Timeless romance
Fantasy drama series The Time Traveler’s Wife sends a husband and wife into a romantic fairytale… over and over.
“It’s happened again. The bed sheets go slack. Or the shower will stay running. And you realise that he’s gone,” says Clare Abshire (Rose Leslie, best known as Ygritte in fantasy series Game Of Thrones). She’s not talking about a one-night stand in new fantasy-themed drama series The Time Traveler’s Wife. Instead, her husband literally vanishes into thin air at any given time. “Henry (Theo James, Sidney Parker in series Sanditon, more on p8) was born with a genetic anomaly and he can’t help it,” says Rose. And despite knowing that Henry vanishing and reappearing is out of his control and it’s putting strain on their marriage, Clare couldn’t be more in love if she tried.
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
Travelling through time seems like a superpower, but it’s anything but that in this series, which is adapted from Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 novel of the same name. It’s a curse, explains Theo.
“Henry loves his wife and this condition really has become a problem. He doesn’t have any control over his hopping. One minute he’s having breakfast with Clare, the next he’s naked at a hoedown party in 1973. There is absolutely nothing he can do except be as present with Clare as possible, as long as possible.” But there’s a problem: When they properly meet for the first time, Henry doesn’t seem to know Clare.
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
Flashbacks reveal how the pair first got together. Clare grew up with an imaginary friend named Henry, who first appeared in the woodlands behind her home, then on and off during her teen years. But there’s something mysterious about him, says Rose. “She realises that he’s not a figment of her imagination. He’s real. And he’s from her future and she knows all about him. It’s like she’s going on dates with her destiny when she [later] meets Henry at the library she works at,” says the actress, adding that “she knows him very well and while he doesn’t recognise her at all, she will become The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
TALE AS OLD AS TIME
The show’s executive producer Steven Moffat (who’s worked on shows like cult British sci-fi series Doctor Who) explains that there’s a deeper story to the series than “just travelling through time. At its core, it’s a story about loss, but make no mistake, this is definitely not a tragedy. It’s also not science fiction. There’s a time traveller, but there’s nothing sciency in the show.” He adds, “This is a tale of extraordinary love, it’s a grand love story between two people who’re brought together in a sense of fate. They’re meant to be together despite their differences, perhaps in spite of their differences. It’s a tale about two hearts destined to be together throughout the years.”
Rose says that she was slightly nervous about taking the role because she’d read the book and loved the story. “My agent asked me to audition and I wasn’t sure. I told them I wasn’t interested as I didn’t want to make a mess of something that I absolutely loved.
Maybe that’s why I ended up accepting the role, because I was in love with the characters that Audrey had created. I’d felt this sense of obligation after speaking to the producers. Once they told me that they wanted me, I was sold. I think I re-read the book a dozen times. I had this renewed need to get into Clare’s head and understand the sense of loss and new sense of love all in one story.” Theo on the other hand refuses to read the book, adding that “I’m taking lead from my producers. I don’t want to be restrained or restricted by what’s been written. I am giving life to Henry and he’s a part of me now.”