The Crimson Field: Oona Chaplin

What is Kitty like?

Kitty is quite a complex character, she carries quite a lot of trauma in her. It comes out progressively as the story goes on. She is very much a strong and opinionated and wild anarchic character but she has been constrained by class and circumstance. It is interesting to see how the different facets of her character reveal themselves according to the situation.

Kitty is a VAD, what does that mean?

Kitty is a VAD, which stands for Volunteer Aid Detachment. It was essentially a group posh ladies who felt a call of duty and they volunteered as helping hands around the hospitals. They weren’t trained nurses but they were trained how to make beds, how to cook and how to look after people. It’s a lovely sentiment behind what the characters do.

How do we meet Kitty in the first episode?

A little bit of mystery surrounds Kitty in the first episode because the series begins with her throwing her wedding ring into the sea off a beautiful boat that is just arriving in France. You don’t know quite where you are or who these people are but it’s a very strong beginning, a very good introduction to the characters certainly and hopefully the series as well.

Kitty joins with two other VADs. How does she get on with the other VADs and nurses?

There are three VADs in the hospital. One of them, Flora, is very young and adorable, she is cute and enthusiastic and I think Kitty quite likes her because she’s such an endearing character. The other character is Rosalie Berwick who is very stuck up and goody two shoes. I think Kitty thinks she’s very insincere in the beginning, they have a bit of conflict - which does resolve itself.

Kitty is quite prickly. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly, she has been through so much she doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone. It makes her an interesting character to be - she’s quite forward and rude at times.

What’s it like filming on such an evocative set?

They’ve built a hospital and immediately you don’t have to imagine anything. You go outside and it’s raining and it’s muddy and despite being very lucky with the weather it has been challenging. In a way it has helped the story.

What is your costume like to wear?

I have to say the shoes are hell, they have so many laces. The corsets get a bit tight after lunch especially. It’s wonderful to wear the same thing over and over again because sometimes and especially with period you spend hours and hours in wardrobe.

It has been really good just to have the uniform so you can focus on your performance. Luckily they’re very pretty so the uniforms are a blessing.

What research have you done to prepare to play Kitty?

I have been lucky in that it has been very easy to get the character from the script. Sarah has written very three-dimensional people so even out of context you can still relate to them, they’re very universal. I expected I’d have to do more research than I did. I read some diaries of the VADs but the scripts say it all – I think Sarah’s scripts are enough.