Olivia Grant interview for Indian Summers

28 January 2015

How does an American like Madeleine end up in Simla, where Indian Summers takes place?

Her brother, Eugene [Edward Hogg], has contracted malaria, and Madeleine starts receiving very bizarre letters from him that suggests he’s of unsound mind, so she makes the trip from America to find him. She finds him distraught and they’re taken in by the Viceroy’s private secretary, Ralph Whelan [Henry Lloyd-Hughes]. She reminds me a bit of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire – “I’ve always relied on the kindness of strangers.” And that’s where we join her in episode one.

 

She seems to target Ralph as a possible husband almost instantly. Is there love there, or just ambition?

She sees him and decides he’s the one for her, in quite an American, unabashed way. There’s a definite sexual attraction, but also an emotional disconnect. She’s open, while he’s one of those emotionally-closed characters who won’t let his guard down. That leads to quite a lot of unhappiness for both of them over the series, and it’s never an easy coupling. But it’s suggested to Ralph that they should get together to make him a better prospect as a future Viceroy, so there’s ambition from both sides.

 

Is she a breath of fresh air in a stifling society?

Madeleine and Eugene are from newer money and find it quite difficult [in Simla] at first. In the second episode, they make fun of the British because they’re still dancing the Grizzly Bear, which dates back to ragtime and the 1920s (both dancers have to create “grizzly bear” hands. It’s not a very sexy dance, even though it was meant to be!) and New York had moved on to jazz, so these dances were the least cool thing ever.

 

Did you learn a lot of dance steps out there?

Henry and I had to learn how to waltz, and I did have to learn the Grizzly Bear. I trained as a dancer when I was very young and I sing as well, so it was great to show that off a bit. I’ve played more restrained female characters up to now, so I enjoyed Madeleine’s sense of release. The dancing helped me get into that.

 

Does Madeleine have a take on the political turmoil in India?

She doesn’t really care. She’s quite an emblem of decadence. Life for her is for enjoyment, fun and beauty, not in a nasty way, more that she’s disengaged from politics.

 

How tough was it to film in the heat?

It got cooler as we went on, but at times I felt like I was in a radiator. We were given these drinks called 100 Plus, which we became addicted to. After one of those, you feel super-revved and immune to the heat, so that sorted us out. Once my body adjusted to the sweating, I was quite enjoying it by the end. Although I did get bitten by a scorpion…

 

Ouch!

I know! We’d been taken out for dinner and the chef had done this incredible dessert for everyone. I reached for some fruit and got this ginormous sting: there on the table was a 2 1/2 inch scorpion. We ran to hospital and I was slightly going into shock, thinking I was going to die. I said to the nurse: “Could I die?” And I don’t think she understood. She was saying, “Yes, yes, can, can…”! It was painful, but could have been worse: either you go into anaphylactic shock, or you don’t and it ends up like a wasp bite. I was back out shooting the next day.