THIS IS THE MOST PHYSICAL PART I’VE DONE IN A LONG TIME
WHEN you think of prestige television,
National Geographic is probably not the channel which immediately springs to mind.
But the channel most associated with factual programming is making its claim with Barkskins, a 17th-century drama set in French-colonial
Canada.
The harsh, unforgiving landscape of the New World is as much a character as the hardy pioneers that attempt to make a life in it.
For David Thewlis, best known to audiences for playing the werewolf
Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter films, duality of character was one of the aspects that attracted him to the role of flamboyant Frenchman Claude
Trepagny in the programme.
He explains: “He’s a man who sees himself as noble, whose great wish is to marry a real French noble woman and raise a family in New France, in the New World.
“But this is a situation he has to reconcile with the complicated situation that he’s already entered into a domestic relationship with a native woman and fathered a child by her.
“So, the kind of thrust of his narrative is that he’s got to reconcile these two very disparate situations. “And he’s a very contradictory character, which is what attracted me to him.
“He’s many things – he’s good and bad, he’s foolish and wise.”
Across eight episodes, Barkskins – which is named after the term used for the indentured servants who work as woodcutters in the series – explores the fragile alliances and frequent betrayals of the different groups.
Filming was gruelling, with the series shot on location in Canada, and the actors, depending on their roles, had to slog through the punishing environment of hot weather and tough terrain.
David, 57, who was born in the seaside town of Blackpool, says it was a culture shock.
“For me, the hardest part was one of the things that attracted me to it in the first place, which is the physicality of it, the idea of filming in this environment,” he explains.
“But that became the difficult thing because it was more physical than I
imagined.
“It was more uncomfortable, it was hot, it was sticky, it was full of mosquitoes, it was tiring.
“It was the most physical part I’ve done for a long time and exercise I wasn’t used to.”
Despite the physical challenges, David says the stunning scenery was enough to get him excited for work each day.
“I adored being called up into those mountains every day and got excited to drive to work,” he says.
“And I just had to keep stopping and looking around and remembering where we were.
“I’m an actor from the north-west of England, I’m usually in rainy streets in Manchester. I’m not used to filming in such beautiful locations.
“So it was difficult but invigorating.”