‘As I tell my kids - nobody’s life is perfect’
So shocking it should come with a warning, Angela Griffin is one of the stars of TheSerial Killer’sWife. Here’s she talks exclusively about the new Christmas thriller…
Dark, seductive thriller The SerialKiller’s Wife – starring Waterloo Road’s Angela Griffin and Annabel Scholey ( DoctorWho, TheSplit) – sees Beth’s seemingly perfect existence turned upside down, when a party she’s hosting is interrupted by the police and her husband is arrested for murder. As the series unfolds, we see Beth’s life isn’t as squeaky clean as she lets on – and are privy to the intimate dynamics between Beth and her husband Jack, including Jack’s ‘activities’ outside of their marriage. Set in luxurious country homes and stunning countryside, this gritty drama will hook you in from the start - and the final twist is well worth waiting for. Here, we catch up with 47-yearold mum-of-two Angela who plays DI Aline Edgeworth, to find out more…
Angela, we’ve heard this series described as ‘a cross between Fifty
Shades of Grey and Gone Girl’. Is it? Ooh, they didn’t pitch it to me like that! I’ll use that now. Sounds about right. But yeah, fabulous script, stellar cast, based on a really successful book… It was a proper nobrainer. When it came to the character, I initially thought, gosh… where’s her personality?! Then I realised, her personality is the lack of one. Her entire life is her job. There’s a back story we created, which centres on her not being comfortable with her own sexuality. She hides in the job, so she doesn’t have to face anything else.
Does this murder case, involving Beth’s husband, shake that up a bit?
Exactly. I think when this case comes, it ends up taking her on quite an explicit, dark journey in terms of sexuality, and Aline becomes quite uncomfortable with it all. There’s a real conflict when she’s investigating the crime, where she’s used to being very tunnel vision, but this time she keeps getting distracted. She does go on a bit of a journey, about her likes and dislikes. Let’s say, by the end, we find out a bit more about Aline.
amazing! ( laughs) And we shot in this incredible house, it was so sumptuous – palatial, in fact. Everyone is all dressed up, there’s cake, the champagne is flowing and then this hard-faced, dogged detective comes in to break up the fun. She was absolutely loving it, too!
What was the greatest challenge?
Probably playing someone so emotionless – or at least, pretending to be that way. She’s the polar opposite of Beth. And also, trying not to boil to death in 40° Puglian heat, whilst wearing a threepiece suit and an overcoat. We weren’t not allowed any air conditoning as it messes with the sound.
How come you shot some of this in Italy?
Oh, because it was a coproduction with an Italian company so part of the deal towards the end of the job was, let’s go to Italy! Except it was during the crazy heatwave last Summer. We hung out after filming and that was brilliant. Puglian food and wine. Wow. Though everyone was eating that raw fish ceviche, raw octopus with their little weird octopus eyes – that was a challenge, haha!
You were a DI in Lewis, too. Could you be a detective in real life?
Mmm… The idea that you are going and joining people in what are the worst moments of their lives, give news that someone they love has died – then delve into it and try not to bring your own emotions in – that would be incredibly difficult. I can see why Aline removes herself emotionally – I don’t know if it’s a job you can do, if you don’t. I’ve played a few cops in my time, but I mean, DS Lizzie Maddox on Lewis… she was much warmer!
The show strips away this perfect life that Beth has created, doesn’t it?
It does. That’s my character’s job, to destroy that illusion, really – to get to the truth. It happens on all social media – everyone portrays this perfect life and as I say to my kids all the time – nobody, I mean nobody, has the perfect life.
Is there a role you’d love to try that you haven’t yet?
OK, I’ll tout for my next job, here! I’d love to do a TV or film role with special effects. You know, when you’ve got the green screen behind you. I’d love to play an elf or… some kind of sci-fi creature. Oh dear god, it’s almost Christmas, did I really just say I want to play an elf?!