Interview with Ruth Bradley for Electric Dreams: Human Is

24 October 2017

Can you tell us a little bit about your episode, Human Is?

From my perspective it’s about an emotionally abusive relationship between a couple. Silas goes away and comes back and is the same person but a completely changed man. I suppose the basis of it is a question of what it is to be human and what human nature is and what kindness, love and loyalty is.

 

Can you tell us a bit about your character?

Yaro is Vera’s right hand woman. She is Vera’s confidant and you get a sense that she has been well informed about how this relationship has been over the years. She’s obviously her work colleague, but she is also a shoulder to cry on and somebody who’s also a friend. When Silas comes back from Rexor IV, and everybody realises there is something different, Yaro has to decide who to protect. I think she is the mirror image of what the essence of kindness and loyalty is.

 

What was it that attracted you to this project?

Yaro was such a well-rounded character and also initially when I read the script it was written as a man which I love. Very often as an actress there’s some kind of stereotype but with any good script you should be able to swap the genders of all the characters and it shouldn’t make a huge difference. Also the fact she goes 180 from beginning to end and you don’t really know if she’s trustworthy. She’s not black and white; there are a lot of grey areas to her.

 

Were you already a Philip K Dick fan? Had you read any of his stuff?

I read The Man in the High Castle when they were making that a few years ago. When I got this I started reading his short stories and what was really evident throughout all of them was that they are always exploring and questioning humanity and what human nature is, which is what I think all great sci-fi does under the guise of being futuristic, on different planets, under all these things it’s about exploring who we are. I think he is the original master of that.

 

What was the experience of filming like?

Absolutely joyous from beginning to end. It was a brilliant cast, great crew. We were one of the last films to go in so they were a well-oiled machine at that stage. I knew Francesca, the director, I had worked with her before and I love how she directs, works and how she is on set. Bryan and Essie are just brilliant, so talented and so lovely. I had worked with Liam before, he’s directed me in something and I’ve worked with him as an actress a few times so that was brilliant. Very often that sets the tone for any production when you’ve got very giving and open co-stars that you’re working with, it just means everyone is comfortable enough to play and try things and that was very much the atmosphere on set. It was like a play, which is essentially what we should be doing I think that way you get the best work.

 

The series is so varied, and his stories are all so different. What do you see as the universal themes that unite his work?

Love and human nature. Love is a huge element; it’s probably the central theme of everything I’ve read and what it is to be human and human need for love. Which I think, with the way our species is going, is our internal quest to figure that out. This is probably why he’s so relevant today as he was when he started.

 

Why do you think so many of his stories are still being made today?

The scope of what he has done is so varied, there is so much you can do with even one of the short stories, they can be made into anything. It’s so imaginative. I think essentially at the core there is a real simplicity to them that is easy to understand and that everyone can relate to. They are not beyond reach and I think that’s a feature in all of his work.

 

Do you have a favourite moment from set?

It was nonstop laughing mostly. For me it was interesting because I wasn’t using my accent. Liam and I have the same accent in reality and he came to talk to me and I was like Liam I can’t talk to you or I will lose my accent. It’s so nice to work with somebody you have known since you were a kid and now you’re a grownup.