Sex Education star Asa Butterfield reveals why his new Netflix drama role is a "real departure"

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

Dark psychological drama Unchosen, written by Julie Gearey, is set in a religious sect based in the UK called the Fellowship. Shot under brooding skies, it follows Molly Windsor’s troubled Rosie, who struggles with her marriage to Asa Butterfield’s Adam, a rising star in the community, and already marked out by its charismatic leader Mr Phillips (Christopher Eccleston).

But when a mysterious stranger called Sam, played by Fra Fee, enters the group, he disrupts both Molly and Adam’s faith and tips the entire group into a crisis. But what’s it really like playing a sect member – and do the show’s lead actors see the appeal?

Asa Butterfield plays Adam

This seems a very different role from Sex Education…

It felt like a real departure from things I’d done before, and what people expect to see me in. It was a conscious decision I’ve been wanting to make over the last few years to show different sides to what I can do.

How would you describe Adam?

He’s got this internal struggle between his faith and his wife. The majority of the time, his faith comes first, but that drives a wedge between them and feeds this guilt and self-hatred over his true sexuality. He’s a sad story and does some pretty awful things, so the challenge was finding his heart.

The Fellowship looks supportive – providing you toe the line…

Yes, it’s purely fictional, but I watched a BBC documentary on the Bruderhof, a Christian community in the UK, that felt like stepping through time. One of the men there I referenced for Adam. He’s got this slightly robotic, structured routine. In Adam’s case, there’s a lot of fear because the things he feels are a sin and go against everything he’s brought up to believe. He tries so hard to do right by the community and live by their values –possibly more than anyone else, because he knows he’s got this untruth inside him. That’s so destructive.

Could you imagine yourself in a sect?

No, I couldn’t. As simple as that. The lack of independence, lack of freedom… it just sounds so boring and I’d lose my mind!

But if you were a leader, would you be a charismatic Christopher Eccleston-type?

I’ve always prided myself on my communication skills, whether that’s to do with my dad’s copywriting background or my mum being a psychologist. There’s always been encouragement to talk, particularly about things that are hard to talk about. But how that would play into a cult, I have no idea.

Molly Windsor plays Rosie

What’s Rosie like?

She’s got a good heart and a strong moral compass, but she’s complicated. She lives in a closed Christian community, she’s doubting her faith, then meets this handsome stranger who raises questions. I empathised with a young woman realising that people around her might not have her best interests at heart.

It’s a high-concept series – but is it still relatable?

I think within any society, women are facing the same struggles of not being heard, not having power over their own lives and feeling controlled to an extent.

From Three Girls to this, you seem drawn to dark roles.

It’s never just a job for me. It’s really important that I care about the stories and believe in the characters. These projects both happen to have a serious context to them. But I do feel ready for a comedy.

Was there any light relief on set?

Well, all jobs are a mixed bag. We shot a lot in the cold and wet. But I wanted to make it fun for Olivia Pickering, who plays my daughter Grace. Each time the rain machine came on, and I was tired and grumpy, we’d have a little rain dance to try and have a giggle.

Do you think that you could live in a sect?

There are things that feel very positive. You don’t need to worry about where you’re going to live, or social media. When Rosie’s been through a shock, all the women come together. There’s a sense of being looked after.

Would you lead or follow?

Follow, if the control wasn’t total. But from the research I did, that’s rare. Even Rosie’s clothing was chosen for her.

Fra Fee plays Sam

Tell us about Sam…

He was imprisoned at 16 for killing a girl back in Ireland. His relationship with Rosie represents the girl back home. It’s warped and confused, but there’s purity, too. With Adam, it’s purely pragmatic – Sam is intelligent and manipulative and he susses out Adam’s repressed sexuality in a way the others can’t.

Do you think The Fellowship reflects our society?

We watched the first episode just after Louis Theroux’s Manosphere doc came out, with these figures on social media showing deplorable misogyny and sexism. With this show, you’ve got a sense of what can happen when misogyny and the subjugation of women actually happens.

You grew up in Northern Ireland – was the politics of religion something that you were aware of?

Yes, I went to Catholic school, and we thought Protestants were a different species growing up. It’s obscene to think of now. When I went to university in Manchester and regaled my new friends with this, they just could not believe it.

Could you imagine yourself being in a sect?

There’s something highly appealing about the Fellowship. There’s warmth, familial love and sense of community. I’m addicted to my phone, I wish I didn’t watch as much TV and the insane level of consumption is just maddening. Sometimes I wish I could turn it all off, grow vegetables and look after people.

Do you think you would be a leader or a follower?

Definitely a follower. It’s just growing vegetables and baking bread I want. I don’t want to tell anybody what to do.

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Unchosen arrives on Netflix on 21 April. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media.

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