> Buy Fleming on DVD on Amazon.
Episode 1 airs at 9pm on Wednesday 12 February on Sky Atlantic.
What was it that attracted you to the series?
“Initially the writing. It was based on John Pearson’s biography and Don [Macpherson], our writer, had just done a really lovely job of creating this world of this man and this ‘Good-Time Annie’, who we know as Ann O’Neill. Added to the fact that Mat Whitecross was directing, who I’d known of but not worked with before, and Dominic [Cooper], and I was on a plane over to do the job.”
Were you a fan of James Bond?
“I’ve always been proud of Bond films because they’re from the UK. They’re British-made and it’s a British-made franchise.”
How much research did you do into Ann’s life?
“Quite a bit because her diaries were available to us, which were really informative. What was lovely is that obviously in a movie that’s going to be cut into four parts there’s only so much you can include, but what was brilliant is piecing the missing bits of the puzzle together in my head and being able to layer that in.”
And how much of your characterisation was based on the real Ann O’Neill?
“Well, I remember reading it thinking, oh God, why’s she going back for more with this man? She’s insane. It’s doomed. And you then read in her diary that her mother died when she was young and she married her childhood sweetheart at 19, she had two children, she was brought up and passed around like an aristocratic waif – she vomited the first time she’d ever been kissed because she’d never been shown physical affection – and you think: no wonder this women craved being in the arms of a man who she feels loves her and desires her, because I don’t think she ever really felt wanted.”
How would you describe your character and her relationship with Ian?
“It’s completely dysfunctional. She’s known as Good-Time Annie and I think at the time, her spirit and her life and her passion for life were hugely admired. Her family’s motto was: it’s no longer fashionable to be dull. Against the background of a war and people struggling, fearing her mortality just isn’t a possibility so she would put on this big show and this big front and I think that’s the basis of both of them. They had this big bravado and when you see them behind closed doors they’re very dysfunctional, painful, lost people who are both searching for their identities, and I think that’s what they find very attractive about each other – that their wounds are probably very similar.”
Some of your scenes with Dominic are quite intense. What was it like filming them?
“It’s harsh sometimes when you’re in each other’s faces, especially when you’re being physically abusive with each other, which they were. It’s really disturbing and yet you understand on some level why they functioned in that way, because that constant search for the high, for the adrenaline, is very evident in this kind of portrayal of these two people.”
You filmed a lot of the series in Budapest. What was that like?
“It was wonderful. We had a great Hungarian crew and it was snowing for the two months we were there, which formed a great backdrop for some of the scenes. Budapest as a city is still kind of stuck in a time warp, so that was a really interesting environment to be in. It’s very much a city looking for its identity. You could really feel it, and that kind of atmosphere was brilliant to shoot in. You’ve worked on both US and UK productions.”
Do you think there are many differences between the two?
“It’s often just in scale really, you know: everything’s bigger in America – geographically, production wise and there’s more money involved. But quality is quality wherever you go, with the writing, with the acting. Another recent show that I worked on – Da Vinci’s Demons – was shot in Europe with an all-British cast and it’s lovely because Brits are flying right now within the entertainment industry.”
And what can people expect from this series?
“It’s a really beautiful piece of storytelling about the life of a man who we know a little of, but don’t really know his backstory. So, it’s hugely interesting. It’s a historical drama in a sense and it’s a love story at its heart. It’s a really satisfying four-part drama.”
Why do you think the Bond stories have such a lasting appeal?”
“They’re dangerous yet sexy, I guess.”
And would you ever fancy playing a Bond girl?
“I feel like right now I’m playing the ultimate Bond girl: becoming Ann Fleming on screen. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Are you looking forward to Fleming? Let us know below…
> Buy Fleming on DVD on Amazon.
Watch the trailer…