Gaia Scodellaro interview
The Italian actress on working with Rob Lowe, wearing a habit and the challenges of acting in a second language.
Can you describe your character?
I play Sister Celine, an Italian nun from a small convent in Umbria. Convent life is all she's known really so she's a bit naïve because she's had very little life experience, but she's smart and very kind. She's genuinely a good person and firmly believes in God, but once she meets Father Jude, she does start to question her faith a little bit.
Have you got used to wearing the nun's outfit?
Yes, the habit, the wimple. It's interesting because when you put it on, you automatically change your posture and you feel a bit confined. I can only imagine how many years in a convent make you feel and what that means physically, whether you're unable to relax. It's quite an experience wearing this.
In the UK, in particular, many people would probably picture a nun as an older lady. Are young glamorous nuns more common in Rome?
Absolutely. I live in Rome and I have to say that I didn't previously notice nuns very much, but ever since I started working on this show I see them all of the time. I notice each outfit, which vary depending on which convent they come from, and you have many young nuns and of different nationalities.
Sister Celine and Father Jude develop a close relationship. What has it been like to work with Rob Lowe?
Oh goodness, I was ecstatic when I found out. This is a huge project for me, coming from just a few little things in Italy, but seeing him and seeing all that he's done is so inspiring. I lived in the United States during the West Wing era. He's so professional and incredibly talented and generous on set, so that helps very much when you are coming into something so new. He has made my job extremely easy. He gives you the kind of support you need to give the best performance that you can, so I am extremely fortunate.
How would you describe the series?
You, Me And The Apocalypse is a comedy drama about the last days of humankind. We follow a group of people around the world as their lives start to connect in very unexpected ways. All of this is happening in the middle of apocalyptic chaos so you can only imagine the madness that's going to ensue. There is action and comedy and a bit of romance, too.
Although you are obviously extremely proficient at it, English isn't your first language. Has acting in a second language posed you any sort of challenge?
Celine speaks English but with an Italian accent, so I had to start thinking about what an Italian person sounds like when they speak English. I very much focused on my father, who's from Naples, so every time I speak to him on the phone, I ask him to speak to me in English if he can so I can get a hold of the sound. The reason I speak English so well is because I lived in the United States for ten years.
The challenge for me was to remember not to speak in proper English and make grammatical mistakes because Celine is self-taught and hasn't had the opportunity to speak to other people in English. It's a lot of fun.
The apocalypse is coming. How do you spend your final 34 days?
I would definitely try to do things that I was probably too scared to do before, so maybe I'd jump out of a plane or visit a country that I've never visited before. But, ultimately, I'd want to spend as much time with the people I love.