HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTER, FLORENCE?
SHE is a bit of a bitch. She's kind of like an 18th century TikTok influencer. She carries all those attributes – in that she's quite superficial, she's manipulative, people listen to what she thinks and has to say, she's fashionable. And I'd say she's quite scared of losing her power. She does have some – as much as a woman in the 18th century can have. In a social way, she's an influential person.
SHE SOUNDS LIKE A HEADSTRONG INDIVIDUAL?
She's very much out for herself, self-serving. I wouldn't be friends with her if I met her. And she's got a friend – as all horrible bitches need – a really 'yes ma'am'-y type friend on her arm called Eloise, played by Kathryn Wilder, who's brilliant to play alongside. But also, I think what she offers the show is that she's quite funny for the voyeur in us, she's quite outrageous.
WAS IT FUN PLAYING DRESS-UP WITH THE COSTUMES?
I think Florence being quite fashionable and on trend was really fun because there's nothing understated about her. She's always in really bright colours. At a funeral, she has to wear black and she hates it and she's even trying to express herself within those parameters. So I think it's just hilarious because she's just always outrageous.
DID YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE OUTFIT?
I guess my personal favourite is all the undergarments, because I just thought it was quite ironic that it's a show about intimacy and sex and the kind of manipulation of it. But it's very difficult to get undressed in all those layers. So, yeah, that I liked. I was fascinated by the undergarments – like the corseting, the bloomers, the big extra bits sticking out.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO BE IN THIS SERIES?
I wanted to be involved because I think that most of the stories we've heard up until very recently have always been male-oriented. When we keep looking back at history, you re-write history in the sense if you only tell one person's story. So I think it's really interesting to tell the story of the underdog. I've always been interested in that – albeit because of race or because of gender; there are lots of stories that we haven't heard.
It was interesting to me to be involved in a project that's very weighted towards the perspective of women – and not just having a load of vulnerable damsels in distress; individuals with characters and stories. My character in particular, like me in real life, is very alpha. And because of social constructs, the alpha women didn't exist. So, it does give a completely different angle on history, and those are the things I personally like to watch.
DO YOU THINK AUDIENCES WILL RELATE?
I think that women are very powerful in general. I'm in awe and admiration of women and always have been. I was raised by a woman on her own. I think that, at times, our power goes against us, because there's a lot of men who fear us and that's why society has been constructed the way that it has – and still is to a large degree, in a patriarchal way.
We keep getting told a different story, but it's actually not just the responsibility of men to end the patriarchy, it's a female responsibility too. When you watch[the show], it's amazing how parallel it is to nowadays, so it shows us we haven't really progressed.
:: Dangerous Liaisons is available on Starzplay now
