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David Morrissey's Cape Wrath diary - Radio Times, July 2007 |
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The actor's exclusive diary of his time working on eerie drama Cape Wrath offers an insider's view of the filming process from script to screen.
June 2006
I've been in New Zealand now for about three
months. Shooting a movie [The Water Horse] set
in Scotland during the Second World War. It's so
strange where an actor's life can take him.
It's the middle of winter here and, as the freezing
wind and rain crash against the walls of my house,
the phone rings. It's my agent back in sun-soaked
London ("hottest since records began, apparently").
He says he's going to send me something called
Cape Wrath.
What with the storm outside and his
slight Irish lisp I think for a moment he's sending
me something called Kate Moss. I've heard
rumours of some agents sending their clients gifts,
but this is a little above and beyond the call, I feel -
but not unwelcome. However, it turns out not to be
the beautiful, waif-like creature, but a seven-part
series for Channel 4. Oh well.
Next day
I received the script for the first episode of Cape
Wrath today. It's about a family relocating to a new
town having come through some obvious trauma in
their lives. Running away. Trying to start again in a
protective custody programme. But this new town,
Meadowlands, isn't all it seems. All the residents
have a secret. No-one is really who they seem.
It reads brilliantly. The characters seem fresh
and the concept is very intriguing. It occupied
my mind throughout the day. I couldn't stop
thinking about it. About the main character.
What's he done? How will he cope?
What I look for in a script is: how different is it?
Is it original and challenging? Cape Wrath is
certainly both of these. I phone my sunburnt agent
back home and set up a meeting with the producer
for when I get back in a few weeks' time. Then
I head off for a night shoot in windy Wellington,
to dance the Highland fling with Emily Watson.
August
I met up with the producer today, Caroline Levy.
They still have only two episodes for me to read
and, although I really enjoyed them, I have loads
of questions about how it'll all pan out. She outlines
where she believes the story will go, all of which
sounds very exciting. But it's her enthusiasm and
vision for the project that are completely infectious.
Any job is a leap of faith. Even when you have
a complete script (even one with those crazy things
in it called a beginning, a middle and an end), there
are so many variables along the way, that you can
never be sure of how it will go. I was shooting a film
in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, for
example. No-one could legislate for that! But
when you're starting a job with only a third of
the material, it can feel like jumping out of a plane
without a parachute.
But I like this piece; I like the
people involved. As well as Caroline there's the
director, Duane Clark, and Lucy Cohu, who
plays my wife. They all seem really inspiring
people to jump out of a plane with. So here goes…
another adventure begins!
**
Read the next instalment of David Morrissey's diary, as the cast assemble and filming begins - or take a look at our full Cape Wrath guide.
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