Kym Marsh says her latest thriller series, The Imposter, set in Australia, is a far reach from anything she’s done before.
Marsh (49) first rose to fame in 2001 as a member of the band Hear’Say. She later played a major role in Coronation Street from 2006 to 2019, before starring in Waterloo Road.
Now, the Merseyside-born singer and actress is stepping into darker territory as Amanda, the long-lost daughter of a hotel owner who suddenly appears in the midst of a family dispute over a lucrative seaside hotel.
The four-part series, which also stars Co Antrim-born Neighbours actress Jackie Woodburne and Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue, was created and executive produced by Jason Herbison and promises suspense, betrayal and ultimately, murder.
Woodburne stars as matriarch Helen, who refuses to sell her seaside hotel despite pressure from her three children, Simon, Kate, and Ian, played by Don Hany, Jane Harber and Jackson Gallagher.
When Amanda suddenly appears, Helen welcomes her, believing she might be the answer to her problems. But is Amanda really who she claims to be?
Reflecting on her character Marsh says: “She’s a complex, multi-layered individual. I think she’s quite damaged, there’s a lot in her past that eventually shows through and can’t be hidden.
“Many difficult things have probably happened to her that we’ll never fully know. But she’s also cunning and resilient; she’s a survivor and she’s quite funny.”
Read more: Actress and TV presenter Kym Marsh: ‘To see Dad in that state was really heartbreaking’
She adds: “I can’t really draw on any personal experience for this role. Some of the things she does are so far removed from my own life that I couldn’t take anything from myself and in a way, that was quite nice.
“It meant I could allow myself to go to places I’d never normally go. I had free rein with her, really.
“It was great fun, because usually, if you’re playing the girl next door, you don’t have to stray far from yourself. Amanda, though, thankfully, I’m nothing like her and I think everyone around me is very relieved about that.”
Marsh, who spent several weeks in Australia filming the series, said it was one of the quickest shoots she has ever done.
“The crew were just as wonderful as the crew here,” she explains.
“It was such a warm, welcoming environment; cast and crew alike were all so lovely. Everyone knew what they were there to do.
“We all knew it was going to be fast. People kept saying, ‘You’ve all shot soap before, Jackie’s been on Neighbours, you’ve been on Corrie, you’re used to a quick turnaround.’ But honestly, this was fast. It was one of the quickest shoots I’ve ever been part of.”
She adds: “I had two really busy weeks, the first week and the final week were my super-intense ones. I was in pretty much every scene, and it felt like flying by the seat of my pants. It was exhausting: early mornings straight through to late nights. But you just had to do it, because that was the pace, quick, fast, constant turnaround.”
Marsh says she and her co-star Woodburne became close while filming the series.
“Jackie was just incredible. She’s a bit of royalty in the TV world, she’s done so much, she’s so seasoned and getting to work with her was amazing,” she gushes.
“She really took me under her wing, especially because she knew I didn’t know anyone in Australia. We worked together a lot; many of our scenes were with each other, and she was so supportive and kind. I even went out to dinner with her and her wife, and I felt completely welcomed.
“I think Jackie will be a friend for life, actually, as will the rest of the cast.”
Woodburne (69), who is best known for playing Susan Kennedy in Neighbours, says her character Helen is the polar opposite to Susan.
The Carrickfergus-born Australian actress says: “My little synopsis for Susan is that she would take a bullet for her kids.
“She would stand in front of a runaway train to protect them. Helen, on the other hand, would look at her kids and go, ‘Well, why are you stupid enough to stand in front of that train?’ Helen is cold. She is judgemental. She’s not loving. She has no warmth.”
Jackie was just incredible, she really took me under her wing - I think she will be a friend for life
— Kym Marsh
Speaking about working with Marsh she says: “We just clicked straight away. We both had a very similar way of approaching the work. We wanted to do a good job and we took it very seriously.
“We drilled right down into ‘why do you think we’re doing that?’ and ‘let’s try that’ but at the same time we both like to be a bit naughty and have a bit of a laugh.”
She adds: “Kym has that quality that a lot of people who have worked in fast television have. Often, we will only get one take. There is not a lot of time.
“You’ve got to bring your best game to take one. Kym was well schooled in that style of working.
“She brought an energy and a commitment and a skill that was so invaluable. But she also had that desire to bring more, to find more, just that little something extra that will take it out of the mundane, out of the predictable, out of the ordinary. She was very keen to find those moments.”
Reflecting on the series Woodburne says: It raises a lot of issues. Certainly, for Helen, it broke my heart that she had wasted this beautiful family.
“She could have had such a different life, such a different relationship with her children, such a different relationship with happiness.
“All she focused on was what she didn’t have, what she lost, not what she gained. I thought that was a very interesting point of view, a very interesting question.”
Marsh adds: “I think it’s just a great drama. It’s gripping, there’s danger, excitement, twists and turns you don’t see coming.
“There are some seriously good actors in it, and there are funny moments as well. It’s a really solid all-round thriller, and we all love those, don’t we?”
The Imposter starts on Channel 5 on tonight
