Jess Darrow, Harmony Rose Bremner, and Tom Varey introduce Amazon Prime Video’s tennis drama Fifteen-Love

Actors Jess Darrow, Harmony Rose Bremner, & Tom Varey recently joined NationalWorld’s Alex Moreland to discuss Fifteen-Love ahead of its Amazon Prime Video debut. They discussed what drew them to the series initially, spoke about working with writer Hania Elkington and directors Eva Riley and Toby McDonald, and broke down some of the challenges involved in telling a story about abuse sensitively. 

First of all, just to set the scene briefly: what was it that drew you to Fifteen Love in the first place? Why was it something you wanted to be involved in?

Harmony Rose Bremner: It felt like a very unique story, but also not – you know, it’s really strongly #MeToo, but in a whole new setting, unveiling a whole new world I didn't even realize all of this was going on in. And I also just felt that the way the story was told when I read the scripts was very human, in the sense of like… it’s not step-by-step, it's not nicely tied up in a bow with a fairy tale ending. It's like, you don't always like Justine, you don't always like a lot of the characters, and you don't always know where you stand. It just felt very real and human. 

Jess Darrow: It shows that these situations aren't black and white, and I think that's the point. You know, I've been dying to see a story like that, where maybe the protagonist isn't always so lovable, but the point is, what is true is true, and justice is very important.

Tom Varey: And then to get in the room with Hania and Eva in audition days. I was like, this is a lot of fun, and Eva’s style was exciting news. We got to riff, you know?

JD: Being able to tell such an important, heavy story, but also having a wonderful time doing it? Not being afraid to talk about the very real things that were going on, but still having an exciting time and enjoying yourself while doing it?

HRB: It was sensitive, but really it felt like everyone was very passionate about the story.

Could you tell me a little about Hania Elkington’s script – what was it about her writing that you first responded to? And what was it like working with directors Eva Riley and Toby Macdonald? 

JD: For me, my character Mickey is very close to me: I was very excited to play a queer character that didn't have to like talk about it every other scene, that was something that really resonated. And it was also great that both Eva and Toby didn't feel the need to talk about it, either. It's not like “now in this scene, like really show like, this part of your character”, it was more like “this is already just who I am as a human being”. The beauty of television is that sometimes, you get to have the opportunity to play someone that is very close to yourself, and it’s like it’s the authenticity of you that is actually bringing out the brightest colours of the character that you're playing. So, for me, playing someone that was very close to myself was the most exciting experience.

TV: The opportunity to play someone who's so torn and unable to make his mind up – flitting in between what he thinks is right and what he thinks is wrong, lacking any boldness or conviction in his thoughts, sitting in that middle ground – was interesting, and felt quite human. And, as a reader of the scripts, [with] the first couple of scripts it was interesting that it puts you in that position as a reader or as a viewer, where you can't say for sure what happened, so you're wheeling through the hedges.

HRB: When I was reading it, I loved that – from Renee’s perspective – it really went into female friendships? Because I feel like they're [typically] portrayed kind of generically, or just like the best bits and the beautiful bits, and this really felt very accurate to how, in female friendships, there’s so much to navigate. These two women are in competition, but also there's so much love between them, but also they’re having to choose what's right for the people you love versus what's right for you. There's so much at stake for all the characters, which was very fun to delve into.

When you’ve got a story like this, which is about sexual assault and abuse of power, what are some of the challenges in terms of realising that on screen as entertainment?

JD: I mean, I was playing a character who is fighting for the right cause, so in that sense, I felt very empowered and ready to do this. However, Mickey, just like a lot of the characters in the show, has their own personal moments of confusion and reflection, where it's like… do I actually trust my instincts? Do I trust my gut? Having that realisation is like, wow, this is something that you do experience in real life. I mean, it's a very satisfying feeling for me, but to realize that, yeah, you're making TV for people to consume so that they can reflect on their own judgments and personal biases, it's very profound. And then you just want to be really good!

HRB: Doing it accurately. I think that was really like important for me, to do as much research and make it as full as possible, to honour the people who are going to be watching it. Like, it's so common – heartbreakingly common – in our world, and I just wanted for as many people to feel seen and heard, and maybe given some courage or camaraderie, as possible. So, to try to make them as real as possible was very important to me.

TV: It’s such an interesting mix, all of the characters respond in a slightly different way. Some people are trusting their instincts completely, some people don't know what the heck to do, some people have outside things that they have to focus on instead. It’s a really well-crafted world where I feel like we're not seeing the same responses over and over again, we're seeing little nuances with every character. 

Finally, just to wrap everything up: what do you hope people take away from the show, in terms of their experience watching it?

HRB: Listen. Listen, that's all we've been saying. Like, I just hope it sparks questions within people, because it's a show when we don't have all the answers but by exploring this world and shining such a light on it, we can raise awareness.

TV: Hopefully it emboldens people to be able to speak about how they're feeling or what they're going through.

JD: Exactly. I think the point of the show is to show that, just like in real life, you do feel all of these things, and it is natural to question your own instincts – but to also trust yourself at the end of the day. If you don't trust yourself, and if you are questioning, don't be afraid to speak up about it and ask questions… but after you ask those questions, most importantly, humble yourself to listen, especially if it's not an experience that is maybe necessarily your own. It can be very real and intense for someone else, so just be there – never forget, you can just be there for people. Just don't be afraid to be human. I feel like, you know, post-pandemic, a lot of people are realizing that it's actually okay to speak up about things that feel like life or death, because we all were faced with that. 

Fifteen-Love will begin on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 21 July. You can read our interview about the series with stars Aidan Turner and Ella Lily Hyland here, and listen to an excerpt of that interview as part of Screen Babble #35.

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