Interview with Eleanor Tomlinson – Evie
Category: Press Pack ArticleTell us about Evie…
Evie is a complicated soul. She's obviously going through significant grief and I think she's stuck in a rut. She's very curious about exploring herself and exploring boundaries both with her friends and with her partner. She's been with one guy for most of her life. As the series progresses, she finds her confidence and Danny, Sam’s character, and Becka, Jess’ character, bring her out of her shell and show her different routes, different possibilities. We worked on the characters relationships as a cast of four, so that the journey for each character was more complex.
Why did you go for the role?
When I met Dries, I really liked his vision for the show and felt that we could work collaboratively together. At that point, Sam was already attached, I knew they were having discussions with Jessica and then Alfred came along, ultimately creating a very exciting cast. So immediately it was shaping up to be a fun project. I think to this day, it's one of the most fun jobs I've done. We had a real laugh making it. There are moments that are so tense and tough, but we as a five, including Dries, are just such good friends. It's a gamble, when you put together a cast, but Dries’ vision has paid off and we've made firm friends because of it.
Sam was saying it's that you and him had some commonality about being considered period drama romantic stars…?
I think that's what was appealing about this project for both of us - it was a chance to break out of the mould we’re most known for. It's modern and it was a challenging leading role. Sam is now one of my best friends. Every day was a joy and creating Danny and Evie’s complicated and dangerous relationship was a lot of fun. It’s a real treat to work alongside such a supportive co-star but to leave a job with a best friend is pretty rare.
With Alfie, you both have child actor elements to your career. How was it working with him?
He's so intelligent and he really challenged me. All of our “at home” scenes were piled in to two weeks, which did actually help the stir-crazy feeling that the show needed. We knew Pete and Evie had been together since they were at university so a real shorthand between the two was important to us. We wanted the relationship to be completely believable, otherwise the series doesn’t work. Alfred is electric to play opposite because every take is different. If I was struggling with the dialogue, I’d ask his opinion and we’d talk it through, sometimes for hours at a time, so that when we shot the scene, it was the best version and we were excited to get in to it as we knew what we needed to achieve. I've not really experienced that before from another actor. I found myself wanting to not only be good for myself, the director and the show, but I found myself wanting Alfred’s approval at the end of those big scenes, which I've never experienced.
How does Evie’s relationship with Becka develop?
Becka is the open door because she does what she wants to do and she's confident in who she is. She doesn’t care what people think of her. Initially, I think that's quite scary for Evie because she's never come across anyone quite like her. When Evie falls into a well of grief and despair, Becka is there offering her a way out and a good time, ultimately giving Evie the green light to go ahead and explore elements of herself, which is something she’s never allowed herself to do before. Becka is probably the most crucial character for my character. Jess is a fantastic actress and to play opposite and alongside her was really empowering. She is one of my greatest friends now and I speak to her nearly every day. We worked very hard to build a chemistry as we wanted the women to instigate the resulting relationships, as opposed to the men, as ultimately, it’s more interesting, less predictable and less from the male gaze. At the end of the day, your performance is always in the hands of an editor, but I’m proud of the work Jess and I did to create and flesh out the complex nature of our characters friendship.
Would you say there is a slightly satirical take on suburbia in the show?
Yes, the claustrophobia and fear of life becoming routine and mundane. For example, you leave for work at this time, you get home at that time, you have dinner at this time and before you know it, life has become a treadmill that you can’t get off. I think, for me, the main theme of this show is the exploration of relationships and how claustrophobia can quickly set in. The neighbourhood is the perfect metaphor for that. Once you decide to break free from that, how quickly can you spiral? How far do you go? So, it's interesting. It's certainly an enticing watch, I would say. I think it leaves you wanting more and there's an addictive energy to the series. It's very sexy. It draws people in because it dares to address the unknown and for some, taboo. I think that the core four work very well together and I think it makes it an interesting watch.
How much support do you need when you attempt a role like that?
That depends on the scene. Certainly, on this production, they were very good at having professionals there for the support. In terms of the intimacy scenes, there was a coordinator, Vanessa Coffey. She was terrific. We spent a lot of time talking about each individual sex scene and making sure that there was a progression with each one. You don’t just have those scenes for the sake of them, or certainly I don't do them for the sake of them - they have to add something to the story.
Is it different working with European directors?
It’s very different and in the best way. There were a lot of women in the crew and that was amazing! The set was always calm and every scene properly rehearsed. I don’t think there was a day of overtime. Really incredible. There are certain scenes that are always going to be more difficult than others so I felt very empowered and confident with those strong, professional women around me and taking care of me. At some point I would like to produce as well as act and I would certainly try and put some of the Belgian methods in play. I learnt a lot.