Charlotte Salt (The Tudors) stars as Kate Bettany 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…
On the face of it, Kate Bettany is an effervescent 20-something; attractive, razor sharp, knowing, smart. But it’s an effort to be all of those things because Kate Bettany is a construct, a version of what she thinks a normal person is.
How would you describe Bedlam?
“Bedlam is a dark drama that parallels two different worlds. Four twenty something’s live in an apartment together but another world exists within the dark underbelly of the building (Bedlam Heights). It has a haunted, mysterious past which comes to life throughout each episode.”
What attracted you to Bedlam?
“I thought the scripts were really high quality. Sometimes with young audience based dramas the scripts aren’t always that strong and don’t have any depth. I felt that Bedlam goes below the surface. I think Bedlam is like Skins or Misfits, but it takes that type of drama to another level.”
Can you tell us about your character, Kate?
“She’s a very complex woman. I think throughout the six episodes she’s definitely looking for something; trying to get a grip on what’s happening around her, working out what Bedlam Heights is and who her father is. When we first see Kate she’s this wonderful, glossy person that’s in control of her life but she’s also quite vicious and manipulating.
“As the show progresses you start to see behind the smile, the cracks start to form and she starts to lose it. It was quite interesting to play such a strong complex part because the good characters are often male.
What do you like/dislike about her?
“When you’re playing a character like Kate, you never see the negative parts as flaws. I loved playing her. I think Kate just gets carried away; she enjoys herself, her freedom and controlling everyone. She has a lot of issues and is a bit screwed up, although I don’t think she realises what she’s doing. She doesn’t consider the consequences of her actions. She lives in the moment and flies by the seat of her pants.”
Do you and your character have any similarities?
“I think there are a few similarities. I’m very driven, I know what I want and I have a ‘go get’ attitude. I’d like to think that I also have her humour and her warmth, when she shows it. There are elements of me in her dark moments as well – brushing things under the carpet and not wanting to explain myself. It was interesting to explore this and see what I’m really like!”
Can you describe her relationship with Molly and the other characters?
“Molly and Kate have been best friends forever. They have a sisterly relationship where Kate’s bad behaviour is accepted and things are brushed off. We see Kate and Molly together at a time when their relationship is strong. You also get to see how their relationship is tested.
“Kate’s relationship with Jed is the most serious out of all of them. He knows who she really is and doesn’t let her get away with anything, he’s more in control. He is the only one that sees the real her and makes her feel embarrassed by her actions. She is a little bit more careful around him and, deep down, there is an attraction between them.”
Kate, Jed, Molly and Ryan are good friends in the show. How did you all get on during filming?
“It was an absolute dream working together. What you see in the show is definitely a reflection of real life. Everyone got on really well, which helped. We are all very different but that meant no one clashed. We’ve all kept in touch with each other and with a lot of the crew.”
What was it like working with Will Young?
“I’ve grown up with Will Young since he won Pop Idol nearly 10 years ago. It was very much my era. My family are massive fans of his so it was slightly strange to be working with him. His public persona, of being a sweetheart, is exactly what he’s like in real life. He’s one of the easiest people to talk too and get on with and was an absolutely gem to work with.”
Are you a fan of ghost stories and scary films?
“I love any film that evokes such a strong emotion; making you cry, laugh or be scared. Since shooting Bedlam, I’ve learnt to appreciate scary movies a little bit more and not just be terrified. I’m quite a jumpy person by nature; pretty much anyone can make me jump or scream. I’m always the one in the cinema knocking my popcorn over!”
Do you believe in ghosts?
“It makes sense that there is left over energy from things that have been living. I haven’t had a ghostly experience but during the filming of Bedlam I started to imagine all sorts of things. Whenever I heard a bump or bang in the night, I thought it might be a ghost!”
Were there any spooky goings on on-set?
“The sets were really scary, with wallpaper coming off the walls. They were the only lit parts of the building and the rest was in complete darkness, even the toilets. We didn’t really need to do that much to them to make them look like they were old and decrepit. Theo was always trying to scare us and he usually succeeded.
“In Episode 1, I had to do a scene where I was drowning which gave me nightmares. I had lots of dreams throughout the shoot about the various things that happen to my character.”
You’re obviously very interested in beauty and fashion, how much input did you have into Kate’s wardrobe?
“I had a lot of input and the fashion designer was very open to my suggestions. We had multiple shopping trips around Manchester, trying on lots of different outfits and styles, so we could get a really good feel for the character. In the end we tried to find a casual style that would suit someone of her age. Molly’s character was trendy in a more hippy way but I think our characters complemented each other well.”
You have a beauty blog, can you tell me about that and how it all started?
“I’ve always been passionate about beauty. I also have a ridiculous amount of products clogging up my bathroom cupboards so a friend of my mine suggested doing a blog. I became immediately hooked. It’s a joy to write and it’s great for people that are looking for a bit of advice or answers or just pure beauty gossip. I would love my blog to be a platform to having a regular column one day.”