Interview with Nikki Amuka-Bird

What drew you to Hard Sun?
I’d heard about it before I read it because I already knew Neil. I played DCI Erin Gray in his series Luther. So, I was delighted when he approached me about Hard Sun.

What makes Neil’s writing so special?
When Neil calls, you’re part excited, part terrified, as you know you will have to go on a rollercoaster! It’s very flattering to be asked, but also nerve-wracking because this character is very scary. Neil is an incredibly lovely person with a very dark mind!

Can you please outline your character for us?
Grace works for the security services. She is urgently sent into clean up when Renko and Hicks discover a flash drive containing top, top secret information. Her job is to make sure it doesn’t get out because that would endanger the masses and cause anarchy.

What is the significance of her name?
Neil chose the name Grace because she’s working for the greater good on a macro level, and trying to protect the public on a micro level. She is prepared to sacrifice people to achieve her aims. There is good intent behind her actions, even though those actions can be questionable.

When researching interrogators like Grace, what did you learn about them?
These people are actors or shape-shifters. They become whoever they want in order to get the information that they need. That’s a connection with acting. That was the way in for me. Neil is asking us to stretch the limits of imagination in Hard Sun, so the way to get there is to ground it in as much detail from reality as possible. Grace can read people very well, and that is an art I find fascinating.

How would you describe Grace’s interactions with Hicks?
She draws him into her scheming. She is saying, I know that somewhere in there is the person I need to help with my mission. What lengths will he go to protect his family? It’s a real cat and mouse game. Grace plays with Hicks, but in the end that emboldens him and creates a monster.

Has working on Hard Sun been rewarding as an actor?
Absolutely. This is one of the most ambitious dramas I’ve ever read. Neil asks a lot of you as an actor, which is what we all want. It’s very satisfying to play. There is a lovely atmosphere on the set, and yet the material is often on the edge of horror. As a cast, we’re trying to find nuance and complexity so the audience is drawn into the story, even though it contains some moments that are extreme.

How do you think audiences will respond to Hard Sun?
I think it will be a genuine, visceral experience where the viewers’ hearts are racing. It will involve audiences completely in what they’re watching. TV can do that. Ultimately, this is groundbreaking drama. And when you’re acting in it, it doesn’t feel like work at all!

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