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Oscar-winner Anna Paquin is relishing her role as a ruthless PR determined to keep her clients out of the headlines in new drama Flack
Acelebrity chef whose private life is threatening to boil over. A fading pop star who’ll go to extreme lengths to stay in the public eye. A comedian who’s fallen foul of political correctness. They’re all key characters in Flack, a fastmoving dark comedy- drama starring Oscar-winning actress Anna Paquin as Robyn, an American celebrity public relations agent working in London.
‘ There’s a line in the show about how something isn’t a scandal if no one knows about it, and it’s Robyn’s highly paid job to ensure stories that could damage her clients don’t become public,’ says Canadian-born Anna, 36, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 11 for The Piano. ‘Love or hate her, Robyn is great at her job. She manipulates, lies, slaps people, threatens people – but she gets the job done.’
That’s well demonstrated in the opening episode of the six-part series, when celebrity chef Anthony Henderson (Mad Dogs star Max Beesley) reveals his wife has tired of his philandering and is about to tell her story of marital heartbreak to a newspaper. ‘This could cost millions for Anthony and the PR company Robyn works for, so she has to act fast,’ says Anna. ‘She breaks into Anthony’s home for a chat with his wife Sally and quickly gets on top of the problem. She uses all her skills to calm the situation and does what she often does – offer the media an alternative story to put them off the scent.
‘A visit to a clinic for a checkup is arranged for Sally, after Anthony reveals to Anna that Sally’s mother died from breast cancer, and the press are tipped off. The prospect of Sally appearing on Strictly Come Dancing is also mentioned!’
Robyn proves ever more slippery and two-faced as she tries to find solutions to all manner of problems for her elegant boss Caroline (Sophie Okonedo). Katherine Kelly plays the troubled founder of an organic cosmetics company, Alan Davies is cast as a stand-up comic accused of being transphobic and British actress Tsion Habte is pop star Summer, who wants a saucy video to go viral and revive her flagging career. Robyn’s not a charmer out of work either. She cheats on her caring boyfriend and has a drug habit that she goes to Narcotics Anonymous for. There she meets and falls for addict Tom (Marc Warren). Oliver Lansley, the man behind Flack (a US term for a PR agent), doesn’t see a problem with having a central character who isn’t nice. ‘No one watched Mad Men and worried Don Draper wasn’t likeable,’ he says. ‘I wanted to write a series about complicated women, of whom I know quite a few, and no one’s messier than Robyn.’
Oliver and Anna deny Robyn is based on any real-life celebrity PRs though. ‘It’s a fascinating world, but Robyn is an amalgam,’ says Anna. ‘I have limited knowledge of people like Robyn. I’ve had the same PR since I was 12!’
While Flack shines a light on a dog- eat- dog world, the team behind it has a cosier feel. Anna’s husband, British actor Stephen Moyer, is an executive producer, while her co-star Marc Warren is a close friend and godfather to one of their two children. ‘ I jumped at the chance to play Tom,’ says Marc. ‘This series will offer a window into a fascinating and secretive world.’
‘Love her or hate her, Robyn gets the job done’