Ashley Madekwe (Secret Diary Of A Call Girl) stars as Molly Lucas in Bedlam, Sky Living’s new paranormal drama, which begins on Monday 7th February.
The six-part series is set around Bedlam Heights, a newly converted apartment building on the edge of a British metropolis. The high quality apartments offer stylish 21st century living, but behind the facade lie unimaginable horrors. This former pre-Victorian asylum is haunted by the ghosts of its dark and violent past.
Watch the trailer…
Molly is wondering when her life is going to get started. Somehow, being warm, spontaneous and open isn’t enough to kick things into gear.
What attracted you to Bedlam?
“I thought it was a really good script with lots of drama. It’s nice to play a character who is in high stakes situations for once and I also love the supernatural element.”
What do you think makes Bedlam different from other shows?
“True Blood is vampire based and we’re not about vampires, we’re about ghosts. Bedlam is more similar to Supernatural and I love that show so I’m happy there’s going to be something new like it on television. People should tune in so that they can enjoy being scared and see all of Molly’s great outfits!”
Can you tell us a bit about your character, Molly?
“Molly is the most normal and sweetest out of the four main characters. She’s also definitely the most vulnerable and I enjoyed playing her because I’m usually cast as a bitch. It’s quite nice to play the innocent one for once. She’s way nicer than I am! I also love that, no matter what happens to Molly, she always tries to see the best in the situation. Even if she’s been severely haunted she thinks it’s just an accident, which is a good characteristic to have.”
How would you describe Molly’s relationship with Kate?
“They have a fraught relationship because they’ve known each other since they were really young children and that makes them like sisters. Because they know each other so well, they know how to push each other’s buttons. But when they need each other they are there immediately.”
Are you easily scared?
“Yes for sure. I hate the suspense in horror movies, I can’t take it. I shut my eyes and block my ears so I can’t hear the scary music.”
Do you believe in ghosts?
“I suppose I do believe in them. It’s kind of arrogant to think that there isn’t anything else out there but I don’t want them to come and haunt me!”
Did anything spooky happen on set?
“No not on set, but Theo often played pranks on people. He never got me though! We did film in some spooky locations and had to stay at this hotel in Todmorden which was a bit creepy. When I opened my curtains there were literally 50-60 small spiders on the window, which I thought was a bit odd. I did get scared when a stunt went slightly wrong and burnt my hair. I was so freaked out that it could have burnt my face. I’ve learnt the hard way that I can’t do my own stunts!”
What was your favourite experience on set?
“I loved all the scenes on the couch between Molly and Ryan because they were such nice days. Especially in the second half of the series where you get to see how good friends they are. We spent the whole day sitting on the couch and it didn’t feel like work. We were just mucking around and both had such an easy relationship with each other that it made it a pleasure to do.”
Molly, Kate, Jed and Ryan are really good friends in the show – did you all get on behind the scenes?
“I’d love to say that we hated each other as it would be far more interesting, but we all got on and it was a really nice set to be on. Charlotte, Theo and I all lived in the same building of an apartment block so we’d just pop over and hang out. Will and I were always singing; we loved a bit of Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross. We did request The Saturdays once and managed to get everybody singing along. Will also loves a bit of contemporary dance and would break into an impromptu dance at any moment!”
How much input did you have into Molly’s wardrobe?
“I had a lot of input because ultimately I’m the person who has to play the part. I have to feel like she looks right to me. I love the process when you first get the script and think about what the character should look like. I’ll cut loads of magazine pictures out before meeting the costume designer and hearing what they think. Then you go shopping together and meet somewhere in the middle to create this character together.
“I really enjoyed working with the costume designer on Bedlam as she really helped me to create something that wasn’t me. There is a tendency for actors to go and buy clothes that they want to wear but I created something that wasn’t me and yet still felt like a real person. She is quite vintage and eclectic, with slight hippy links.”
Can you tell us a bit about your fashion blog?
“It’s called ‘Ring My Bell’ and I’ve been doing it for just coming up to a year now. It started as a hobby because I’ve always loved fashion and I enjoy reading fashion magazines. It was just an extension of that really. Luckily my boyfriend has a keen interest in photography, so he takes all of the photographs for it.”