00:00This character, beyond anything,
00:29she's so curious and you play her with such sort of an openness
00:34and yet, you know, she's doing something very dangerous.
00:38Can you talk about finding the balance in your portrayal
00:41between curiosity and obviously understanding the danger
00:47at some point?
00:49Yeah.
00:50I feel like that was important for me to try and act in
00:55because you've got to believe why you do it.
00:57Because sometimes I watch a programme and then someone
01:00does something really dangerous and I'm like, why?
01:02That's just, why would you do that?
01:04They need to have a good reading.
01:06But for Alison, she has a great reading because she's frustrated
01:10with her life.
01:11She's got nothing to lose.
01:13I mean, what work has happened?
01:14So I think that's what gives her that bit of danger drive
01:18because she really wants to prove to the police
01:21that she is so much more capable
01:23than what they think she's capable of.
01:26and then the cure could be, I think,
01:29come from just having excitement, a new excitement
01:32and I think that drives her.
01:36She's quite, yeah, quite like, ooh, I'm going to assist.
01:40Oh, yeah, yeah.
01:44The detective was looking for you on the breakfast shift.
01:46For me?
01:48I'm Alison Brooks.
01:50You were asking for me?
01:51Yeah, I was, Alison.
01:53You read Lips, right?
01:54Yeah?
01:54For a second.
02:03I can do it if you tell me what it is.
02:05She has a very specific thing, but I love how you have her,
02:09like with her mom, she's so vulnerable in those moments
02:14and yet it's so forceful with her ex-boyfriend,
02:17with Liam, with all these people.
02:19There's like a modulation of energy
02:22that you say so much sometimes without saying anything.
02:25Can you talk about finding that balance of energy?
02:29Yeah, I think it's naturally in every deaf and disabled person.
02:37It's that we're dealing, that we have a lot of vulnerability,
02:42but we don't feel we have the space to share it and open it
02:45because I feel like if we share our vulnerability to the society,
02:50then it's like, yeah, that's so, it's too much for you.
02:55You know, you can't do it.
02:57You're not capable.
02:59No, so you have that driving force
03:03to try and prove to everyone that you can do it,
03:06but that is just your thing and that is tiring.
03:09So it's a hard balance to have.
03:12You've got to keep going and take one day at a time,
03:14but you never get a break from it.
03:17She's introducing the man in the hoodie to Wolf.
03:28He said his last name. I missed it before.
03:31So Hoodie says his name, Liam,
03:33and then I think his second name is something like,
03:37like, Barlow or Marlow,
03:39but P and B and M, they all look the same.
03:42OK, what else? Keep watching.
03:44What else?
03:48Oh, Hulkstead, I think he can help us.
03:54Yeah.
03:55So Hoodie is telling Wolf about himself.
04:02He's not from Canterbury.
04:04He moves around a lot.
04:06Yeah, it's like some sort of interview.
04:08I think it's, well, it's also obviously to you as well,
04:11very important to show this to other people with disabilities.
04:15You know, you see how frustrated Allison gets,
04:18but you see her working through the problem solving of it.
04:21And that's the great thing about any series is that you see the character grow,
04:27but you see them work out the puzzle they're working on.
04:31And that's something very specific here.
04:32Can you talk about that mindset of her, of Allison,
04:37and inhabiting her?
04:38Because you probably found her the longer you played her.
04:41Yeah, I feel like the way I act,
04:45I like to give a part of myself to the character.
04:48So like something that I experienced before,
04:51and I like to put that into my character
04:53because then it feels like my emotion can be real
04:56into the role I play.
05:00And I feel the more I play Allison,
05:03it's quite interesting because while we're filming it,
05:07it makes sense why she could think too far
05:10and she's just become almost narrow-minded into her mission
05:14that she's not really seeing the damage that she's making.
05:17And I think, yeah, and it's funny because then me watching it
05:24as an user, I got so frustrated for her.
05:27I was like, oh my God, Allison,
05:28you're starting to get on my nerves now.
05:30You're taking it way too far.
05:31But it's interesting, while we're playing it,
05:33I didn't feel like that at all.
05:35And I think that was interesting.
05:38Yeah, it was interesting, yeah, to watch it.
05:40And I've never been so annoyed at myself,
05:44which is really weird,
05:44but I was annoyed at Allison as a character.
05:47Okay.
05:48Liam Barlow, 29.
05:49No previous convictions.
05:51I have an address in Manchester, but nothing.
05:53They found him, yeah.
05:54Okay, I need a full profile on him.
05:56As quick as you can.
05:56Yeah.
06:00Very good point today.
06:01Very, very good.
06:02Oh.
06:04You need to fill in this form if you want to be paid today.
06:06Allison.
06:07Allison.
06:09Um, very important that you don't look up anything
06:12that you've seen in this office today, okay?
06:14For your own safety.
06:15Were there certain details or questions
06:19that you had about her once you read it
06:22versus when you played it?
06:24Because obviously there's a transmutation
06:28between the script and obviously being there.
06:32Can you talk about either a question
06:34or questions you had or a detail
06:36that was very important for you to bring forth
06:39when you were playing her?
06:41I think, um, I like to try and be in the moment
06:47as much as possible.
06:48So when I get the script and I learn it,
06:52that I really don't, um, sort of,
06:56while I'm performing,
06:57I don't really think about myself.
06:58I think about the other actors
07:00and thinking about their character
07:02and really focus us on them
07:04and not really focus on me
07:05because I feel like that's how we live in the world.
07:08We're not really thinking about ourselves.
07:10We do,
07:11but we really are thinking about the environment
07:13and the way we respond.
07:15So I feel like when I read it,
07:17I always question why she's reacting like that,
07:20why is she responding like that,
07:21and what is her driving force?
07:23And I think that's how I sort of, yeah, do that.
07:27But I try to be in the moment as much as possible.
07:32Hi.
07:33Sorry.
07:34Sorry.
07:34Sorry.
07:35Carnage.
07:37Um, OK, how did you find out
07:39that they're meeting at the ice rink?
07:41Well, I shot the text on Liam's phone.
07:43He left it on a bar before he went to the toilet.
07:46Who was the text from?
07:47An unknown number.
07:48It wasn't stored on his phone.
07:50And he was at the bar?
07:52Yeah.
07:53Do you talk a lot with Liam?
07:56Yeah, because how else can I get close to him?
08:00Alison, I've...
08:02Look, I say this from experience,
08:05that what is exciting
08:07isn't always what's best for you.
08:10Yeah.
08:12But, um, why are they meeting at the ice rink?
08:16Because...
08:17..it's unexpected.
08:21And because
08:22surveillance is a nightmare.
08:25Loud music,
08:26bad audio,
08:27lots of movement.
08:31Go.
08:32You need me.
08:35And, of course,
08:36the key on this is,
08:37obviously,
08:38you know,
08:39there's an interaction
08:39with the police
08:40and there's a whole
08:41thriller aspect of it,
08:43which, uh,
08:44is so important.
08:44But it also has to do,
08:46obviously,
08:47with, you know,
08:47almost forensic lip reading
08:49and stuff like that.
08:50Um,
08:51which obviously,
08:51I mean,
08:52you're lip reading now,
08:53uh,
08:54in many ways.
08:55I mean,
08:55could you talk about transmuting that
08:56into, like,
08:57a thriller aspect
08:58and so people can understand?
09:00That's why I love the way
09:01it comes up on screen,
09:02that you can see
09:03her brain working,
09:05trying to interpret it.
09:07So you have to do two things at once,
09:09act,
09:10do that,
09:11and then do the other thing.
09:12Can you talk about
09:13multitasking in that way?
09:15I mean,
09:15obviously,
09:16it becomes second nature,
09:16I would think,
09:17at this point.
09:19Yeah,
09:19exactly.
09:20It's becoming nature for me
09:21because I've been doing it
09:21all my life.
09:22I think with that lip reading,
09:24it's more a survival,
09:26um,
09:26technique.
09:27It's not something
09:27that you sort of,
09:28sort of train yourself.
09:30It's something you're,
09:32sometimes when you're
09:33in a situation
09:33where no one knows
09:35sign language
09:35and you have no interpreter,
09:37you're kind of forced
09:38to try and lip reading
09:39and understand what's going on.
09:40And that is tiring.
09:42Um,
09:42but I've been doing it
09:44all my life.
09:44I've come from
09:45all hearing family.
09:46I had speech
09:47and language
09:47fellowships growing up,
09:48so it's become
09:49second nature.
09:51Um,
09:52so that's what's important
09:53for the show.
09:54I kind of really want
09:55to show how tiring it is,
09:57how exhausting it is.
09:58Um,
10:00and I think
10:01it helps
10:02when you have a deaf person
10:04playing a deaf role
10:05because we're doing that
10:07anyway, naturally.
10:08It's already in there,
10:09so you don't need
10:10to sort of train yourself
10:12to be deaf.
10:14Do you know what I mean?
10:14Because it's there.
10:15But it's hard.
10:16You're banning that.
10:17It kind of worked
10:18because, um,
10:19when I was talking
10:20to my director
10:20about filming it,
10:22there'd be times
10:22where I can't
10:23let me meet my actor
10:24as Rose.
10:26Um,
10:26I don't understand
10:27what James is saying
10:29to me,
10:30but we play that
10:31into the camera
10:32as well.
10:32So,
10:33sometimes I genuinely
10:34don't know what he says.
10:35I will respond
10:36like,
10:37what?
10:37and then it became
10:39as natural as possible.
10:40So,
10:41it's kind of a bit
10:42half me.
10:44And then with the other cast,
10:45they have to learn
10:46that they need to be
10:47deaf aware
10:47for me
10:48to be able
10:49to act as well.
10:50So,
10:51it's about teamwork.
10:52This gang
10:53that we're watching,
10:54they're not afraid
10:55to use violence.
10:56What's she saying?
10:57Here?
10:57I think she's saying
10:58a date.
10:59We've got intel
11:00that the gang
11:01are meeting in a bar
11:02not far from here.
11:03Would you be up
11:03for going into the bar?
11:04Okay.
11:05Yeah?
11:06But you're bi.
11:07Okay.
11:07Okay.
11:16No,
11:17I'm not running.
11:21And my last question,
11:24I'll let you go.
11:25Thank you,
11:25Rose.
11:26So,
11:26what are,
11:27in terms of looking
11:28at the series now
11:29and what was accomplished,
11:31what are you most proud of
11:32in terms of maybe
11:33an acting moment,
11:34just overcoming
11:36a certain element in it
11:38or just the sheer
11:39visceral nature of it?
11:41What are you most proud of
11:43within the series?
11:45Yeah,
11:46I'm most proud of
11:47that I managed
11:48to be in
11:49every single day
11:50non-stop
11:51and every single scene
11:52for 77 days straight.
11:55How did I not
11:56collapse by the end of that?
11:58I'm quite proud
11:59that I managed
11:59to get through that
12:00and I love
12:00every single day.
12:02So,
12:0277 days
12:03of non-stop
12:04five in the morning
12:06until seven evening,
12:07eight in the evening.
12:08Yeah,
12:09quite proud of that.
12:10And the night.
12:10You begin to live it.
12:12You shouldn't have
12:12got so close
12:13they could have seen you.
12:17What's your name?
12:19I'm Alison.
12:19Just stick to lip reading.
12:22Leave the detection
12:23to us.
Comments