The cast of THE NEVERS, HBO’s upcoming fantasy and period drama joined us for a fun and quick little chat about their experience filming the show. Eleanor Tomlinson (Mary Brighton), Elizabeth Berrington (Lucy Best) and Ella Smith (Desirée Blodgett) talk about their favorite powers and the future of their characters!
Hi everyone! Congratulations on the show, I said it before but, I binge-watched it in like, a day! Maybe I’ll start with you Eleanor. I was vey touched by Mary, she had a dream, she had a promising career and a romance that didn’t end very well, can you tell us a bit about her, who she really is and what she stands for?
ELEANOR TOMLINSON I think Mary found who she is with this group of the ”Touched’’. I think they help her realize her full potential and realize the path that she’s meant to be on. I think that’s what so lovely, you see her grow, you see her stand up for what she believes and what she thinks is right. I think, yeah, its’ a lovely journey to be able to take her on, from being this kinda quite shy and overlooked girl, to being the person that rallies all the troops.
If you could be another character from The Nevers, for just one day, with the powers that comes with it, who would it be and what would you do with this power?
ELEANOR TOMLINSON I’d probably be Penance! I think she’s just so cool, and I’d invent fabulous things that I could then use in my everyday life!
ELIZABETH BERRINGTON I’d be the doctor. Yeah the healing hands, imagine what you could do in a day, it would be just brilliant. I got a big hospital down the road, I could go and sort a lot of people out, that would make me fell good about myself [laughing]
Especially right now, we could really use this power!
ELIZABETH BERRINGTON Yeah! Perfect! Who needs a vaccine? Just come and I’ll touch you! [laughing]
ELLA SMITH I’ll probably be the giant, I’d like to go in and scare a few of my school bullies, just show up at their doors and give them a fright, I’d love that!
Ella, I love Desirée I just had so much fun watching her torment people with her power, just forcing people to say whatever is on their minds, is that a power that you would use in real life?
ELLA SMITH Well I mean I’ve said this before, but I kinda have it already [laughing] people do tell me their secrets and that’s a nice thing for my friends.
It takes a twist of a dangerous level I would say with Desirée, and also remember it was kind of hand in hand with her career as a prostitute and a really successful prostitute too [laughing]. You know, the men spend, in more than one way, it terms of getting it all out [laughing] I’m gonna stop talking about that, but you get the idea [laughing]. It just been really fun because there’s a dangerous element to Desirée, she smacks as fun and jokes, but there is a real danger for her to have that power, it doesn’t discriminate against a powerful person, who ends up talking about their secrets to her and that, in time, that tool would be immensely valuable to the orphanage.
True but it’s probably a little weird and uncomfortable to hear some things you never wanted to hear in the first place, but I agree it can be useful.
ELLA SMITH Yeah, I think she’s weary of people’s secrets, but yeah, good spot [laughing]
Eleanor, I know you have a singing and music background already and so does Mary Brighton, plus, there was also a little ‘’Poldark’’ reunion with one of your costar Pip Torrens! Was that all a big surprise for you, the music combined your reunion with Pip Torrens on set, was that a happy and exciting coincidence?
ELEANOR TOMLINSON The best, the best, the best! Pip is a diamond, and yeah it was gorgeous, it’s always gorgeous bumping into Pip. And yeah, very exciting and lovely to have another singing role…you know, it’s great, not terrifying at all [laughing]
No it was great! It’s great to hear you sing, it’s always a lovely surprise for us as well!
ELEANOR TOMLINSON Ah thank you, well that’s very nice of you, let’s hope you think that when you see the whole thing!
Season 1 Part 1 of The Nevers premieres April 11 on HBO and will be streaming on HBO Max.
