The show explores privilege and wealth gaps in relationships and how these dynamics affect relationships – what was that like to play, was it an important story for you to tell?
I feel like it’s something that exists but isn’t really talked about. Because, especially as a society, we don’t love talking about money, but now we are having more discussions about it. It’s something that’s always been there, but only is now being addressed. I’ve experienced it, I’ve seen other people experience it, so I could draw on my own personal experience.
We also see the show explore toxic masculinity and a real zoom in on male friendship between Marcus [David Jonsson] and Dylan [Laurie Davidson] as well…
I just adore them, for a start – as human beings, as artists. They’re incredible and clever and generous. You see the theme of codependency there, which I don’t think has been explored that much in general relationships, actually, on screen – but especially in in male relationships. When I read the script, the words ‘toxic masculinity’ didn’t really come into my mind. I think because it was written with such nuance.
Andrea Resmini/Paramount+
With every light element of the show there is some dark – how did you find filming your sexual assault and harassment scenes, how did you prepare?
When I first read it [in the script] it was a bit different, but then it was an incredibly collaborative process. Because whenever you’re filming a scene like that, it comes with a lot of uncomfortablity. It was very sensitive, and it was so important to me for it to be done right, and it was important to everyone else as well. I was able to have quite a lot of input… it was between me and our intimacy co-ordinators, our director and Mikey [who plays the perpetrator]. We just really sat down and talked about it so it wasn’t a rushed thing, it was really considered. I felt that what I hadn’t seen as much on screen were instances that I know have happened to a lot of people that I think people will be able to look at and go, ‘That’s happened to me, and I didn’t know what to call it’.
