Alice Seabright is a talented writer and director that lent her talents to the hit show, Sex Education, on Netflix. Currently, Alice serves as the showrunner/creator of the new Prime Video show, Chloe, where she also wrote and directed several episodes and we here at NTG were lucky enough to sit down with Alice to discuss the genesis of the show and how Alice assembled it.
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John Betancourt: What was it that got you into writing in the first place?

Alice Seabright: Actually, before I wrote screenplays, I was just sort of writing stories and things and then I just got really into film, I guess as a teenager and started making stuff as a late teenager and then at university with friends like shorts for no money and things like that, and then kind of decided to try writing screenplays.

John Betancourt: Now moving forward a bit, you are the showrunner and writer of Chloe, and I’m curious as to what inspired you to bring this story to life.

Alice Seabright: It was a combination… I was really interested in…. it sort of came from the character. And I was really interested in the concept of a character who uses lies as a way to cover you know, some deep kind of insecurities, and uses lying as well as a sort of way to access things that she can't have in her life in some way. Yeah, and I was also at the same time, quite interested in the idea of obsession and the very kind of intense female friendships which can come from obsessive behavior. And yeah, and then it just always seemed like it was kind of swirling around and, and yeah, that sort of premise allows me to explore these different themes that I was very interested in talking about.

John Betancourt: Now this is a wonderfully complex series through and through and I was wondering if you ran into any challenges when assembling scripts that are so nuanced and complex?

Alice Seabright: Oh, thank you very much. I don't know, I have a background in psychology. And I think part of the writer in me, has always been very interested in complicated characters, complicated people. And just super kind of withdrawn people. And then, what makes people tick and why they behave the way they behave? And I think yeah, that was, that's really beyond some twists and turns in the story, that's what interests me and getting into the kind of understanding complex characters and complex behaviors. And it’s the thing that intrigues me and kind of pushes me towards the writing.

And so, it's a layering process, I think, you know, and it's something… we're getting to know these characters when you’re stuck with an idea of them. And then it's always asking questions like, why? Why? What's going on? And what are the layers underneath the presentation of the character? I mean, so it's like, one of the themes of the show, I think, is this sense of… how people present themselves in a way. And actually, a lot of the time, what's really going on underneath, and you peel back the layers of the onion more and more until you get something that feels truthful.

John Betancourt: Now that brings up a deeper point, specifically, what kinds of challenges did you run into in assembling such dark and nuanced characters?

Alice Seabright: Great question. I think behaviors… people should be held accountable for terrible behaviors, and I would normally say that for Becky. But I am very empathetic toward Becky. I love her in lots of ways and find her to be someone I deeply care for, even though obviously most of her behavior is completely not okay.

And, you know, definitely challenging for that reason. And there's no part of me that wants to explain someone's behavior and try and justify it. It's not about justification. It's about actually, for me, I find that if I can relate to something, for me, I find it more compelling if you encounter a character or a person that behaves in certain ways that are highly questionable, or morally not okay, I think the act of relating to them is not a way of justifying their behavior. It's also a way of saying like, what are the gray areas and complications in our own behaviors that we can look at. So, I think that, you know, when there's a character that can be considered a monster, you're putting them over there in a corner and saying, well, I'm letting the good people and the bad people -- and the good people are off the hook and don’t have to question themselves, and it makes the bad sort of questionable behaviors sort of somehow… foreign to us.

And actually, I think human beings are a complicated… you know, people who do, you know, see there's a spectrum of behavior, but I think, yeah, I'm interested in looking at like, what's the commonality here? And even if, maybe, hopefully, most of us, you know, wouldn't do anything like, what Becky and Elliot would do. And I think we can learn from looking at questionable behaviors, and say, what's the instinct? And why is that happening? And, that’s, that's helpful. It's helpful, let’s me to kind of hold a mirror to me, and to all of us. So, it's just a case of kind of empathizing with things and putting yourself in someone’s shoes. I tend to think that there are bad people that are just bad and take bad actions. But I’m looking at like, how, what, what's the reason that most people go about doing things, they find a justification for themselves, and it's actually going, “okay, what is the story that he's telling himself, that allows him to do these things?” And it’s useful to sort of see how, in a way, he’s not holding himself accountable.

John Betancourt: So, it’s a pretty well-known fact that writers find inspiration from real life in some form or fashion. Outside of social media, what other real-world influences went into building your characters and their world?

Alice Seabright: Oh, I borrowed from lots of places, people you've known, experiences you've had. And also, I certainly had my friendships, that were a bit like what Chloe and Becky had when they were teenagers, which I've drawn from, and just the people you meet. And then also, I think, you sort of have to put some of yourself in every character. Again, I would never do what Becky does or I would never do Eliot does, I would never do what most of the characters on the show do. But I'm going to say, what part of me can I kind of use for understanding why this character is behaving in the way that they're behaving. You know, Becky is very extreme in her behavior, but her learning and thinking, her sense of comparison and feeling that she's not good or interesting enough, or whatever, that’s the stuff that I relate to, and I think a lot of the people, Erin, who plays Becky, I think, related all that stuff, and a lot of people on the show did, and yeah, so kind of taking situations that you might never have been yourself in that situation. But you kind of take from your own experience of the world to try and understand that.

John Betancourt: Now, you wear a lot of hats on this show. And I would love to know how you managed to juggle being a writer and creator and director.

Alice Seabright: Not a lot of sleep is the answer. I came out the other end feeling like, “Wow. That was two years of incredible intensity.” Yeah, not sort of ready to jump into that same level of intensity right away. And you know, but on the flip side, you know, I’d written it and I really cared about it and knew it inside and out and all of these things. And it also means that when you're directing, working with actors and working with different heads of departments, trying to work out how to tap it, but also coming from a place of, you know, being so intimately familiar with it, that helps. It’s a lot, but at the same time, each hat informed the other hat hopefully. Because I could bring my experience in writing the show to the directing, and sometimes I was rewriting stuff while I was directing.

But, you know, not huge amounts, but tweaking scenes. And as you're going into them, or whatever you can find, stuff that's important as well from working with the cast. Getting sense of the story as we're making it. And then the other thing is like, TV is such a collaborative medium. And I'm a huge fan of collaboration. I love collaborating. And so, when you're working with so many great other people, anyway, you're bringing in so many of them, who are super talented, and it's just sort of a huge part of telling that story. Still feels to me like a kind of joint endeavor.

John Betancourt: Now another aspect of this show that is fascinating, is the amount of messages and commentary present within it, and I was wondering, of all the messaging you injected into this show what’s the one you hope sticks with the audience the most?

Alice Seabright: I would say… it doesn't matter that I necessarily think it should be taken away from. But I would love for audiences to think about stories the that they tell themselves, about themselves, about other people. And whether those stories, you know, sometimes I think we get… Becky gets stuck in a very toxic story she told herself about herself, you know, she’s looks looking at Chloe’s life and comparing herself. And actually, there's always more beyond the surface. There's always more going on. You often have the wrong perspective when you tell yourself a story about someone else. That’s the biggest theme, I think there.

John Betancourt: What would you say you’re most proud of when it comes this show?

Alice Seabright: I mean, I'm really happy with the final product. But I would say that I'm even more proud of the just sort of having been a part of putting together a team that made it. Because it was such a wonderful team, from the cast to the producers to the heads of departments, the crew, to the editors. Like everyone… it was a really lovely experience working with all of them as a team. And you know, when we bring together a bunch of people it's sort of a unique moment in time, all these different great and talented people coming together to tell a story.

John Betancourt: Last question for you today, what are you most looking forward to audiences experiencing when they watch the show?

Alice Seabright: I mean, on one level I'm very excited. The show came out earlier in the UK and it was lovely to see a lot of people getting to see what we've spent so long working on. On another level. Of course, I'm absolutely terrified. But that's normal as well. Yeah, it's just interesting. I think it is a story hopefully that has different facets to it, it explores different themes, and you know, I think it exists in a gray area with all of them, and all of the characters. The thing I found the most rewarding when the show came out in the UK, was hearing people's reactions. And so yeah, I'm hugely, hugely excited for that quite a bit. Just to hear what people… what it makes them think, you know?

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.  

Pippa Bennett-Warner and Brandon Micheal Hall are a pair of talented actors with a bevy of television show credits under their belt. Currently they are starring as Livia and Josh in the upcoming Prime Video series Chloe, and recently were fortunate enough to sit down with both of them to discuss their work on this new show!
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John Betancourt: What was it, that attracted both of you to your respective characters?

Pippa Bennett-Warner: A ton of things, I mean, mainly Alice's world and her writing and the world that she's created, it was really kind of just really immediately interesting to me and then also Livia. I'm really into representation within representation. And I think the fact that this this character played by me, a black actress, exists, is really important because middle class black British women are rarely seen in this way. We’re always seen in, you know, buttoned up in suits and being bossy and things like that. So, to see a fully dimensional, flawed character, was really important. And also, I just feel like that group of middle class British black women, there was an opportunity for them to feel seen, which I think in today's society is really important.

Brandon Micheal Hall: Um, definitely the psychological thriller aspect of it. I love psychological thrillers; I love watching them and reading them. And also, the fact that it was my first-time filming in England, I've always wanted to film abroad. And so, when the opportunity presented itself, I was completely on board.

John Betancourt: Now this is a show loaded to the brim with incredible messaging on so many topics. What is the message that stands out for you the most when it comes to this series?

Brandon Micheal Hall: Mental health. Mental health is one of the like the many things there. It's one of the things that stands out the most to me, because other than the fact that it's a big topic right now that we're talking about, it’s something that needs to be… what's the word? It needs to be…

Pippa Bennett-Warner: Monitored?

Brandon Micheal Hall: No… people need help. Yeah, they just need help, you know, and social media doesn't make it any easier. You know, it creates more problems most of the time. So, I think, yeah, definitely, the dialogue about mental health is/was a big thing for me.

Pippa Bennett-Warner: I would agree, I would say mental health. And I also think the power of social media. And you know, a lot of people are out there using social media in a really positive way. But there are also a ton of people that are using social media in a negative way. And I think those are the conversations that people shy away from and I think this show will start a conversation about how we can use social media in a more healthy way, perhaps.

John Betancourt: What would you say you’re most proud of when it comes to your time on this show?

Pippa Bennett-Warner: I'm really proud of all the work that everybody did. I mean, we all threw ourselves into it. We all loved it. We loved the material, we loved each other, it was just a really happy place to work and during quite a stressful period, in time, you know, COVID. But. There was this just really lovely respite of knowing that you're going to work and you're working on great material with great people. And it was yeah, it was a love-in.

Brandon Micheal Hall: I second and ditto that. I mean, to work with such an amazing cast. And having Alice write such a dope script. That's what we're most proud of, and also the response that people are getting about it. You know, as film actors, you don't see the result until the audience tells you, you know, months later, so to know that the art that we created is being received in that type of way is very, very heartfelt.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Erin Doherty is a talented actor that has appeared in some iconic franchises, such as The Crown and Les Misérables. Currently, she stars as Becky Green in the new Prime Video series, Chloe, and we here at NTG were able to sit down with Erin to discuss her new role and show.
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John Betancourt: Now you play an incredibly complex character here. How did you get into the mindset of playing someone that has so much going on, mentally?

Erin Doherty: Yeah, that’s kind of why I jumped at the opportunity to do it. Because I think, as an actor, you have so much within you that you're looking to explore. And it's really rare that a job comes along that you… you get to do so many of those things at one given moment. And I have not read a script like this or seen a character like this on screen before. And to be asked to be a part of it was, um, yeah, I'm still so grateful.

John Betancourt: Were there any difficulties that you dealt with that accompanied playing a character that does…questionable things?

Erin Doherty: Yeah, I mean, I think, morally, I had to just dive in and completely back her, otherwise I wouldn't. Personally, I just don't think I would be doing my job, right. Like, I need to be 100% behind her. So, I was all the way Team Becky. But I think the difficulties, I think it was just in really striving to get her heart across because I think it's really easy with a character like this, for them to become the bad guy or for them to become, yeah, evil in some kind of way. But I think actually, what was really important to me was going “No.” Like, we all can make these decisions if we want to. And at any given point on any given day, they might seem like the right one to you. And it's making sure that you, you can see the step-by-step process of how she got there. And I think yeah, it's my duty as an actor to take you on that journey. So, you can maybe not… relate, like you might not see yourself doing it, but as at least, if I can get you to empathize or sympathize, then that's all I can dream of.

John Betancourt: I can see why. Now this is a show also filled with layers and messages, what is the number one message you hope audiences take away from this?

Erin Doherty: I think for me that that, like you say, there are so many themes that are brilliantly, brilliantly played, like from the cast, but also just Alice Seabright, the creator. But for me, what I always come back to is, is the theme of connection, and just how important it is to genuinely connect with people and not sending a like, or some kind of emoji or a picture. Like that's not good enough. And I think we need to really drive that message home. And I just think we are animals and connection is part of the reason why we strive to survive, and it brings us joy, and I don't think social media can cut it anymore.

John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your time on this show?

Erin Doherty: I mean, for me, like I get really romantic about the familial relations and putting those on screen as messy as they truly are. I think it's really easy to just go, “Oh, yeah, cool. That's a mom and a daughter, and a dad and a son.” I think what I really, take great pride in is, is showing the intricacies that can come between, like, say, a mother daughter relationship and getting that right with the actress Lisa Palfrey, who was so phenomenal. Just getting to work with her on that was amazing, but also just really putting the time in to get those dynamics, right, is something I think I'm most proud of.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Shaun Toub and Shila Ommi are highly accomplished actors that have appeared in a great deal of shows and movies over the course of their careers. Currently, they star as Faraz and Nahid Kamali on the Apple TV+ series, Tehran, and we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with both of them before tomorrow’s season finale to discuss their roles on this wildly popular show.
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John Betancourt: I would love to know, what got both of you into acting?

Shila Ommi: I attended Van Nuys High School when I was 15 years old. And I had a few very difficult years before 15 Because of the revolution in Iran and losing everything and going from riches to rags overnight. And so, at the age of 15, I discovered theater, and it was like coming home. And so that's where I discovered theater, I always wanted to act. But somehow, I think because I hadn't seen anyone representing me, anyone who looked like me, was from where I was from, I always thought acting for the film was for Gods. So I went to school, I was a pre-med, and never even imagined acting for the camera until years later.

Shaun Toub: I just started acting this week. (Laughter from everyone.)

John Betancourt: I never would have known!

Shaun Toub: No… I've been in the business for 35 years now. And I've been blessed to say that I've been in incredible shows and incredible movies. You know, Crash that won the Oscar, and The Kite Runner and did a hundred episodics and Iron Man, and Homeland. And so, I've been in the business for quite some time and, I still, I still, I still love it. I was raised in Manchester, England when I was two and I went to Switzerland for schooling. And then at 16, I came to New Hampshire and then went to Boston, and then came to USC. And I stayed in LA. And I wanted to be an actor since I was five years old. But my parents were podiatrists. And they were not gonna have that (more laughter). So, it took me a while and was in real estate. And I got lucky. I got lucky.

John Betancourt: Now moving forward a bit, I’d love to know a little more about what attracted you to your respective characters in Tehran.

Shaun Toub: Actually, I got a call from Danny, the director. And I got a call, I got an email and he said, “You know, there's this project in, in Israel, and I, you know, I want to talk to you about it.” It was very sweet and everything I said, sure. And we start talking, and then I said, you know, “Hollywood actors are not going to do this.” And then he sent me a script, the first one, and then I looked at it and said, “So, you know, this is pretty good. But thank you so much, but I can’t do this.” You know, because, again, I wasn't sure that I would do that. And then to make a long story short, he sent me a second one and the third one and the fourth one, then yeah. So, we kept on talking and then I think it took us about two and a half months. And finally, I said, “I’ve got to do this. This script is incredible.” And Danny actually came to LA from Israel, and we had lunch, actually with Shila.
Shila Ommi: Dinner!

Shaunt Toub: Yeah! Dinner. And yeah, that’s what happened.

Shila Ommi: Well, John, Mr. Toub, and I played man and wife on another Apple TV Plus show called Little America. And it’s wonderful. It's one of my favorite shows, as well. So, when Shaun had received, you know, and he decided to finally do Tehran, he suggested me for the role of his wife, because we'd already played man and wife before, and we'd already built some rapport. And I did my best to do a very good job on that audition, because I wanted to make Shaun proud of me. And when Dan Sirkin, the director came to town, and he took Sean and I out for dinner, at that point, I still wasn't sure if I was going to play the part because I hadn't read all the episodes as Shaun had, I only read the sides that I'd auditioned with.

But during that dinner, Danny told me about what an interesting character Nahid is, how nuanced and complex she is, and how she's so intricately involved in season one. And so, I knew that she wasn't just one of those ornamental wife characters that you see so much of and, and seeing how much Danny, even though he's an Israeli, he loves Iranians so much. It just warmed my heart to see how he loves our culture, he's learning Persian, he loves our poetry and, and just so much about Iranians. And during that dinner, he said that, he said, “you know, you have such beautiful people in Iran. And it's a shame that the world doesn't know, because all the images they have of Iran are on the news. And they're very negative. Dark, grey images.” So, he said that he wanted to show the world the all the different facets of our culture as well. So that sealed the deal for me.

John Betancourt: Now that brings me to my next question. In that, what kind of research did you both do for your respective characters? Because this is a part of the world that is shunned, stateside. So how did you gather all the information you needed?

Shila Ommi: You'd be surprised how much research is available on YouTube. So, I watched tons and tons, dozens and dozens of videos. As you know, my character Nahid Kamali is going through severe PTSD and agoraphobia. So, I was able to find actual people who have PTSD and agoraphobia and to be able to watch them speak to an interviewer and to see how their eyes move how their voices, and to hear just stories about their past was very helpful for me.

Shaun Toub: Well, I am, I'm a little different. You know, for me, it's all about the script. And when I started reading the scripts, and, you know, I've been in the business for a long time, and I don't take the job unless the character really speaks to me. So, when, I see it on the script, I immediately, I know exactly what this character is about. It’s just… it's weird. And everybody else says that… but I knew. I knew what Faraz was about.

John Betancourt: Well that makes it easy and that also leads me to my next question. how did each of you get into the mindset of playing characters that are so complex and often distressed?

Shaun Toub: Well, you know, Faraz, you know, the first season it was different, then all of a sudden, he got shot, and then he lost his job, and he wasn't the same Faraz that we knew. And I actually talked to Danny about it, and I wanted to make sure that you know, I took some weight off because I felt like Faraz couldn't be the same as before. And also, you know, the limp. The way he walks, I felt like Faraz has to be different. And I don't know, again, it’s just… I’m weird (laughs). I just, I just feel it. I just really feel it. You know when I'm walking, the… you know, it's funny. A friend of mine came down when I was doing Iron Man and then the minute they said, “action,” uh, I would blink my eyes. And then my friend was, “why were you blinking?” “Oh, I didn't notice that. I'm just… the character’s doing it.” So that's, that's what I feel.

Shila Ommi: So, Shaun Toub has had 35 years of experience in front of the camera, and he, he's a totally different actor than me, I had to do a tremendous amount of research and to just put myself in that broken situation. And it's, it's not easy. I actually, my mom had passed away a couple years before shooting season two, so I brought some mementoes of hers. So, a lot of times for some of these really difficult roles, I would go and take -- Danny Sirkin was so lovely that he gave me some time to, to sit with that and to sit with my own brokenness and my own pain so that what I was able to do was authentic.

John Betancourt: I am sorry for your loss.

Shila Ommi: Thank you.

John Betancourt: So, to shift gears a bit, I would love to know what it means to each of you to be part of a show that is basically… a global phenomenon.

Shila Ommi: Oh, my God. So, first and foremost, my gratitude goes to the creators of the show to the writers and creators and all the producers of the show, and to Apple TV Plus, because of the fact that it's a service that crosses continents, it's so exciting that as you said, we do have a global audience. I've been very heavily involved in the Persian theater scene where we do plays in Persian and travel the world to audiences, Iranian audiences who speak Farsi and Diaspora. So, I understand how sad it is to work so hard on creating a show for people, to not have a whole lot of audience members. So, it's just a thrill for me to be with Apple TV Plus, and to have a global audience for the work that I do for people.

Shaun Toub: I mean, it's a global phenomenon, as you say, it's in 135 countries now. And, you know, this little series that we did, the first season, you know, it became a huge thing. And thank God that we are with Apple TV Plus, and, that they took it on, and they're doing an incredible job for us, because now people can see our series. Yeah. So, you know, Tehran has become a phenomenon, and people are loving it, and I get messages from all over the world, India, Italy, and Iranians, Iranians from Iran, you know, because I'm Iranian, but I'm Jewish. And so, it's an interesting thing. But the Iranians at first, they were like, “Oh, you know, it's a Zionist series and this and that,” and now they love the series because… it's a balanced show. It's really a balanced show. It's not… it doesn't take…

Shila Ommi: It doesn’t take sides.

Shaun Toub: Yeah, it doesn’t take sides.

John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, what are you most proud of when it comes to your time on the show?

Shaun Toub: Oh, my God, there's so much… there's so much. I honestly. First of all, I love Greece. I love the people. I have now so many friends there. But also, you know, everybody in the sets, from directors and producers to, you know, gaffers, everyone. They really wanted to make sure that we do our best. Because it was again, I've said that before. It's a love fest, you know, and we are blessed. I’m blessed that I’m in a series and that people are really enjoying it… and wait to see what happens. There is more to come!

Shila Ommi: I just feel extra blessed to be on another Apple TV Plus show because it really is home to today's best storytellers. So, I feel like I'm in incredible company. And I also love being on a show that that shows the world that although our culture's might be different, that it's a show that examines our collective humanity, and focuses on what we have in common. Because I really believe that human evolution relies on people, and people opening one another's hearts to one another. And the best way to do that is through a really good, complex, character driven show that is exciting and thrilling.

Shaun Toub: Oh! You know that that's why, you know, the Iranians and the Israelis, they love the show, because we really are the same people, we really are the same people. And unfortunately, you know, because our governments do this dividing… but otherwise, yeah, we’re the same people.

Shila Ommi: So, I also love that, you know, like Iran, Persia, we changed our name from Persia to Iran in the 50s. But Persia and Greece were enemies. And today, supposedly, Iran and Israel are enemies. And here's the show where the Greeks and the Israelis and the Iranians, these artists get together to create something for the world. And it really was a love fest, as Shaun put it so sweetly.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Romola Garai and Jamie Blackley are a pair of talented actors that have appeared in numerous shows and films over the course of their careers. Currently, they are starring as Mary Tudor and Robert Dudley in the new STARZ series, Becoming Elizabeth, and we here at NTG were lucky enough to sit down with both of them discuss their new roles on this dynamic new series.
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John Betancourt: Let’s talk a little bit about what attracted each of you to your respective characters?

Romola Garai: I was fascinated by her. I think Anya, who is our amazing showrunner, has written a woman that feels, you know, very real and true. She's like a lot of different things. She's a real contradiction, like, at times, she's incredibly strident, and other times she's very vulnerable. You know, she's very clever, but makes some quite poor decisions. She's got a propensity for violence and also for peacemaking. You know, she was a real mixture of different qualities. And I think, you know, for an actor, you're always looking for kind of, roles that change and she changes scene by scene, and that feels like a really interesting thing to play.

Jamie Blackley: Yeah, I think everyone knows about the, the history of Robert and Elizabeth kind of later on in their life. But I think the thing for me that was interesting was it being this kind of period that felt unexplored and how they ended up where they got to, and, you know, aside from Elizabeth, you know, it's a young man figuring out his place in the world and where he fits in, what he is and isn't allowed to do and become, and I think, yeah, that was super interesting.

John Betancourt: Now you bring up a great point there Jamie, in that… folks in this series are searching for a lot. Some of it internal, some of it external. What would you both ultimately say your characters are searching for in this series?

Jamie Blackley: I think he's searching for where he fits in, in this world. And yeah, what he is and isn't allowed to do I think that he… he certainly by the end hasn't quite worked that one out and goes on a very… very kind of strange and confusing journey throughout. So yeah, I think that's it. He's figuring out his place in the world and who the people are around him that he's known for so long, who they really are.

Romola Garai: Well, I think, you know, the great project of Mary's life was very clear. And that was the restoration of the Catholic faith to Britain at the time. But I think within that kind of desire, there is a sort of deeper desire, which is that you know, her family was blown apart by her father divorcing her mother to marry Amber Lynn. And I think within that kind of longing for the restoration of Catholicism, there must have been some kind of longing for the restoration of her family, you know, and for the restoration of her mother because after Henry the Eighth's divorce to Catherine of Aragon, she was never allowed to see her mother again. So, I think within that kind of quest for, you know, the Catholicism I think there also existed a lot of stuff about her parents and her longing for her mother.

John Betancourt: Now… you both bring up another great point about these characters, specifically how they have a ton on their minds at all times. How did you as actors get into the mindset of playing people that are so conflicted and everywhere all at once?

Romola: Garai: Um, well, I think you don't play the status, you don't play the period, you don't play the Lords and Ladies, they're all just human dilemmas, and you just, you know, if you're going  into a scene where you're talking about somebody else, having a lot of power, you know, I think you can kind of connect that to things in your own life, you know? And, at the core of this story about power and faith and status, there's a story about, a family and an individual's personal relationship with God. And like, I think there's always things that you can use to kind of bring it back. Well, I say always… you can't if the writing is really bad. -laughter- If the writing is good, then you can, and that's what we were able to do with this.

Jamie Blackley: Yeah, I think that I agree with Ramola. I think that so much of you know, we're helped so much by Anya you know, making all of these characters superhuman and that's just yeah, it's just a really helpful thing. And I can relate to so much of what happens to Robert in this series, in terms of, I think everyone can… in terms of like figuring out who you are, your place in the world. What life is going to be for you as a young person, like we've all been through that and you go through so many different versions of yourself, and we're all constantly changing and, and it feels like everyone in this series has a has a journey like that, which is, which is super exciting to watch.

John Betancourt: Keeping that humanity in mind, what do you hope audiences will take away from these characters now that they are being presented in such a human light?

Jamie Blackley: I just hope people dive into the origins of Rob and Elizabeth's relationship and, that's something that we kind of explore in varying different ways and kind of goes in a lot of different directions. But also, that, you know, his place in the world and to her… it's very complicated as well.

Romola Garai: I think that the great sort of achievement of Anya’s writing for me is that it makes you understand how people just… we all just sort of float on the tide of history, you know? Like, you can have any kind of character, you can be born with any kind of skills, but you're sort of subject to the kind of pressures of your time, you know? If you're born in the time of a great patriarchy, if you're born in the time of a great kind of dominant faith, you know? Like these kind of massive forces, will kind of dominate and rule your life. And that's obviously still the case today. And I think it just, when you watch intelligently written history, it gives you the opportunity to examine yourself in the kind of span of history and to see yourself as a kind of, you know, fragment in these kinds of big forces, which is always useful, I think, for people.

John Betancourt: What would you say you’re most proud of when it comes to your time on the show?

Romola Garai: That's a very difficult question. What am I proud of? Well, I did try very hard, I think… to try and make a generally completely like, reviled historical figure, neither likable or unlikable, not kind of restore her or denigrate her, but just to try and represent somebody who has such a sort of horrific legacy as a kind of well-rounded person, which I think is hopefully a useful exercise to just kind of see somebody in their entirety. That was definitely the project of Anya’s writing, and I think I was hopefully able to kind of continue that through the performance.

Jamie Blackley: I mean, mine's kind of broad and lame, but like, I think that I'm all kind of proud of all of all of us in a sense that, that we shot this after a couple of years of, you know, everyone had a really horrible couple of years. And it was just a really special thing to be at work with a bunch of, really creative, lovely people who were so committed to the work and, and really invested in it. Yeah, mine is I'm proud of all of us who worked on it to just be super kind of, you know, just excited to be on board and willing to muck in and enjoy each other's company and creativity and all of that stuff.

John Betancourt: Last question I have for you two today, what are you most looking forward to audiences experiencing this season. Without spoiling anything, of course.

Jamie Blackley: I think I'm I am most looking forward to people experiencing the side of Elizabeth's life that maybe they didn't know too much about, and also just experiencing a show that visually is just so interesting. And the creation of it by Anya is just so wonderful. Yeah, I'm just excited about all of that.

Romola Garai: Ah, I think I'm really excited for like friends and family and people that I've spoken to about the show to see the scenes with Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour. Particularly because I think they really represent something really complicated, which is a relationship between a young woman who has you know, her beauty and her youth and an older man who has this power, and how they interact with each other and how consent and attraction and wealth and status and power, kind of play out in their relationship. And I think Anya’s just absolutely knocked it out of the park with the writing. And then those guys (Alicia von Rittberg & Tom Cullen), just their performances are incredible. And I was so interested in those scenes and I'm really excited to sit and watch the show with other people so I can talk to my friends and family about them.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Jessica Raine and Tom Cullen are a pair of talented actors that have appeared in some iconic franchises, such as Doctor Who and Black Mirror. Currently, they are starring as Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour in the upcoming STARZ series, Becoming Elizabeth, and we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with both of them to discuss their roles.

John Betancourt: Let’s start off by talking a little bit about what attracted you to the roles of Catherine and Thomas?

Jessica Raine: I loved Catherine from the second I read Anya’s script. She's really passionate. She's really… she says what she thinks. But she also is very shrewd and manipulative, and good at holding back and watching what's going on and making a plan. I just thought she was so incredible to have survived what she has, and to pick up the series where she's released from a horrific marriage to Henry the Eighth and is finally allowed to live the life that she wants to live… it's a really exciting time for her and it’s a really exciting place to pick up a character.

Tom Cullen: Honestly, quite selfishly, what initially drew me to Thomas was the sheer challenge of playing him. When I read the script I first off, I was just blown away by the writing just as a kind of as a whole. It was so complex and nuanced. So well observed and the voice felt so unique, especially for a period drama. And then reading Thomas on the page, I mean, he's just electric. And funny and so complex, so hot headed, so passionate, so gentle, so vulnerable, so morally bankrupt. And I was drawn to it… because I was terrified, to be honest. I really had never played a character like this before. And I really wasn't sure if I could do it. And I was, I was kind of like, I almost didn't go for it. But there's a little voice inside of me, just telling the fear to be quiet and I went through with it.

John Betancourt: Now you both bring up a great point about our characters, in that they’re incredibly complex and layered. How did you as actors get into the mindset of playing such complex characters?

Tom Cullen: Yeah, I mean, it's I don't know. I mean, it's tough, especially because of the way that we shot. Justin Chadwick, our director, his energy is just like, it's incredible. And him and Adolfo Veloso, our amazing DP (Director of Photography), they shot on these sets… they built the sets 360 degrees. So, we could shoot anywhere we wanted to, and Adolfo lit everything by natural light. So, either light coming through the windows or candlelight. And we had a first kind of two weeks where it was just myself and Alicia. And it was in this kind of like, intense experience, where we would do 12, 13 takes of just constantly trying stuff out, not sure where it's gonna go. Not sure where the cameras gonna be, Adolfo would pick it up. And so, it was an intense experience playing these very, very complex characters all day every day. It was exhausting. And kind of thrilling. And I think with Thomas's complexity, I just kind of had to make him the hero of the piece, you know, I had to. It was the only way I could justify some of his actions, was by making every decision he made kind of righteous.

Jessica Raine: Um, yeah, there was something… so… when I was little, my mum and dad used to take me to like a day trip out to a castle in Wales or something, you know, and I used to kind of go rogue and run away and run down the corridors and find like little nooks and crannies in the castles and it was like going back to being a kid. But you're completely dressed up in incredible costumes and you have the hair, and it was like this magical experience of being lit by candles and it felt really good, intimate, and it felt like the camera wasn't meant to be there, almost. And those couple of weeks that, we filmed, Alicia and Tom and I, worked really hard on those relationships, and it felt like it was just us in the room, I suppose. And that was really magical. And that's, that's kind of all you really need to make it real and exciting.

Tom Cullen: So funny… just I used to do the same as a kid to castles in Wales, and I'd run around and pretend to be a knight or whatever. And honestly, being on the sets, it just is such an extension of being a kid. It's… exactly what it's like.

John Betancourt: They are amazing sets for sure, and I could ask a million questions about them. But I have to ask more about your incredible characters. Because when we meet them, it is chaos, and everyone is getting pulled in different directions and looking for something that benefits them. But ultimately, what would you say your characters are searching for? At their core.

Jessica Raine: I think she's looking for agency, and she's looking… she knows she could rule really well. And there's been a lifetime of frustration of being stopped. So, it's this chance to rule, to be married to the love of her life. And so, she is very power hungry. She wants the power because she knows she can handle it. So that's, that's a whole raison d'etre. That’s what she’s about. She wants power, and she knows she could handle it easily.

Tom Cullen: I think he's searching for love, and acceptance. I think that his childhood wasn't the nicest. And I think that he's in the shadow of his big brother. His smarter, cleverer, what’s the word… that's how smart I am, why it was written for me. “The Smarter Cleverer.” -laughter from all- His brother is the kind of more brilliant version of Thomas and, and he knows it. And so, he's, he's searching for acceptance, and he's searching to get out of his brother's shadow. And I think it's as simple as that. I think all of his actions, all of his choices, kind of boil down to this deep-rooted jealousy that he has.

John Betancourt: Last question for you today, what are you most proud of, when it comes to your time on this series?

Tom Cullen: Well, you know, and I can say this hand on heart, I am just so proud of this show in general. We're so proud of how it looks. I'm so proud to be on such an amazing project with such brilliant writing. We're so proud to work with these amazing actors. I'm proud of the work that we've done. I think the episodes are great. But I think the thing that I'm most proud of is, probably the thing that I had not nothing to do with, which is that most of the projects I've worked on have been written by men and they are definitely through a male gaze. And this feels so female, and Anya Reiss, our writer, she's written a project that is about very complex issues. And she's written it through her experience. And when I watch it, it definitely feels like that. And I watched it with my girlfriend, and she was deeply affected by the episodes. And I think that they really spoke to her in a way that anything that a man written, wrote, could never have done that. And I was so proud of it. And I'm so proud to be a part of this project. And I'm so proud to be in my small part in it.

Jessica Raine: There are two things I'm proud of. But one is the way that the relationship is handled between these three characters, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Catherine because in different hands, this could have been a bit grubby or a bit unseemly, and that is the nature of the subject matter. But here I just think it's so delicately handled. So, so complicated, and weird and dark, and not right. But intriguing. And you just want to, you want to get to the bottom of why or how this has happened. So, I'm really proud of that aspect of it. And I'm also… this is the first job I have done as a mother. So, it was my first job away from my kid. And I'm just proud that I got through that. Yeah, and everyone was very supportive and super cool about it. So, you can do that. Work and have kids.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Moshe Zonder is a talented writer that currently serves as part of the creative trust behind the award winning, runaway hit, Apple TV+ series, Tehran, and we here at NTG were lucky enough to sit down with Moshe to discuss his work on the show.

John Betancourt: If you could, tell us a little bit about what inspired the creation of Tehran.
 
Moshe Zonder: My desire and inspiration for writing “Tehran” stemmed from my ambition, since my time as an investigative journalist, to know the position of those defined in Israel’s national narrative as my enemies -- those who want to kill me -- and to hear it directly from them, without go-betweens and, ideally, on their homes.
 
I was privileged to do that numerous times, in meetings with Palestinians in the West Bank, in Gaza and in Arab countries. I gave expression to this in the way I determined the DNA of “Fauda”, during its development and while writing its first season. Afterwards, I searched for the next challenge. The idea of studying and understanding the world of Iran was both inviting and gripping. We dove into about two years of research, during which I wrote the biography and description of the main characters, Tamar Rabinyan and Faraz Kamali, additional supporting characters, and an initial season synopsis. I estimated that there was a chance that the series would fascinate a worldwide audience by raising the curtain on the hidden, pulsating emotions behind the news headlines about the clandestine and open war between Israel and Iran. Those headlines, in fact, are a smokescreen, and not a story with human intimacy and truth to it, starring characters that no one recognizes, ready to risk their lives at any moment and be plunged into conflicts. In the framework of the Israeli-Iranian conflict, these characters tell a universal story of migration and identity. As the son of immigrants, that’s a subject that’s in my blood.
 
John Betancourt: From a writing standpoint, what went into creating such rich and dynamic characters?
 
Moshe Zonder: Every script writer has their own way of writing. I believe, first of all, in writing an in-depth biography for each character, from the main character down to the most marginal. I dive into their childhoods, write in great detail about who their parents were, about their adolescent years, and on and on, although it’s clear that most of those details will never make it into the scripts. I do this for several reasons: The great mistake that threatens the work of every script writer, even the most experienced, is to force their characters to make decisions that they wouldn’t normally make, merely to advance the plot in the direction set by the writer. The better you’re acquainted with the characters you’ve created, the greater the chance that you won’t step on this ‘mine’ and do harm to the characters and script. In addition, writing detailed biographies enables you to write characters with a richer human and emotional texture, whose dilemmas move dynamically among several planes. And the bonus, which always surprises me, is that when writing character biographies ‘strands’ seem to emerge on their own which, if you tug on them, can reveal potential plotlines that can run throughout an entire episode and, sometimes, an entire season. 
 
John Betancourt: Now there is a real sense of realism that this series exudes, how did you as a writer, bring that to life?
 
Moshe Zonder: Writing well and realistically, with viewers believing what they see and biting their nails in anxiety over the fate of characters, it’s like spinning gold from straw, in my mind. In the German folk tale “Rumpelstiltskin” by the Brothers Grimm, the king imprisons the miller’s daughter in a room filled with mountains of straw and commands her to spin it into gold by the next morning – or be executed. She, of course, fails, but then an imp who knows how to do so comes to her rescue -- but demands her firstborn child in payment.
 
For us script writers, whose work rooms are often like prisons and who, instead of being executed at dawn face murderous deadlines, no imp appears to rescue us in the middle of the night.
 
The only ways I know of writing realistic scripts and, as much as possible, avoiding off-key artificiality are to first conduct deep, ongoing research, and to know what you’re writing about. Yet it’s important to clarify that our series is entertainment and not documentary. We conducted research for two years before the beginning of writing "Tehran", and the research continued in parallel with the writing. Beyond that, writing is actually re-writing, again and again, draft after draft, sharper and more precise, sometimes for as much as 20 hours a day; it means taking into account that the first draft is always terrible, and accepting the help of fellow script writers in creating a writers’ room. Omri Shenhar and I wrote the first season of “Tehran” on our own. In the second season we were head writers, joined by Assaf Beiser, Natalie Marcus, Lee Galit, Roy Idan and Marc Grey, with director Daniel Syrkin also very much involved. Only by working together did we manage to safely reach the finish line and meet our deadlines.
 
John Betancourt: What kinds of challenges did you run into in bringing such an intense second season to life?
 
Moshe Zonder: Morgan Wandell and Oliver Jones from Apple TV+ played a major role in the intensity of the second season’s scripts. Working with them was a lesson in writing. When people tell me that they held their breaths throughout an entire episode, or needed an oxygen tank nearby, and say how much they identified with a particular characters’ distress, or understood the complicated dramatic, intimate acts of another, I understand that we managed to do our job. 
 
John Betancourt: What kind of espionage and spy influences, both real and fictional, did you inject into this story?
 
Moshe Zonder: For example, in terms of the connection between Tamar Rabinyan (Niv Sultan) and Marjan Montazemi (Glenn Close) I can think of the influence of the British espionage series, ‘The Sandbaggers’, which I saw as a teenage and which remained etched in my memory. The two of them share a professional relationship roiled by intense underlying emotions, which they repeatedly put aside for the good of the mission. Or, if we think about the best espionage character ever written by the greatest author of the genre, John le Carré’s George Smiley, I thought about Smiley more than once in relation to the character of Faraz Kamali (Shaun Toub) of the Revolutionary Guards. Smiley and Kamali are very different characters, with almost opposite temperaments, but Kamali has the same skepticism, sixth sense and precise understanding of people, the same ability to detect when people are lying to him and the ability to connect the dots and see the big picture, when no one else on his side seems capable of doing so. Yet, despite this, just as the spy Bill Haydon in ‘Tinker tailor soldier spy" managed to penetrate Smiley’s home and carry on an affair with his wife Ann on the orders of Moscow's Karla, so does Marjan penetrate Kamali’s home, creating a therapeutic connection with his wife, Nahid.
 
And there’s also the late Sylvia Rafael, one of the best Mossad agents in history. She was born in South Africa, and one of her ‘covers’ was as a Canadian press photographer with anti-Israel and anti-Semitic tendencies and being supported Palestinians. Rafael, a beautiful and impressive woman, the true story of whose achievements will probably never be told, managed to do things and reach places that a few male Mossad agent ever did. Her level of professionalism, bravery, restraint – and her ability to cause people to do what she asked of them, even if they’d been ordered to do the opposite – was phenomenal.
 
I thought of Sylvia Rafael while writing the first season, when Tamar was forced to escape impossible situations. I asked myself: what would Sylvia Rafael would have done at such moments? I also thought about her while writing the second season. In 1973, during a botched assassination attempt on the wrong person (one of two worst operational failures in Mossad history), Rafael was trapped in Norway, stood trial along with five other Mossad agents, and sentenced to prison. During her incarceration and after her release, she was furious with the Mossad, the criminal negligence of whose people led to her capture. In the second season, Tamar is also angry with the Mossad in the wake of the events at the end of the first season, when Iranian intelligence made a mockery of Mossad people and Tamar managed to escape by the skin of her teeth. In the second season, Tamar has matured and is much more skeptical about the instructions she receives from the Mossad, not trusting anyone – just like Sylvia Rafael. 
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you, to have this show be such a rousing success?
 
Moshe Zonder: The series’ success files me with excitement, joy and optimism that additional projects that I’m developing and writing will be produced. I teach script writing in Israel and at universities in the US, and sometimes my students are certain that, due to ‘Fauda’ and ‘Tehran’, I hold the key to international success. I tell them about the difficulties I experienced at the beginning of both these series, which no one initially wanted. When I write, I fully believe that the movie or television series that I’m dreaming of will actually be produced. But, on the first day of shooting I always grab my head – metaphorically or literally – and tell my partners: “This is a miracle.” I always tell my students that they should never give up, never surrender after receiving rejections and always continue believing and dreaming, and writing the next draft. 
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this show?
 
Moshe Zonder: In writing the first season, the thing that made me proudest was the reactions among people of my age, or slightly younger, who were born in Iran – or to Iranian parents who’d immigrated to Israel. Israel’s populace comprises Jewish immigrants from around the world, and each of these communities of newcomers, in turn, was belittled for its heavy ‘foreign’ accent and customs. But it seems to me that the Persian community received more than its fair share of ridicule and venom. After the broadcast of the first season of ‘Tehran’, we received many, many responses from second-generation Iranian immigrants, saying that the series gave them pride in their family heritage, in their parents and grandparents, and made them feel ashamed to have felt embarrassed for so many years. I thought that was a great achievement.
 
What makes me proud of the second season is writing the character of Marjan Montazemi. Marjan was born as Marianne Moore in London, a protestant Christian who became a Shiite Muslim after falling in love with an Iranian medical student she met during her studies in Paris, changing her name and trading London for Tehran. All this happened in 1980, just after Khomeini’s Islamic revolution. While it may now be difficult to imagine, at the time it was also a source of hope for many secular Iranians, who were fed up from years of corrupt rule under the Shah, who also had close ties to Israel.
 
After 25 years, Marjan became a Mossad agent. She didn’t do it for money or ideology. She was, and remained, an Iranian patriot. She did it because she believed that only the Mossad, in the service of Israel, would go all-out against the regime of the Ayatollahs which, in her eyes, was destroying and strangling Iran, and all remnants of the revolutionary dream.
 
Marjan operates in a space that fascinates me: When do you, as it were, ‘betray’ your homeland in order to try to save it from itself? I can relate to and understand her. I’m obviously proud that we had the great honor of having Glenn Close, whom I’ve admired for so many years, agree to portray Marjan. She does so with such powerful, deep precision, far beyond what we dreamed of for the character of Marjan and for the entire series.

Anya Reiss is a talented writer that has worked on such shows on EastEnders, and George Ormond is a decorated executive producer that has worked on multiple shows and mini-series, also including EastEnders and currently, they are now the brain trust of the new STARZ series, Becoming Elizabeth, and we here at NTG had the opportunity to sit down with both of them to discuss their new show.

John Betancourt: Let’s talk a little bit about what attracted both of you to explore this chapter of Elizabeth’s life?

Anya Reiss: I think it was it's such an “un-done”, period of history. And I assumed because it wasn't done, I assumed that Edward must have been alive for like a year and he was in bed, most of it. And then Mary is always the foil to Elizabeth as the bad sister that came before the good one. And she’s skipped over too. And so, I kind of thought there will be nothing in this time. And then George told me the story. And it was just extraordinary. And I just suddenly went this is such a, one, much longer time than I thought and the absolute formative years of any young person's life. And then there was so much amazing stuff that happened in it, just in terms of the actual history of what's going on. And I think just as important, and actually kind of more naughty and interesting and gritty than the kind of whitewashed idea of Elizabeth, which is just this great, glorious ascendance. There's actually some interesting things, chaotic things going on before it.

George Ormond: Well, I couldn't believe nobody had told this story. I think the characters are incredible. It's the most insane roller coaster, from the death of Henry the Eighth, you're sort of thrown into this arena where everybody knows each other. They’re friends, they've all grown up with each other, or they're related to each other, or their brother and sister or whatever. And they're thrown into this kind of gladiatorial arena where they have to… just to stay alive, keep on trying to climb this ladder. And I mean, I thought the characters were amazing from you know, Elizabeth, at the heart of it, whose story we all think we know, we really, really don't. And this bit of her story is like a crucible that helps to form who she is, and, you know, her relationship with Thomas Seymour… which is complicated, and you know, completely engrossing, but really kind of asks big questions about power and, or, you know, the nature of the relationship between them, to all the other characters, you know, like Mary, who we know in history, as Bloody Mary. But actually, if you're looking at her in this period of her life, she's a really intelligent, decent, kind of determined outsider just trying to keep her head above water. And it's a really addictive story as well. I mean, when we look at it, the most extraordinary stuff happens. And so, we just thought it'd be, really, I mean, an amazing arena for Anya to write about, and a really addictive story.

John Betancourt: See now you bring up a very good point about the characters. Because I couldn’t help but notice how realistic and modern, they are in a way, and I was curious as to what went into the decision to create such grounded characters?

Anya Reiss: The ambition was always to do a kind of ensemble show. And to do that, that slightly filleted, blinkered style of history, drama, which is where you have to kind of make all the events like happen to the main character, and kind of narrow everyone's story into being that person's story and kind of show how they shake the world alone. And I think we've always said that Elizabeth isn't the weather maker in this, she's just trying to survive the weather. And I think everyone's story, we try  and embrace as fully as we can, and I think kind of hand in hand with that, is you embrace their humanity in each of them and in each other. And I think it's one of the things that I got most struck by reading the research was how human they felt, and how similar actually their moral code is to where we are now. There's different standards, there was different practices. There's a kind of thread of humanity and thread of morality, which we sometimes disregard now and go; “Oh, it was a different time. They didn't care about those things.” And they did. And people felt things the same way they do now, and I think that for me was a revelation. And so, it's not really us trying to put a go. We're doing a modern style of character. I think we're just trying to do… these are real people, kind of.

George Ormond: I will say there's two different ways of thinking about history. One is kind of these events happen. Because these are the kind of, you know, the undercurrent stuff. There’s another way of looking at it, which is people do extraordinary things. So, these characters being who they are, kind of colliding and, sometimes, jostling for position, or sometimes doing something stupid, you know, it's really human mistakes that we make, as well as kind of ambitions that they have. That is what makes us, that is what drives the story. So, it's kind of seeing history, from the point of view of people who don't know they're in history, they're just living their lives. And that's really, I felt that was Anya’s approach to it from the beginning. And it's really refreshing.

John Betancourt: Now this is a visually gorgeous show through and through, I was curious as to what challenges went into building just a visually authentic world?

George Ormond: Well, I guess our starting point was, we all think we know this world, we've all seen, you know, Cate Blanchett’s movie Wolf Hall, The Tudors, you know, we've seen a lot of this stuff on screen. So how do you bring it to life in a way that makes the world fit, makes the audience feel like saying that they're seeing it for the first time? They're immersed in it, they can smell it, they can feel the costumes, and at the same time, bring an atmosphere that speaks of the kind of the story that we're telling. You know, that this world is dangerous, and uncertain and live moment to moment. And I think so… you know, our director, our lead director, Justin Chadwick, worked incredibly hard to create a world that had that texture, and that feel, from the set design to the costume design, to the hair and makeup, we said, you know, right from the beginning, this is a world where people sweat, you know? They get punched, it hurts, you know, all of that stuff, you really want to feel what they wear at home is different from what they wear in court. And you know, everything, they're not wearing costumes, they're wearing clothing, that has a purpose. We even used real flame to light, to try to create that atmosphere.

So, the lighting is very informed by natural light coming through the windows with candles to balance that out or at night just lit by fire and candles. And that also influences the staging. Because if you're in one of those medieval castles, you gotta go stand by the window to see each other. And then the camera is roving and trying to, you know, follow these characters as they maneuver around each other. And I think that gives it a sort of nervous energy, that is propulsive and live and very tired. It's got a real heartbeat. And our lead DOP (Director of Photography), Adolfo Veloso gave it that live feel with a real cinematic kind of subjective approach that was just, as you say, visually… fantastic. I thought.

Anya Reiss: I mean, yeah, I think there's definitely scenes where the character feels like another character, which is really exciting. And I don't know, we had we had the most amazing sets, I think what was amazing… because like, I, I used to work on EastEnders, you don't have roofs on the sets of EastEnders, and they they're not all connected. And I remember walking into some of our sets and I forgot I was on a set, and I got lost in them as well, which I thought was amazing. But it was just, everything we did felt totally real. Or at least as much as it could feel real. But um, I think it really informed the actors as well because they were very, it was a very intense process. I think especially those early couple of episodes, which are pretty intense anyway, I think there was a real sense of… you get in you do a scene, but there’s cameras, an inch from your face, you've got the costumes, weighing you down. You're stuck in a little room, and we tried to make it quite real for them. And I think I hopefully we did, and hopefully they enjoyed it too.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Alicia von Rittberg is a rising star in the industry and currently she is taking on the role of Elizabeth I in the STARZ series, Becoming Elizabeth, and we here at NTG were able to sit down with Alicia to talk about her new role and show.
​
John Betancourt: I’m curious what it means to you as an actor, to be able to play someone that happens to be one of the most iconic human beings in history?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: I think I just, I just feel incredibly grateful that I was allowed to play this part. And when I first heard about it, when I was first, like, asked to take a video of myself, I actually thought it was a joke. -laughter- Because I would have never imagined that I as a German would…. yeah, be trusted with that role.
 
John Betancourt: How did you as an actor, get into the mindset of playing someone that has so much going on in her life and her mind?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: Well, I think to be honest, I just tried to, I mean, obviously learn as much as possible about the politics and the religion and the culture of that time. But I tried to still develop some kind of blind spot for her later life and years, because I didn't want something that she just couldn't know yet to influence my performance, or like, the portrayal of her. And, I think, that helped me to really concentrate on the, you know, on the emotional side of it. On the, like, the palpable relatable things, that the story, touches on as well. So, yeah, I think that was kind of like the overall approach. And, then I was, I obviously, I had to work on my accent a lot. So, I started half a year in advance to do so. I was allowed to learn how to horse ride, calligraphy, playing the Virginal, ancient Greek, or learning how to dance. So, my life basically looked like what her life must have felt like probably for a bit, because if she wasn't schooled, she was probably outside and on a horse. So that was my, my praises of “becoming Elizabeth.” -laughter-
 
John Betancourt: Becoming Elizabeth, by immersing yourself into Elizabeth.
 
Alicia von Rittberg: Exactly!
 
John Betancourt: Was there any pressure that came with the reality that you’d be playing such an important character?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: Yeah, I mean, the first thing… you look at all the brilliant actresses who played her before and you're like, “holy macaroni, like, how am I…?” -laughs- Yeah, don't even want to compare myself to them. And then yeah, I think it really helped that I played her in her early years, and that was a period in time that just wasn't really taught before, you know? And I think that that made me come down a little bit. But I think that comparison to such brilliant actresses, plus the fact that you're playing someone who, you know, is not a fictional character, you can find her in the books, and you want to, you know, approach it with respect and do a justice, I think, yeah, those two in combination, were a little intimidating in the first place.
 
John Betancourt: So how did you get over all of that?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: Well, I think… so actually, Helen Mirren, because I did look at all the other projects just also to see what they did with it. And yeah, I thought it was very, very interesting. But Helen Mirren said that she, when she was researching, read something a painter said and that was that; he can only show his version of the person who he’s painting, and he's not claiming that it is the person but it's just his version of it. And I think with like shooting a film or like telling the story, we're not doing anything different than that. And I think that really helped me to, to calm down. And yeah, not be too afraid of making mistakes, because there is no right or wrong in that way.
 
John Betancourt: Now to dive a little more into her character… I’m curious as to what you think Elizabeth is ultimately searching for in this first season.
 
Alicia von Rittberg: I think well, first of all, I think she's just trying to stay alive. I think that's kind of like, the duty side of it. She's trying to stay alive. And I think the personal side of it, the young woman, you know, the one we can all relate to, side of it, is that she just wants to, I don't know… just make decisions on her own. Experience life, experience love, have something for herself, that she does not have to, you know, share, or discuss or do.
 
John Betancourt: Last questions for you today, what do you ultimately hope audiences take away from your portrayal of Elizabeth and this portion of her story?
 
Alicia von Rittberg: So, I think what I myself, I love the with the story, because I think it's so important to see the human being behind any kind of like, historical figure or public figure. It's just so interesting, like, what was, what is behind the people, you know, from the books, and to just understand that they were also just, you know, humans and just wanted to, to live and love. It's just something I find so, so important to remember. And then, the other thing, I think… we have still a lot of work to do in the way we see female leaders. And I think what I what I tried, what we try… is to… by giving some insight into her earlier years… I think you allow her to have a soft voice to be vulnerable, to be emotional. And yet, she gained some kind of respect, and has strength through that vulnerability. And to understand that kind of strength rather than a loud, kind of strength is, I think, something that is very hard to understand sometimes. But it’s very important to process and get used to, more and more.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.