“Grief is the reason for everything that Rosalie does...”
JULIE GRAHAM AND NICO MIRALLEGRO STAR IN A NEW THREE-PART THRILLER…
Rosalie Douglas’ plans for a happy family Christmas are dealt a devastating blow at the start of this new three-part miniseries, when she learns that her son Rob has been found dead while away travelling with friends. The weight of grief becomes unbearable for Rosalie, her estranged husband Luke, and their daughter Maddie – but some light comes back into their lives when Rosalie and Maddie meet charismatic stranger Jed at bereavement counselling.
Maddie quickly falls for Jed, and Rosalie has an outlet for the maternal instincts that she’s been bottling up. But as Rosalie and Jed’s relationship becomes increasingly intense, could this young man be more than he seems? We caught up with Julie Graham, who plays Rosalie, and Nico Mirallegro, who plays Jed, to find out more about the story…
What was it that appealed to you about this series?
Julie Apart from the fact that it was the chance for a big, stonking lead when I’m in my 50s? [laughs] I’d worked with [writer] Kate O’riordan before on a job called The Kindness Of Strangers, so I knew I loved her writing – and when I was halfway through the script, I called my agent and said yes! I liked the themes of grief, passion and loss, and the fact that it was dark and tense, and you were suspicious of a lot of people’s motives.
Nico The script was something I’d not done or even seen before. The character feels as if he has a number of different layers to him, which I thought would be interesting to play.
So what’s Jed like when we first encounter him?
Nico You find him in his most vulnerable phase – he’s kind of calculated and, for want of a better phrase, he’s putting out the feelers for this family to see how they react with his vulnerability. He’s in this state where you fully believe this sensitive kid has lost his parents, and was brought up by his gran who he has since lost, so you meet him at a low point in his life
– but then you start realising that it’s all a bit of an act…
Julie, did the character of Rosalie feel like something different for you, too?
Julie It did, because she’s
SHE MAKES TERRIBLE DECISIONS – SHE’S NOT IN HER RIGHT MIND”
JULIE
a woman of faith, which is quite unusual. When I see religion in something I usually run in the opposite direction, but I love the relationship Rosalie has with her priest: it felt real to me.
How did you prepare to play a grieving mother?
Julie There is a real sense of responsibility – you want to honour it, but I think everyone’s sense of grief is unique and people handle it in different ways. But that feeling of torment is a thread throughout the whole series – the reason Rosalie does everything she does is because of grief. She makes some terrible decisions because she’s not in her right mind, but all the things that happen to her and her family felt truthful, because I think you’re extremely vulnerable as a family when you’re bereaved. And the death of a child is the ultimate in vulnerability.