Most actors spend ages doing bit-parts before they even get a sniff of a recurring character. Karla Crome’s not most actresses though.
Straight from a single episode of Casualty and Doctors, Karla landed a starring role in Sky Atlantic’s hard hitting drama Hit & Miss. Playing Riley, the head of the household that assassin Mia must win over.
We talked to her about Hit & Miss and her upcoming Misfits role.
Can tell us a little bit about Riley?
Riley is a troubled 16 year old girl who essentially runs a household, looking after her three younger siblings after the death of their mother. She is having an affair with John, her landlord, who is a pretty odious man. Other than him and her family, she lives a bit of a sad isolated existence. To add to her problems, her brothers father, who is now living as a woman, has just become her stepmother. She is a very vulnerable girl and her circumstances get her into trouble.
Hit and Miss was your first big TV role, were you nervous at all going in to it?
I was really nervous. Getting a casting means that a lot of people have put a lot of faith in you and your abilities, and you constantly think 'I hope I don't let them down'. Fortunately the cast and crew were lovely and so accommodating, so I settled in very quickly.
Did it help at all working alongside seasoned pros like Chloe Sevigny and Vincent?
I'm lucky to have worked with such accomplished actors so early in my career- watching their process was interesting for me.
Hit and Miss has some very hard scenes in it, especially some with you and Vincent, were those difficult to do at all?
Not particularly. I mean it was weird but mainly because I hadn't done the sort of thing before. The most aggressive sex scene was actually my first day of filming, which sounds awful, but because I didn't know anyone I didn't feel too self-conscious. The emotional scenes were physically tiring, more than anything.
The atmosphere of Hit and Miss is so dark, is it difficult to get out of that rut when the cameras stop rolling?
I'm really quite an optimistic person and I can usually shake off those feelings. Of course you have to invest something, but it's important to know where the character ends and you begin.
What was that house like to shoot in; because it looked half farm half draft filled-cottage to me?
Well the interiors were in a studio so that was fine, but the outside shots were on an actual farm in the countryside. I'm not really the outdoorsy type, I nearly had a fit because a pig snuffled my knee in the first week. It had an incredible view though.
You’ve been announced as part of the cast of the new series of Misfits, how did that happen, can you tell us a little about who you’re playing and how excited are you to be part of that show?
I'm having a great time filming, I have giggle fits every day. I'm not sure how much I can say, but my character is called Jess she's sassy and a bit of a tough cookie.
So what’s next for you then after Misfits?
I don't know. That's the best/worst thing about being an actor.
Hit & Miss is out now on DVD, Blu-ray and digitally
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
by Cameron Smith
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