By: Jamie Steinberg
Q) We’re seeing you now on the series “Black Snow.” How was your character Samara originally described to you?
A) You know it’s funny, I didn’t realize it was such a big role until I arrived for pre-production. They had only just given me the scripts when I arrived and the audition scenes were quite light, so I had assumed that it was a much smaller role than it was.
She was described as a character who had really given up on life and was disillusioned with the police force. And that, in some ways, is quite a trap of a character to play because it’s kind of uninteresting to watch a character that’s “checked out” – it suggests that they’re not fighting for something. So, I really had to find something that she was fighting for and that ended up being to leave this mystery alone – to let sleeping dogs lie because that was the best thing for everyone, including Zoe (Jana McKinnon), Zoe’s family and Sam herself.
Q) Was there anything that you added to the role that wasn’t in that initial breakdown?
A) I mean, I hope so! The character description is only a few sentences so the hope is that you’ve added a whole extra life to her haha. There are a lot of unanswered questions about Sam that were really interesting to play with. For example, the whole backstory around my daughter and who her father might be.
I bumped up my Australian accent to be a lot stronger and coarser so that it sounded like she was from a more rural part of Australia. Whereas in real life people often ask me whereabouts in England I’m from.
Q) Does it take you slipping into your costume in order for you to find your character and their mannerisms?
A) It really depends on the role. Sometimes character mannerisms can come from the outside in. For example, a costume informs the way you walk. And sometimes they can come from the inside out, e.g, a mannerism helps you key into the character and that then informs the costume choice.
But costume is one of my favorite parts of the process and, for me, it really does help tie everything together. When you put the costume on and look in the mirror and you see this whole other person, your mind starts to believe the story’s reality in a whole other way. And I did feel kinda bad-ass in the costume. It was such a novelty at first – I felt like being a kid playing cops and robbers dress ups.
Q) You have some top-notch costars. Who were you looking forward to sharing some scenes with?
A) I was really looking forward to working with Travis [Fimmel]. I thought his work in “Vikings” was awesome and I loved the show. He taught me to have a small dose of healthy irreverence for the script. Where before, I think coming from a theatre background, I could get very married to it. It was cool to see him massage the script a little to better suit the situation once we got it into the actual set.
Q) Every episode is intriguing and very intense. What have been some of your favorite scenes to film?
A) I liked filming the opening scene for my character. It was the only time I got to pull my weapon and that was such a novelty for me! I’ve never played a character that held a gun before so that was kind of fun. I also liked the way I was able to do a bit of “police” work with Daisy (Lilliana Bowrey). It’s a great moment where we see Sam, who may not necessarily care about her job, but does deeply care about this young expectant mother in front of her. We see Sam show a lot of empathy and actually be quite good at dealing with this situation.
I had watched a lot of documentaries about police in the field and one of the things that I noticed was how quickly they work to de-escalate a problem, whereas in a lot of fictional film and TV we see police be super shouty and aggressive, which escalates the problem rather than diffuses the situation. For example, one of the ways in which they would de-escalate a problem is to build a relationship with a person in front of them as quickly as possible and they would do this by calling them “mate” or “darling” or using their name. So, I added a few lines here and there to reflect that research. For example, I used Daisy’s name a lot and asked her for confirmation on things I was saying, rather than just telling her things, to make sure that she understood what I was saying and that she was on board.
Q) The series is shot throughout Queensland. Where were some standout locations for you?
A) I actually grew up in Queensland, so it was nice to be on home turf and see familiar locations in a new context. It reminded me of just how beautiful it is. It was great shooting on the Gold Coast too because it meant that I could go to the beach every day! Nothing compares to the Australian beaches and ocean.
Q) How do you shake off a long day of filming such adrenaline filled moments?
A) It always takes me ages to wind down after set and I never really sleep that well when I’m shooting. I think my brain is just trying to process after all that hyper-focus that it takes to be on set. And then I have all these wacky dreams in character or about the show or story. So, I’m going to say that that’s a work in progress.
Q) What do you think it is about “Black Snow” that’s made it such a fast fan favorite must watch series?
A) Travis’s baby blue eyes – joking! I think it’s a gripping story set in a unique background that not many people have seen before.
Q) What are the other projects that you have been busy working on lately?
A) Over Christmas I shot a show in Melbourne called “Dear Life.” It’s about a woman whose husband is murdered and they donate his organs, but she has trouble dealing with the grief so she tracks down all the organ recipients. I play the lung recipient who desperately needs the lungs because she’s suffering from cystic fibrosis. It’s a really heartwarming story that deals with grief but is offset with some touching comedic moments. I had a lot of fun getting into the research for this role, speaking to some incredible people in real life who are suffering from this disease. That’s one of my favourite parts about the job, that you get to become a mini expert on a very niche area that you would have never thought about before you start it.
And I’m currently shooting a horror/comedy which is something completely different again and I am having so much fun! It’s very silly and constantly giggling.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of the work you do?
A) Thanks so much for watching and it makes me so happy if the work that I’m doing speaks to you or resonates with you in some way.