Interview with Agyness Deyn

What appealed to you when you first read Hard Sun?
I was instantly gripped. From the very opening of episode one, I was thinking, what is going on? Who is this woman? I knew immediately that it was both meaningful and very exciting.

How would you describe Renko?
She’s complex. She’s not only physically strong, she’s also mentally strong. She’s focused. She goes on a journey from isolated to integrated, from island to intimate, and self-sufficient to sharing. At first, the most important thing for her is to survive. But then her own survival is overtaken by the survival of everyone else.

She’s also very courageous, isn’t she?
Yes. Renko’s solution to life is to walk into the fire - that’s her way through. If she had a predator, she’d never turn her back on him. She will always walk towards danger rather than back away from it.

Could you talk us through the relationship between Renko and Hicks?
It’s a cat and mouse relationship. They’re on parallel roads, but are forced together. Then they reach a crossroads and have to make a decision. It’s like a dark ballet where they’re dancing around each other.

The portrayal of the central male-female relationship is quite different to how women are often depicted in drama, isn’t it?
Yes. As a woman, you carry around a projection about what it means to be a woman in society. Men don’t have to carry that. So this is hugely liberating.

Hard Sun was an intense, physical shoot. What was the toughest scene to film?
In one fight sequence we had no choreography at all. I was fighting a young man. He had a blade and was trying to slash me with it. It’s very difficult to choreograph that, so we had to do it instinctively.

How have you found it shooting the action sequences?
I love it! It’s very hard physically, but it’s amazing to be able to do all that myself. They didn’t let me do a couple of stunts. They wouldn’t let me fall through a glass table because even the stunt guy gets hurt when he does that. And they wouldn’t let me crash a car. But otherwise I did everything myself.

What was that like?
It was exhilarating because with every punch, block, run, swerve and skid of the car, I felt like I was filling Renko’s skin to its fullest potential. She’s a very physical woman.

We hear you had a bit of an accident when you were filming a fight scene with Jim...
That’s right, I punched him on the nose by mistake during one sequence. Afterwards, the stunt guy said he was surprised we'd both only had one accident!

Have you enjoyed working with Jim?
Absolutely. He’s amazing. We come together as a team to overcome things in our work and personal life. We are very similar in our demeanour and energy. It would be terrible if you didn’t get on with your co-star. But I respect Jim so much. He’s a brilliant actor. It’s thrilling when you’re working with someone who excites you so much. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with for the last six months!

What was your reaction when you first read the script for Hard Sun?
It slightly annoyed me [laughs]. I’d been very busy, and I was ready to take a break and do some music. Then I read this and went my, oh my God, it’s really good! By page five, I was saying to myself, oh no, I’m going to have to do it. Dammit!

What stood out for you about Neil Cross’s writing?
It has one of the most interesting, unique, brilliant introductions to a character I’ve ever read. Hicks, the character I play, goes from A to Z in five seconds. You start thinking he is one thing, and then immediately you’re led in the totally different direction. I was instantly drawn in by the possibility of what this could be and where this could go.

What does the unique setting provide?
It reminds us that we are all here together and that we could all go out together. It asks what an impending apocalypse would do to society. We all may face that one day. We are not going to be here forever. The story has overwhelming moments where the characters ask, what’s going to happen next? And then they get sucked into everyday life and relationship issues and the challenges of how to be a good friend. Every character is disturbed in this piece. Neil’s writing is just thrilling.

Do you enjoy variety of tones in Hard Sun?
Absolutely. It’s so rewarding. Hard Sun has moments of family drama, of cop show, and of sci-fi. It is brutal and tender, heartfelt and aggressive. It’s the most wonderfully varied show to work on.

Can you outline Hicks character for us?
The only way to describe him is how he would describe himself. He accepts that occasionally he’ll do bad things for the benefit of the greater good. But all the same he believes 100 percent that he is a good guy who is pursuing the greater good. He’s a natural with people and would consider himself an excellent family man with strong values. He’s an amazing dad and husband and leader and team player.

How would you characterise his relationship with Renko?
They deeply distrust each other from the very beginning. But they’re thrown together by this idea of Hard Sun, which binds them together completely. Each ends up being the only one the other one has, but at the same time, they screw each other over. It’s a spaghetti junction of human complications!

What was your response when you heard you would be working opposite Agyness?
The minute her name was brought up, I was very excited. I knew what a great actress she is. I love it when people think out of the box. Renko is a killer part. She’s such a strong, ass-kicking, brilliant, complicated human being. It’s a golden role for any actress, and Agyness plays it superbly.

How have you found it working with her?
Agyness has been brilliant. She brings it. We have both been pulled apart and put back together while making this drama. But Agyness in particular has been dragged through the mill. However, she’s made of strong stuff, and she’s been amazing.

You had to do a lot of your own stunts in Hard Sun, did it go smoothly?
No! I took a hit from Agyness when she was wearing a knuckleduster. She smacked me in the nose. There was a lot of blood, but I think she was more upset than I was!

In Hard Sun, how does society react as the apocalypse draws closer?
Hicks says: “All the madness is going to come out of the woodwork,” and he’s right. It immediately divides people. The drama asks whether in this situation society would behave in a sane or a really dangerous way. That confusion unites Hicks and Renko. They have a common understanding that it is bigger than anything else.

What do you hope that viewers will take away from Hard Sun?
I think they’ll find it compulsive. It’s a bombardment of ideas, and audiences will be gripped by it. From the moment it starts, it doesn’t let you go!

Related Programme Information

• Episode one
• Episode two