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Tell me about your character and the role she plays in ‘Persons
Unknown’.
Janet is a single mother, of five-year-old daughter Megan, and she runs a day
care center. She had a tough childhood with her dominating mother, and before she was abducted she was trying to hunt down
her ex-husband who left her late in the pregnancy. She prefers to rely on no one but herself.
Persons Unknown
brings together a group of strangers. They come from very different lives and each has their share of secrets. Whilst some
characters may come to prefer life in the town to the life they had before, Janet is desperate to get back to her
daughter. She is determined to find a way out and helps to keep the others motivated to do the same.
How did you get involved
in the show? And what attracted you to the role of Janet Cooper?
Christopher McQuarrie’s pilot episode was one of the most exciting and intriguing scripts I have read, I knew
it was a project I would love to be involved in. I auditioned on tape from Australia and later was asked to send a second
audition, which I scrambled to organize as I was shooting a film on a boat in the Maldives! I was flown to LA for screen-testing
4 days before the cast was due in Mexico City, I had my bags packed and fingers crossed. The audition piece for Janet
showed clearly her tenacity, her protective instincts and a slightly untrusting nature – I could see there would be
many dimensions of her character to explore throughout the series.
Can you talk at all about the situations and character development your character will go through in the upcoming
episodes?
Without giving too much away
- Janet is pushed to her physical, emotional and psychological limits throughout the series. She shows unwavering determination
to get out and get back to her daughter. She also has to learn to trust and rely on others – something she is not at
all comfortable with. And as her guard comes down, Janet exposes her selfless compassion as well as her vulnerabilities.
The audience will go through some twists and surprises during the 13-episode run, can you discuss any of these twists that will
keep the audience
watching? And can you discuss anything about Janet’s ex-husband?
I can tell you that just when you think you are figuring out what’s what and who’s who –
something will turn on its head – I know that’s how we felt reading the scripts week to week, that was fun. As for
Janet’s ex – Well…as in life, an audience should always be wary when they are only hearing one side of
a story.
I’m
sure that character development is a major part of the storyline and mystery. How (and when) will the audience
find out more about each
of the abductees? Will it be through flashback segments shown throughout the episode?
Each episode reveals snippets of the characters’ complexities, histories
and flaws. There are very few flashbacks, the characters actually unfold as they get to know each other, form friendships
and eventually open up.
Was the cast only able to read one script at a time
or did you know the whole storyline before filming? What did you know about the story and your character when you first started
filming?
Yep, pretty much one episode at a time. Well, it
was important to know the background to the character so we explored that in a week of rehearsal with Pilot director Michael
Rymer. But as for the twists and turns – because the show was based in such a mysterious town, it was important for
the actors not to know too much – if the character wouldn’t know, then neither would we. We might try to find
out… but I think the writers enjoyed leaving us hanging, seeing the suspense they’d created.
And how is ‘Persons
Unknown’ different from other "mystery" shows from the past, such as "Lost", "Harper's
Island" and "Happy Town"?
I’m
not overly familiar with all those shows but I have heard Persons Unknown compared to ‘Lost’ –
which was a hugely successful show! Let’s hope it’s everything people loved about that show, packed into
a satisfying mini-series. Just put yourself in the strange situation that the characters find themselves in, imagine how it
would break you down - be taken for the crazy ride with them.
I understand that ‘Persons Unknown’ was intended to
be a network series
instead of a mini-series. Do you know why it was changed to a mini-series and do you prefer it as a mini-series?
I really don’t know. The writers always knew exactly where the show was going but it certainly could have continued
to entertain for many seasons. The whole show was an experimental format – 13 eps made by Fox Television Studios, in
co-production with Televisa (Mexico) and then sold as a package. I too will have to wait and see the final cut. It was a great
show to work on so I can’t wait!
What else are you currently working on?
After living and working in Mexico City, I’ve had a well-earned break in Australia - spending time with my
family and friends and waiting to see what would happen to Persons Unknown. The timing has been perfect - as ‘Caught
Inside’ (the movie I was shooting just before PU) has premiered at the Sydney Film Festival the same week as
Persons has finally aired on NBC. I’m ready to get stuck into a new project and I hope the audience enjoys
Persons Unknown as much as I enjoyed making it.
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