worked with Ruth, I think, six times now.
And so she called and I thought, oh, well, it was this.
And she sold it to me.
I can't remember exactly what she said, but I didn't know the story.
I mean, I was aware of the image of the cuckoo's.
I was like, you know, that famous image of them with the glowing eyes.
But I hadn't I hadn't read the book and I hadn't seen the film.
And I think it was made in the sixties and
so, yeah, it was sold to me
in in a phone call, you know, before I'd even seen the script.
And then I saw the script and I was like, oh, my God, this is
this is really unusual.
And so yeah, yeah, it's perfectly possible, I think.
And yeah, I think for me slightly differently I was
when I got sent the script, my agent was like, this is, this is really cool.
I've never sort of seen anything like this before.
And I think it was sort of coming off of COVID
and things have just been very kind of I think we're all in that kind
of existential point of like, what are, what are we doing with our lives?
You know?
Anyway, I was sitting on my mum's sofa I had my laptop open
and my mum had just asked me if I wanted a cup of tea.
And my first and besides the first scene that I had for the audition
was Suzanna, Katie's character, saying, Do you want tea love?
And she was sitting on the sofa and I was like, Oh my God, this is weird.
And then I think I just went with it.
After that, I sort of felt like this might be the part for me.
So when you're starring in
something that's sort of science fiction that you like this
Do you... when you approach, this is exactly the same approach as you would take.
If you're doing a sort of a kitchen sink drama
and you fall back on the same techniques in the same perspective,
just always trying to combat the the truth of the character, or does it also
depended on how fantastical and surrealist the show can get
and yeah, I suppose it's well,
that kind of depends on the director quite often,
you know, the rehearsal period, which you don't often get.
We did have a little bit, but in television you don't get a huge amount.
And so with,
with television, your process is, is sort of working on it.
At home, you know, maybe reading the book.
In this case, I didn't know to my character.
I didn't feel like I needed to because it's such a different retelling.
But it's,
it's always sort of slightly different, I think.
And yeah, I think just for me, like
every performance has to be sort of rooted in
kind of from my own experience or to be as truthful as possible.
And I think that kind of surpasses whatever genre you're doing
and because you need that performance to be like as authentic as, as possible.
But obviously this is heightened.
So I think also like you're very influenced by the other actors.
You're working with and their reactions to things and responses
to things sort of inform your decisions as an actor as well.
It's quite interesting on this one, wasn't it,
because it is an ensemble piece really you
never quite know what
other people you know, the other families in the show and in the town,
what sort of level of performance they might be giving
and so you might be in a show all of your own.
And you know, that's, that's where the jokes
comes in and sort of levels everybody and make sure that we are all in the same.
So yeah, that was a big worry for us.
Actually, for the black out
especially, it was like, Wait, how are we all going to pass out?
Yeah.
And how will we think?
Are we, are we coordinating the style of painting?
So yeah, I think definitely you have to look to your fellow actors
to inform and everyone finds that right in the casting.
You just faint to the left. Yeah, yeah.
That ever happens to you before you've watched the show and you just think,
Oh my God, I've actually played this slightly differently to no one else.
It was so good. What was I doing? Yeah,
so do you guys
do you guys believe there's stuff out there?
Aliens and and that
I'm starting to hope so.
Yeah.
In a way, it becomes more of a hope, I think, as.
Yeah, I think, yeah, it used to be a fear now,
and I'm hoping against hope
I don't think we'd be surprised.
You know, we've been talking a lot about
after everything we've been through, no one could have predicted
five years ago, we thought pandemics were the stuff of films.
With Kate Winslet in them, and now they are part of our lives.
And so, you know, it's just strange how much it might be.
It was almost easier to react, to act.
So in reaction to something crazy happening in this, when you've got that
something you can actually relate to now your life completely.
Yeah, nothing.
See, I keep saying it's like nothing seems outside
the realm of possibility after what we've all kind of been through.
So I think that's why these sorts of stories are kind of appealing and and
yeah, interesting for audiences.
I don't mean to that you must clearly, but it's an irony as a young
relative newcomer, you can't have us there on screen parent.
And this how great was it to work with one of the best in the country?
Great. Was it
a terrible scene partner to say?
No, it was.
It was like it was such a dream come true for me.
I was really nervous at the beginning.
I told you that when I first met her, I was really
because there's always that worry that you won't sort of the energy isn't
quite there and not necessarily that you won't that you won't like each other.
But sometimes
you have a scene with someone and your energy isn't quite matching.
So I was very fortunate that we have a very similar sense of shared
love of Nando's, shared love of Nando's, and yeah, it was great.
It was the go to go to Nando's order.
Anything that she gets,
I never had I've never really I always go for the chicken.
I mean, I had it once or twice before meeting Keeley and that daily, daily
thing and... pitta wrap... Not daily!
So every other day. Every day.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Twice, twice weekly
well, since when it comes from Cambridge, I want to ask about working
with sort of brilliance of,
of young performers, this ever fearlessness you think from.
So if you, you for performances, it could be quite infectious on a set
completely. Yeah. Yeah, it's absolutely right.
And you know.
Yeah, yeah.
And we were so lucky.
I mean Billy and Indica who play
my my grandchild's and Cassius... Evie,
they jointly play that character.
They were just, I mean both of them were so experienced for one thing.
Technically, they,
there wasn't anything that they didn't understand.
It was all sort of in a second nature to them.
And, and I think they loved the idea of playing these creepy kids, all of them.
They they loved it. They loved it. Yeah.
So, I mean, every day was, you know,
full of sort of laughter and and that
they were really joyful, really joyful.
And, you know, there's something
about working with children that's like very unpredictable that that's kind of
also like what you look for as well in in work.
So it's great.
So when you sign on for a series like this, do you think ahead
when it comes to your character development?
Do you think about where they could be in future series?
Do you think even about logistically?
You know, I have to block out X amount of weeks or months a year for this.
So when you take on a TV series, do you always just think about this
one series and just treat it purely as a as a one off
and just then see whether see it goes after that?
I think of it as a one off because I usually do.
I think I was content
right?
Yeah.
For this, it was definitely
my character is so kind of in the dark
throughout this this series.
And then yeah, I think there's a little bit of baton passing perhaps.
So that was very exciting for me.
So I definitely look to the look to the future and always
want to see where this character is going in the, in the long run.
But yeah, again, depends on that, depends
on the contract
well I'm hoping for a more mid-range show like some of the time.
So much appreciated. Thank you. Thank you. Great questions.