Amanda Abbington and Michael C Hall tell all about the hunt for a missing girl in taut thriller Safe
Netflix’s thriller Safe sees Dexter’s Michael C Hall as widowed surgeon Tom Delaney, whose teenage daughter Jenny (Amy James-Kelly) goes missing. Tom and his neighbour and secret lover DS Sophie Mason, played by Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, battle to track her down. But it soon becomes clear that each of their neighbours and friends may have something to hide.
Here, Amanda Abbington and Michael C Hall reveal all to TV Times about their new drama Safe…
TV Times Tell us about your characters
Amanda Abbington: “Sophie is juggling a lot of things but she is a good cop who always wants justice. Because she and Tom have an intimate relationship, his daughter’s disappearance becomes personal.” Michael C Hall: “Tom feels helpless after Jenny’s disappearance. Because he is a surgeon and also served in the military he has a procedural mind and needs a plan of action. So when he is without a clue, he is at his wits’ end. He does things that he wouldn’t have imagined as he and his friend Pete [Marc Warren] become an unlikely detective team.”
TVT What was the appeal for you?
AA: “Michael! He’s one of my favourite actors and a big American star. I was scared about working with him but he’s the absolute opposite of a diva and we’ve had a good laugh. Safe is also really intriguing with lots of flashbacks and twists so you have to be on your toes.” MCH: “Yes, every character has a secret and each time a question is answered three more pop up. There were so many moments reading the first script when my jaw dropped.”
TVT What research could you do for the roles?
MCH: “This is the first time I’ve played a British character on camera so I worked with a dialect coach. I even went into grocery stores and spoke in an English accent!” AA: “We’ve got a brilliant police adviser who Sarah Lancashire’s Happy Valley character was based on. She knew everything there was to know about police procedure. I could now be a proper police officer!”
Amanda, your children [Joe, 12, and Grace, nine, with her ex Martin Freeman] are extras in the first episode, was that fun for them?
AA: “Yes, you see them for about a second playing football at a barbeque. They loved having a day mucking about being actors. Marc did ridiculous magic tricks that had them spellbound. Michael had his lovely dog Sal on set and everyone wanted a cuddle!”
Safe airs on Netflix from Thursday May 10th
