It’s billed as a gritty, confronting, and original new TV series starring Kiwi acting royalty Robyn Malcolm — it’s also said to be her performance of a lifetime.
After the Party is a six-part drama series which premieres on TVNZ1 on Sunday, October 29 at 8:30 pm.
Malcolm and co-creator and writer Dianne Taylor take us behind the scenes of the local drama.
What's the basic premise of the series?
“A woman accuses her husband of a sex crime and is not believed. Is she wrong? Is she being gaslit? Or is she just bonkers? Her life is ripped apart and only the truth will put it back together,” the show's creators state.
What’s at the heart of the series - does it have a message?
“It’s more about what it asks, than what it says: At what cost truth? When do you fight for it? When do you hide it? What are you prepared to sacrifice for it?”
'Captured Wellington in all its glory'
How did this story come to fruition?
Dianne: “It began with the two of us just sitting and talking for a really long time and developing the character of Penny. At first, we thought it was a film, then we thought it was a four-part series, then when we took the story to Helen Bowden at Lingo — she convinced us that it should be a six-part drama.
“Helen is an amazingly experienced and successful TV producer – a Kiwi who has worked in Australia for yonks. She knows what it takes to pull the financing together and steer a production through the inevitable road bumps – which is a side of the business that is way beyond my skill base!"
Robyn: “Our director, Peter Salmon, was attached early for all six episodes. This was fantastic because a year later when he was directing, the whole show was burned into his brain. He and Helen were driving forces all the way through and challenged us every step of the way which was rigorous and rewarding.
“Once we got shooting in Wellington it was fast and furious for nine weeks. Our cinematographer, Dave Cameron, truly captured Wellington in all its glory. We chose it for its wind, rain, waves and hills. But we had day after day after day of calm, blue sunny days. When the wind and rain finally arrived we were all in complete shock.”
How did your collaboration work?
Robyn: “We were very polite to begin with and then as we got to know each other better we became more and more rigorous with each other. We made each other really defend and argue for the story. I have never seen a writer write the way Di did. I’d wake up in the morning and there’d be an email sent at 5.30 am, saying, 'Rob, I’ve had an idea for ep 3'.
“It’s really taught me how tough you have to be as a writer because you have to have an emotional connection with your work, which makes everything personal and raw. And then simultaneously have the ability to listen to other people’s ideas and criticism and figure out what is useful and what is taking you down a wrong path.”
Dianne: “Robyn’s story smarts are extraordinary. I guess it comes from entering into characters at such a deep level as a great actor. It was an enormous bonus to know from day one that Robyn would be playing Penny. I never discussed with Robyn how she should ‘play’ Penny – it never occurred to me to – it was much more organic than that.
“I also learned the value of having a collaborator who is prepared to push you but also has your back. There were probably a couple of times for me when I really wanted Robyn to love something I’d sweated over, and she didn’t. Then I’d feel a bit deflated, but often I’d go away and realise that she was right! That just makes the work stronger and stronger.
“We also brought on three other brilliant writers to write drafts of episodes when the heat went on as we headed towards production. It’s tricky for other writers to come in so late in the piece, but they were really talented and skilful.
“I owe them heaps.”
What themes does the series explore, and were they there from the start?
Dianne: “For me, the theme tends to be something that evolves as I write, but this time there were things that we were both interested in from the beginning: Shame, guilt and family. How someone with a strong moral compass can be ethically compromised at the same time.
"Very early on Rob introduced me to Mary Oliver’s poem, Wild Geese, which became a touchstone for us thematically – especially the opening lines:
“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves…
"It’s surprising to me now to see how much of the essence of that poem is still right there in After The Party."
How did you go about balancing humour with the darker side of the story?
Robyn: "It’s not something you consciously attempt to do, but the last thing we wanted to do was be ‘worthy’ in our storytelling. We just wanted to find truth in human behaviour and the thing is that people can be at their funniest when they’re furious – Penny is certainly that."
'Very, very, naughty and very, very, good'
The cast is a mix of newcomers and well-known faces, was that a conscious decision?
Robyn: "No. It was just about finding the right person for the role. We auditioned extensively and recalled many actors. Peter Mullan became involved because he and I had remained friends since we worked together on Top of the Lake and Hostiles. With ITV’s involvement, we needed a UK actor in there. He read the script and loved it. We were very lucky to get him.
"Tara Canton (Grace) and Ian Blackburn (Ollie) are both still Toi Whakaari (drama school) students. This is Tara’s first professional job. They are both insanely talented. Tara, Ian and Elz Carrad (who plays Tom) do a lot of the emotional heavy lifting and they were without exception, incredible.
"This is hands down one of the best casts I’ve ever worked with. When the material is intense everyone needs to release tension in between scenes. Peter Mullan, Dean O’Gorman and Mia Blake were usually at the heart of that. They are my kind of actors because they see the comedy in everything. They don't take themselves seriously for a second but when the camera rolls they are there 200%.
"Very, very, naughty and very, very, good usually go together in my experience!"
How do you hope it will be received?
"Obviously, we hope people will love it and binge it."
"People who have seen advanced screenings seem to get addicted and are telling us that they love Penny. But inevitably, some people won’t and that’s fine too.
"From the beginning, our mantra was that Penny needed to be interesting and relatable, but not always ‘likeable’. We’d rather polarise a few people than create someone bland that you’ve already seen a million times before."
After the Party premieres on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+ on Sunday, October 29.
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