5 MINUTES WITH...

Casino Royale’s Eva Green, 39, starring in an epic six-part series – set in the 19th century and centring around a young woman framed for murder…

How would you describe The Luminaries?

It’s an epic story of love, murder, and revenge in New Zealand, during the gold rush in the 1860s. The story follows Anna Wetherell [played by Eve Hewson], who has come to New Zealand to begin a new life. She falls in love and the two lovers are constantly driven apart so must find one another. How did you become involved? Simply, my agent sent me the first episode and I fell in love with the universe and the characters. The script was very well written, and I was excited to explore the New Zealand gold rush on screen as I don’t think it’s something we’ve seen before.

What’s your character like? Lydia Wells is an American who runs a fortune parlour. She’s a natural entrepreneur. She’s very strong, very sharp – and she’s figured out that the only way to make money in those days was to make it in town. She’s a feminist and she’s very sure of herself, very smart.

She’s also a baddie!

How’s your American accent?

I hope it’s credible! I worked on it for about a month before we started shooting. That really helps me. I like to find a different voice for every character, and I think the American really helped me to find naughty Lydia.

Why should we tune in?

I think people will be swept away by the story and will really feel as if they are living in the 1860s. It’s a story that really matters. It has love, it has adventure. They are going to identify with the characters and live this wild adventure.