Emily Piggford

Emily Piggford – star of Warrigami, The Girlfriend

Experience and The Umbrella Academy, plays socially awkward but relentless private investigator Esther Ishikawa in the locally filmed psychological thriller The Sounds (Prime, Thursday). However, while Esther has her sights set on finding the missing Tom Cabbot (Matt Whelan), the Canadian actress has also been on the hunt – for the best flat white in Auckland.

How much did you know about New Zealand before you came here?

Not too much really. There was an awareness of Lord Of The Rings being filmed here and a bit about the culture, but I definitely did some research. I listened to all the music that has come out of New Zealand through the generations and looked up the M ori language and its pronunciation – just some things about language and culture and history so I could be respectful of the country I was going to be living in for three months.

Anything you found really strange about us?

I didn’t realise that driving was on the other side of the road from Canada. I’m still looking the wrong way when waiting to cross the street. But now I’ve driven a bit I quite like it and it feels natural. I put off driving for about a month and a half but then I thought, ‘OK, I’ve got to explore a bit’. Everybody said it was going to be fine and I did not trust that. I thought, ‘No, it’s going to be weird’ and it actually was OK. The only thing that’s weird is I do windshield wipers instead of turn signals all the time.

Do you and Esther have much in common?

I like to observe and take in my environment and take in the people while Esther evaluates and solves problems. I like to get to know people, so we can enjoy each other’s company, but Esther she doesn’t care about anybody else’s comfort. She doesn’t expend any energy trying to make you comfortable.

How does she compare with other characters you have played? I actually found Esther and Wendy in Warrigami to be very similar. They both live in very different realities, are both focused on the task at hand and are not very quick

with picking up social cues. They just have this single-minded stoic, forensic focus about them and so it was actually a familiar kind of world to sit in.

Do psychological thrillers like The Sounds

appeal to you?

I really enjoy watching all the twists unfold and going along for the ride and thinking I know the answer, thinking I know who the guilty party is and then it’s just such a delight to have all your expectations flipped on the head. I think that this show works that in at multiple points. No one is entirely what they seem, everybody has something hidden.

Was the work different?

It’s just those little things. In Canada there’s a big table with a whole bunch of sweets and treats and I loved it here seeing a tub filled with apples and pears and whole unpeeled carrots. And the 10-and-three-quarter-hour work day. I’m used to a 14-hour work day and there’s a good deal of sitting around sometimes on set in North America, but here it’s show up, get dressed, get to work and then you’re home. It’s quite nice.

What did you do on your days off?

I’d just go out and walk all day. Everyone here has been very generous with their recommendations of their favourite flat white. So every time I leave the house I try a different shop, a different street or a different route. I don’t drink coffee very much – usually I’m very sensitive to caffeine – but I changed my routine here and made coffee a part of my life and I’m very happy I did.

Would you come back to New Zealand?

Absolutely. I want to stay. I’m going to be talking to my agent and manager asking, ‘Are there any audition opportunities? Can I just stay? Can I come back?’ Hopefully The Sounds gets another season and Esther is somehow involved. But definitely I love it here and would love to continue to work here.