Netflix’s New Thriller Used an Oxygen Tank for Its Big Rescue | Set Stories

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Tom is a lost young man. He wants peace but goes about it in just such a manipulative dark way. As an actor, I loved the challenge of trying to figure him out. When it's really difficult to figure him out, it's just such a gift.

[00:00:15]And often you have to connect the dots yourself or fill in the blanks or create this backstory, but actually Julie Geary, the tremendous writer of this show, provided me with this extensive backstory. His very, very loving and caring mother left abandoned him because she was in this horrendous abusive relationship with her husband. And so Sam has no positive male role models in his life and is traumatized by the abandonment of his mother. He doesn't know how to behave or how to treat women in the world. He's quite clearly wired wrong. It would be so reductive and unfair to Sam to just label him as like a bad guy or a villain. I find myself really caring for him in a deep, deep way. And I think that came from the desire for atonement. You see that lovely scene in the kebab shop where he says to Rosie, "I just want peace." Like that is real. He does just want peace.

[00:01:15]He's just completely incapable of how to go about getting it. Those 16 years in prison, that he was robbed of being a young man and having all of the sort of normal, lovely experiences that comes with being a young person. With Rosie, he thinks, "Oh, well, maybe I can just literally pick up from where I left off." Rosie possibly even looks like the ex-girlfriend. As quite twisted as that is, they both need each other for very different reasons. We're really bigging up his loveliness. And it's no doubt about it, he's extremely dark as well.

[00:01:48]He wants peace but goes about it in just such a manipulative dark way. But the desire is real. It's so tragic. I love him and it was a wonderful challenge to try and figure out his psyche.

[00:02:02]Documentaries about groups like this are unbelievably popular. I devour them.

[00:02:08]They're fascinating. But in terms of researching Sam specifically as a person, sadly to say, there's also an abundance of research examples in this world. Or certainly has very, very similar attributes to young men now.

[00:02:28]That seems sort of part of like the cultural mindset at the time. But I did do like specific research into prisons and what happens to a young person if they were to commit an act like that.

[00:02:40]And the day release thing, you work and continue to be educated and everything.

[00:02:45]And the effects of childhood trauma, the effects of abandonment, and the real psychology. It was a real deep dive into some dark territory and it was really fascinating.

[00:02:58]It is actually a now disused meeting hall for one of the separatist Christian communities in somewhere in Oxfordshire.

[00:03:08]That wasn't a built set. So there was eeriness to being in this building in which the sermons would have been taking place. Oh god, I could actually feel the energy.

[00:03:19]I'm a fan of everyone in this show. I'm particular fan of Siobhan Finneran. I love her. I loved Downton Abbey when it first came out. I always really wanted to be in it. And I loved her in it. She was just such a nasty, conniving so-and-so. And she just plays it so well. So I was always really excited to work with her. And I knew that I wasn't going to be surprised by how brilliant she would be. But there was a scene where I was just like surprised by the choices. I didn't know what she was going to do. And she barely says anything. But it really It was It was great working with them all.

[00:03:53]No one is [music] black and white at all. Sam is outwardly the antagonist, the bad guy. He's the big man in prison.

[00:04:00]He's done all all this stuff. And yet he's so passionate and wants to atone.

[00:04:04]And then there's this lightness and vulnerability and innocence. Adam and Christopher, these men of God, they hold their Bible and they preach about living a good and pure life and yet are capable of despicable things cuz they're only human. We're fickle. And when you are in a position of authority or power, it's going to take a very, very, very strong person to not abuse that. Christopher as the leader and even those opening scenes, this big smile, so warm. What do you do behind closed doors? But he plays it so brilliantly. He's He's such a such a fine actor. It's There's such an imbalance for everybody. I love it.

[00:04:41]The water tank was a big day for me. I was always very excited. There was also just some delicious little nuggets of writing. I knew that I would have fun.

[00:04:50]It's when Sam is very much in the chess master part of the story and he's really just playing Adam's character because he's already figured out his fears and insecurities and knows how he can manipulate him. And the scene with Christopher actually, and Christopher's sort of like figured out. It's like he's remembered what has happened. And so the other men come in and I'm like, "Take them away." Christopher's like flailing and going, "It was him. It was him." And I just turn and go, "I'll pray for you."

[00:05:19]I was like, "Yes!" When I read that in the script, oh. As wrong as it is, it was lovely scenes to play.

[00:05:27]I was always really looking forward to shooting those scenes. They happened at towards the end of the first block. So we shot episode one, two, and three in one block before moving on to the second half. In Pinewood Studios, they've got a few water stages there. There's a lot of the romantic fantasy elements of the show as well that are underwater in Rosie's mind. So we did all of that stuff as well. Rather than going out of the water and entering every single time because you create so much bubbles, you would actually just wait underwater with an oxygen tank while the camera is setting up. So you could be under there for quite a long time. Either the stunt people are grabbing your legs to hold you down. You have weighted shoes. I found it quite peaceful. So you're just breathing in and out through this oxygen tank and waiting for the camera to get ready. And then with when they're ready, you just take your big breath, get rid of it, and then sort of enter. And It's really fun. The scene in the river at the top of episode four, which is possibly the nicest scene in the whole show. It's not quite so dark.

[00:06:33]It's just a lovely, sweet moment for Sam and Rosie. That wasn't a real river at the beginning of November. My god, it was Baltic. But the tank was nice and warm.

[00:06:45]I certainly was having so much fun. I really was. I believe everyone else was, honestly. When you do something very intense, you have to have the fun off the screen or off stage or whatever.

[00:06:57]Once we had our little breaks, we would play card games. Siobhan is also one of the funniest people in the world.

[00:07:03][music] She has funny bones. Come in in the makeup trailer at 7:00 in the morning and just say good morning. I just >> [laughter] >> fits of laughter. Some people just make you smile. And she really is one.

[00:07:16]She's a wonderful composer. She's fantastic. Scored beautifully and just really helps with the atmosphere of the the pace, everything. I do like to just listen to music to sort of help me get into whatever the mood of the scene might be. Sometimes it's literally It's such an intense day that I would listen to "It's a lovely day today." So whatever you've got to do, listen to something quite the opposite because it's almost as if you are resting your brain so that when you get on there, it's sort of ready to go. It really depends on what you need. Sometimes maybe a bit of classical music that's almost as good as silence or whatever.

[00:07:55]It really just depends.

[00:07:57]I would love to continue his journey. I hadn't come across such a brilliant [music] character in in so long, really.

[00:08:05]And I would just love to explore him further. It's a very satisfying end to the show. And if it were to end here, it would be quite a satisfying one. These shows, if it's a big a big success, they'll want to carry it on. And I think Julie probably has some ideas up her sleeve already. I just didn't really like the hairstyle. Whenever you're in that position in that group, just the hair is just really lame. And I'd have to get used to that.

[00:08:31]Whenever I started off or whenever I was a young person, like I probably didn't even really think like Hollywood actors were real people in a way. It was such another world. I was also just surrounded by theater and the community theater was such a huge thing growing up. And a lot of actors often say, you know, you have very little control. And that is totally true. Like the discrepancy of the director and the editor. You might do your best, best work, but they're literally looking at the other character or they choose another take because the lighting is better. That's just the way it goes. But I do love the how collaborative it is in that sense as well. Your performance is just one tiny element of it. And it you see how beautiful the set is and the costumes and the music and and how it's been cut together. And it's like, "Oh, wow, this is real We all contributed so brilliantly to this." Of course, theater is that as well. But you can definitely be in charge of all of your performance.

[00:09:24]So I think I've just basically learned how much I love the medium. It asks different things of you, for sure, in terms of technique and everything. But ultimately, there's no real difference in telling the truth of anything, whether it's on stage or screen or whether you happen to be singing the lines or not. That's been a really lovely realization. And I feel like it took me a while. I feel very lucky that I've been able to do both. And I I really do love both.

[00:09:51]I played a character called Jim in Animals. Was really cool in the movie set in Dublin with Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat. Oh, it's a fab film.

[00:10:03]Follows these two girls who are struggling with the idea of wising up and growing up and getting sensible.

[00:10:10]Like they're partiers and Jim's this much more sensible classical pianist. It was certainly just the biggest opportunity I'd have. It was screened here in the UK and it was really wild.

[00:10:22]It felt like a big deal and it was really fun and learned so much from it.

[00:10:27]Australian director called Sophie Hyde.

[00:10:29]Great, great, great director and I would finish doing a scene and I'd be like, "Oh, God, I wish I could do it again. I wish I could do it again." And I definitely got better at going, "No, we shot it. Moving on." After we finished the film, I remember thinking, "If I was able to do this at all one more time, like I I know I could do better." It was part of the journey for sure. I'm really proud of it. It was a stepping stone big time.

[00:10:49]I love Zack. He's a true true creative.

[00:10:53]I've never met many people that have that such a teeming creativity and curiosity. Made me a happy mug that he made. It's just incredible. Deep deep privilege and honor to be asked to do the last photograph. I was having dinner with my husband and I just saw like a text message come up on my phone, Zack Snyder. And I was "Oh my God." And I saw "Are you about for a chat?" He called and told me about this movie that he'd had that was very very nearly got made with Christian Bale and Sean Penn. And he sent me the script and he's like, "Your character's name is this." And and I read it. I was like, "Wow, this is very very special and this is a great character. Another deliciously complicated person." It was a beautiful experience. So so special being in that part of the world. I loved Stuart Martin who plays the other lead. We just got on so so well and he's fantastic and just a gorgeous person. It was just such a good experience. I can't wait to see the movie. It's finished.

[00:11:55]>> No. Real honor and he's such a legend.

[00:12:06]>> [music]