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| Posted by LynKel (lynkel) on Sep 21 2009 |
THE set of New Zealand’s most ambitious new drama features a warm, cosy living area, faceless rooms with cold, white walls and a mysterious lock-up packed with coffins.
Welcome to the heart of The Cult – a high concept 130-part series which follows a group of desperate Liberators trying to free their loved ones from secret organisation, Two Gardens.
Featuring a huge cast, the thriller has an impressive line-up of talent, including home-grown stars Renato Bartolomei, Sara Wiseman, Rachel Nash and Danielle Cormack, as well as overseas actors Latham Gaines and Andy Grainger.
Qantas Awards Best Actress winner Kate Elliot, who plays a character who has lost her husband to the cult, didn’t hesitate to sign up.
“When I first saw the script I was absolutely blown away, I just could not put it down,’’ she tells the The Buzz.
Producer Rachel Gardner admits they cast the net wide when looking for people.
“We pretty much auditioned every actor in New Zealand,’’ she says. “Casting took about two months.’’
The opening episode centres around Michael Lewis, played by Shortland Street favourite Bartolomei, who finds out his estranged sons are living in a secret, isolated cult deep in the New Zealand bush.
Two Gardens pledges to offer spiritual fulfilment and protection from the outside world – a kind of utopia – under the leadership of the charismatic Edward North who is portrayed by Gaines.
“He’s not an evil overlord – he’s a smart guy who’s trying to make everyone’s lives better,’’ says Gaines, whose acting credits include King Kong, The World’s Fastest Indian and Law and Order.
The cast were very much split into two groups for filming.
Those who play characters within ‘Two Gardens’, including Cormack, who portrays doctor Cynthia Ross, and Scott Wills, who is head of security Saul, were predominantly based on the custom-built set on Auckland’s North Shore.
But Bartolomei, Wiseman, Nash and Will Wallace spent much of this winter running around the Waitakeres and Dairy Flat.
“We’re split into two gangs, it’s kind of like West Side Story,’’ laughs Bartolomei.
“After 60 days of working on this thing, I’ve only spent two days in the studio.
“A large amount was filmed at night in the bush, it was very wet and very cold ... and there was a lot of mud.’’
The Cult is the first New Zealand drama series to be filmed on RED cameras, the latest in digital technology, giving the show the big-budget appearance of prime US TV shows.
It’s inevitable there will be comparisons with other series – something the cast are quite prepared for.
“There is a kind of Lost-ish thing, because of the good, evil and the bizarre situations, but I think it’s clearer than Lost,’’ says Nash, who has appeared in the likes of Outrageous Fortune, Legend of the Seeker and Mercy Peak.
“Then there’s the sense of Twin Peaks with that whole other worldly kind of feel about it and intrigue.’’
Go Girls actor Wallace, adds: “I can see why there would be comparisons with Lost, Prison Break and 24, but it’s unlike any show I’ve ever watched.
“Yes it does have elements you see elsewhere – with the flashbacks and the intrigue and the twists but it’s new and different.’’
Ahead of the premiere of the show, the idea for which was conceived by producer Philip Smith after his neighbours in Queenstown erected a 2m barricading fence around their ‘Life Enhancement College’, the cast are already looking ahead to future seasons.
“I have absolutely no doubt we will be doing a second series and I would say third,’’ says McLeod’s Daughters star Lisa Chappell, who plays a mysterious member of the Liberators.
“There’s just so much fodder in there for this sort of storyline and back stories – it’s just waiting to be tapped into.’’
Wiseman adds: “It’s really fresh and strong so I’m expecting the public will react to it in a really positive way.’’
The Cult premieres on TV2 this Thursday at 8.30pm.
Source: Stuff.co.nz
Last changed: Sep 21 2009 at 4:18 PM
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