‘Domino is a powerful and insecure person’
◆ Siena Kelly and Sam Howard-sneyd talk to Rachael Davis about their roles in Manchester-set Domino Day, a modern witchcraft tale coming to BBC3
Domino Day, like many of her peers, is on all the dating apps. She swipes left and right on dozens of eligible dates, but she’s not looking for love. She’s hunting.
While Domino might look like a regular young woman living in Manchester, in fact she’s a witch, one with extraordinary powers, haunted by her need to feed on the energy of others.
The dating apps give her a cover to find her prey – ideally “bad men” she’ll pick up on dates in bars – but she is desperately seeking a community who can help her understand who she is.
A coven of witches has been alerted to her power and is tracking her every move, but when a dangerous figure from Domino’s past reappears, more trouble could be on the way.
Deliciously dark drama Domino Day, created and written by Bafta nominee Lauren Sequeira for BBC3, tells a unique modern witchcraft story that’s perfect for the cold winter nights.
Ahead of the series’ release, stars Siena Kelly, who plays Domino, and Sam Howardsneyd, who plays her mysterious old friend Silas, talk about the supernatural story.
Siena, what did you love about playing Domino? SK: I thought she was such a complicated character. Like, to be such a powerful and dangerous person, and also to be so deeply lonely and insecure, and confused… I just loved that that was all in this one character.
I wouldn’t necessarily call Domino that confident, but because of the powers that she has, I think it just makes her such a powerful and strong witch, but not necessarily, I would say, a really powerful person, yet, in the first episode of her journey.
But yeah, I love that that was all in just one person, all these conflicting things. Thought it was brilliant.
Sam, how would you describe your character, Silas? SHS: Like a bad fart that just won’t go away! He just doesn’t make anything better. Ever.
You can definitely see why there’s the connection (between Silas and Domino)… I think life’s just a matter of choices, and Silas makes the wrong choice… and it’s always selfish, in detriment to everyone around him, often, as well, which then provides narrative juice.
So, without giving anything away, friction is what I provide.
Siena, in the opening scenes we see Domino turn the tables on a date who tries to attack her by feeding on him. How was that to film?
SK: We had a great intimacy coordinator… We also had our stunt person choreographing it for us. And Jonah (Rzeskiewicz), the actor, he’s lovely, so we were very comfortable with each other.
The way that Domino tries to justify her behaviour and her compulsion is she will target bad men. So there is a sense (that) she knows this person is not a safe person, and it is such a beautiful reclamation of a scene like that, of a fantasy world in which, actually, this woman can just flip this guy over and attack him and be like, ‘I don’t know what you think you were trying to do to me!’
What do you both think is interesting about this modern witchcraft story? SHS: There’s different types of magic in the world, and in this society, where there’s elders, and there’s a coven, it’s like, this is the preordained magic we all do, but that’s not the only magic out there… if you have access to a different type of magic, are you allowed to use that?
Is it part of your culture and your nature to use that? Is it going against what everyone who’s part of your coven tells you to do? Where’s the line of your identity, and your identity as part of the witching world?
SK: Also, it being modernday Manchester as well, like having like club scenes and party scenes. And I was in an alley for a long time… I’ve been in every alleyway in Manchester!
I think (it) was really cool and fun to bring magic and supernatural stuff to those very modern, everyday situations.
How was filming in Manchester?
SK: Freezing! (LAUGHS)
Really nice. I was living in the Northern Quarter, and we filmed most of it around the Northern Quarter which is like the cool part of Manchester, I’ve been told many times.
We were on location as well for the whole thing, so all the club scenes, all the party scenes, they’re all actual clubs, and the coffee shop that Domino works in, I used to actually run to that coffee shop all the time when we were filming.
But yeah, Manchester – it’s so fun, it’s so vibrant, and weekends there were great, but I was living like a monk during filming, so I didn’t massively get to experience the wonderful nightlife!
SHS: I did enough for all of us! I would just go by myself on, like, a Saturday till about three (AM) to a nice club somewhere, and just dance for a bit.
SK: And one time you invited me out for a night out on the weekend, I actually had eaten too much food so I didn’t come, I was too bloated!
I cooked up a storm, like jerk lentils, this really good vegan creamy cashew thing, and plantain. And then by the time you texted I was like, ‘Well, you should have told me earlier, I wouldn’t have eaten all of this!’
Domino Day is available on BBC iplayer from 6am on Wednesday January 31, with episodes airing weekly on BBC3 from 9pm that night.