Apocalypse now:
Neil Cross, the English-born, Wellington-based creator of Luther, turns his attention to the apocalypse in the new SoHo drama Hard Sun. Matt Suddain reports.
End-of-the-world scenario for new British drama.
Should the imminent end of the world be hushed up or a matter for public consumption? That is the question at the heart of the new SoHo detective drama Hard Sun. The series stars Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn as two detectives who stumble across a flash-drive containing evidence that the human race will be wiped out in five years. The discovery, made while investigating the death of a London hacker, forces them into an unlikely alliance as they become caught up in a shadowy government conspiracy. Sturgess plays Detective Chief Inspector Charlie Hicks, a committed family man and a respected officer, who also happens to be massively corrupt, while Deyn’s Detective Inspector Elaine Renko is honourable but carrying stacks of excess baggage. “Elaine has such a damaged past,” says Deyn, “that she’s had to pull herself out of the hole, because no one else could pull her out.” Meanwhile, Sturgess says of his
part, “My character holds a dark secret, something that’s really troubling him. The driving force behind him is family, and protecting the people you love no matter what you have to do.”
Wellington-based Neil Cross drew his inspiration for the series from the David Bowie song Five Years in which the singer gives his vision of how a doomed-to-die Earth will react to total destruction.
Cross told Britain’s Independent newspaper, “We’re drawn culturally to apocalypse stories, whether in The Bible or The Day Of The Triffids.
“There is something strangely comforting about the fact that in the face of the end of the world, life is stripped back to its essentials.
“What matters in the end is each other. I think a show which takes place against the backdrop of the end of the world is fundamentally optimistic about human relationships.”
Setting the action against the coming end is an ambitious concept, but it is one its stars think could work especially well in the episodic TV format.
“This lends itself to TV really well because you can really spend time with the idea,” says Sturgess.
“And if it does continue (the series) it’s only going to change each season as this thing gets closer and closer to ultimate destruction. And that’s so intriguing and exciting to be a part of that story, you know? To be a part of this giant, ticking clock. And we’ve only just started.”
Sturgess and Deyn can’t guess how the whole thing will play out. They’ve been kept in the dark, even while filming the first season.
They learned where the story was headed only as the scripts came in. It was like binge-watching the show from the inside.
“Totally,” says Sturgess. “We’re in the make-up trailer going, ‘Did you read the script?’ ”
“And I’m like, ‘I’ve not read it yet. **** !,’ ” says Deyn.
It is anyone’s guess where the show’s twists and turns will take viewers on the way to Armageddon. But for these actors, dealing with ideas about the possible end of the world is not just topical, it helps put your own cares in perspective. “It puts everything on a level playing field when everybody is in jeopardy,” says Sturgess. “This is a global situation where we’re united together as we all face the end. You never know when it’s coming. It’s very humbling.”
In any case, they both agree we need to at least be prepared for the possibility that the world might end some day, and have their sights set on a bolt hole.
“To New Zealand,” cries Deyn. “A safe place.”
Sure, until you get there and discover that’s exactly where the asteroid is going to hit.
Deyn laughs. “Right through the hole in the ozone layer.”
“This is a global situation where we’re united together as we all face the end.”
– Jim Sturgess