Sink or swim:
The lives of these women intertwine as they struggle to stay afloat in the new British drama Deep Water.
Three women find themselves in deep water in a Lake District-based crime drama.
The dramatic and foreboding landscape of the Lake District in England, provides the perfect setting for Deep Water, a tense tale of distrust and deception starting on TVNZ 1 this week.
The six-part series, adapted from the Windermere series of novels by Paula Daly, focuses on three women who are brought together at the gates of the school where their children attend.
Anna Friel plays mum-of-three Lisa Kallisto, who is married to taxi driver Joe (Steven Cree) and leads a chaotic life running a dog-kennel business and looking after her children.
She is envious of the lifestyle of the attractive Kate Riverty (Rosalind Eleazar), who is married to wealthy Guy and has a beautiful house and what seems to be the perfect family. What’s more, Kate is totally organised. But is everything in her life as perfect as it seems?
Physiotherapist Roz (Sinead Keenan) once had a thriving private practice, but the gambling debts run up by her soulmate Winston (Charlie Carrick) leave the family facing financial ruin.
When an unexpected opportunity comes along from one of her clients, enabling her to pay off their debts, she is torn. Can she bring herself to take that track and, if she does, where will it end?
When Kate invites Lisa and Joe to dinner at their beautiful home, overlooking Lake Windermere, Lisa feels honoured and excited. But, after a little too much to drink, she disgraces herself in the bathroom with Kate’s charming brother-in-law.
Desperate to keep their dalliance a secret, she throws herself into her work and then forgets to pick up Kate’s teenage daughter, Lucinda, from school.
When she goes missing, the Rivertys put the blame on Lisa.
These ripples in the women’s everyday lives turn into waves of unease and turmoil as they find themselves floundering in deeper and deeper water.
“I think that all three of these women are relatable to the audience,” says Friel. “I loved that it was an ensemble cast featuring very different women and also that Lisa was a country girl.
“She has three children and doesn’t really have time for herself because she also cares for 20 dogs.
“She spends her whole day between school runs and walking people’s dogs. She had dreams of becoming a vet but life took over. She has grown up in the Lake District and has lived in the same house ever since she was a kid.
“I think Lisa’s starting to get a little bored. Joe is the only person she’s ever slept with. They’ve been together since they were teenagers.
“I think she has been content but when she sees other people’s lives and thinks how much better it can be, she starts questioning herself and her true happiness.”
While her character might be disorganised and untidy, Friel says she is the opposite in real life.
“I’m obsessively tidy. I can’t bear mess,” she says.
“If the kettle is not in the right place I have to move it. I like tidy surroundings and a tidy brain. I’ve always been like that.” Another attraction to the drama for the Marcella star was that the filming location was a place she knew well. “I’ve been visiting the Lake District for over 20 years because my godparents live there,” she says. “When I was told that Lisa lives in a place called Troutbeck, the producer said that I had probably never heard of it. I replied, ‘That’s the place I go to every year to visit my godparents’. “The landscapes and the views in the Lake District are so beautiful. It’s a haunting place. It feels pagan in a way.” However, as much as she loves the place, Friel, who has a 14-year-old daughter, Gracie, from her former partner, actor David Thewlis, was to find that filming there caused some personal anguish. “Filming took me away from Gracie for four months,” she says. “We only saw each other every other weekend. Door-to-door from our home in Windsor to the Lake District was more than six hours by train or car. I explored planes too, but that was also a long journey. “I found it heartwrenching being away from her for so long. When she was a baby it was easier, I could just take her with me. But I really don’t want to miss out on her vital years.”
“I’m obsessively tidy. I can’t bear mess. If the kettle is not in the right place I have to move it.” – Anna Friel