Suranne Jones, 42, on starring in a new crime thriller set onboard a submarine – and getting covered in bruises…
Tells us what Vigil is about… SURANNE: In a nutshell, there’s a missing Scottish trawler and a mysterious death aboard a submarine, HMS Vigil. Because of where the submarine was when the death occurred, the Navy have to bring in the police to investigate. They bring in my character, DCI Amy Silva, who has to go on to the submarine to investigate the death.
How does Amy get on with the submarine crew?
When she gets down there, Amy and the crew clash, I think because they don’t know who actually has the authority, out of the Navy and the police. The crew think they do because Amy’s in their world and aboard their ship, but actually Amy’s holding a criminal investigation. So there are no clear rules as such, and no one has control over the other, which is really interesting.
How would you describe Amy? Complex and not afraid to show who’s boss. Amy is a complicated, modern, quite vulnerable – when we first meet her – police officer. She’s single, and she is concentrating on work. That’s all she has in her life at present.
And how does she cope with being on a submarine?
To say she feels claustrophobic and caught in a boys’ world when aboard Vigil is an understatement. I think she does really well. She has anxiety and depression, and usually she’s on medication and exercises a lot to cope with her condition. But when she’s down on the submarine she loses all of that. She doesn’t have enough medication, she can’t exercise, so that impacts her a great deal as well.
How was it for you filming on the submarine set?
The set just blew my mind.
The size of the subs in real life are extraordinary – they’re like four floors, with a bomb shop and missile room. Filming on the Vigil set was great. It was claustrophobic. I mean, the beds alone. There’s a great scene where Amy tries to get in her bunk bed. I’m quite tall and not of small build, and the director was like, “Can you get up there a little more gracefully?” Because I just couldn’t do it, because they’re so small.
Is it true you did your own stunts?
I did. When I first read the script I was like, “Oh my God, this sounds amazing, I get to do all these stunts!” But I forgot how old I was. So I had to do a lot of working out just to build up my strength in order to do those scenes. I got whiplash, I put my back out a couple of times... I was covered in bruises. Every time I went home my husband was like, “What the hell have they done to you now?” It was fun to do and I watch the finished series and go, “Oh, Amy’s great!” But I was hobbling home and having Epsom salt baths during filming! What do you think sets Vigil apart from other dramas?? Because it’s set on a submarine, the tension of the show is already written into it. Plus it has some brilliant shots, with the technology we have now for FX. It’s amazing – some scenes, when we filmed them didn’t look anything like the finished product. I was hung above a car park on a rope at one point, but it looks entirely different and much better in the show!