The erotic thriller is available on Netflix now.
Obsession is Netflix’s latest attempt to hook in subscribers with an erotic thriller.
Based on Josephine Hart’s novella Damage, the series centres on the love triangle and affair between the enigmatic Anna and her fiancée’s father, William, that soon descends into a dangerous obsession with fatal consequences.
The series boasts a cast of familiar faces, with Richard Armitage (The Stranger) and Charlie Murphy (Happy Valley) leading the cast as William Farrow and Anna Barton respectively, while The Capture‘s Indira Varma and Ms Marvel‘s Rish Shah also star.
Talking about Obsession’s erotic scenes, which have left many viewers stunned, Armitage recently told Radio Times magazine: “Everyone was asking, ‘Is this a temperature you’re comfortable with?’ I said, ‘Bring it on. Let’s not be British about this.’”
He continued: “That prudishness is, I think, not cool. I love watching French movies where they’re more like: ‘This is the body, this is the body moving in life, this is the body in intimacy…’ This is a great opportunity to look at human interaction in a really intense way, which becomes a fatal attraction. It’s almost like a man who has experienced heroin and cannot walk away from it.”
Read on for everything you need to know about Obsession.
Obsession release date
The four-part series landed on Netflix on Thursday 13th April 2023.
Who stars in Obsession on Netflix?
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The main cast of Obsession is home to some very familiar faces, to say the least. Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Stay Close) stars as William, while Charlie Murphy (Halo, Peaky Blinders) is Anna.
Indira Varma (Extrapolations, Obi-Wan Kenobi) is William’s wife Ingrid, and Rish Shah stars as Anna’s fiance Jay (Ms Marvel, Strangers).
Also starring in Obsession is Pippa Bennett-Warner (Chloe, Gangs of London), Sonera Angel (Red Velvet Revolution), Anil Goutam (Andor), and Marion Bailey (The Crown).
The cast list for Obsession is as follows.
- Richard Armitage as William
- Charlie Murphy as Anna
- Rish Shah as Jay
- Indira Varma as Ingrid
- Pippa Bennett-Warner as Peggy
- Sonera Angel as Sally Farrow
- Anil Goutam as Edward
- Marion Bailey as Elizabeth
Obsession is written by Morgan Lloyd-Malcolm (The Wasp), and is based on Damage, the 1991 novel by Josephine Hart that tells the story of a British politician who causes his own downfall after an inappropriate relationship.
Keen to read the book for yourself? It’s available to purchase here.
Obsession plot
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Essentially, this new Netflix thriller focuses on one man’s growing fascination with his son’s fiancée, but it’s an affair that’s underlined by forbidden desires and an erotic obsession.
William is Jay’s father and is married to Ingrid, but upon meeting Anna, he is transfixed and embarks on an affair with her, one that is passionate in the ways that other parts of his life aren’t.
The series may be adapted from the original book Damage (which was also adapted as a film in 1992 that starred Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche) but this version is different in the way that it centres Anna’s female perspective on the events that unfold.
The book and film were told through the perspective of the male protagonist, but this version is written and co-directed by women, as well as including a female intimacy coordinator, all in a bid to provide a breadth of female perspective.
Speaking about her new role, Murphy said: “I actually remembered some stunning moments from the movie and it was great to have the book there during the early rehearsal period, but the writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm had really done something very different with the source material. It was quite a revelation.”
She continued: “It was going to be so much more empowering to my character, Anna Barton. I read the script and thought, ‘Oh my God, 100 percent “yes” to this.’ And I couldn’t have been more right. It was the most dynamic and fun role I could ever have imagined.”
Although Obsession is an erotic thriller, it is also an exploration of damage and what that can do to a person – in this case, Anna. The series looks into what formed her to be the woman she is today, as well as what motivates her actions.
Speaking about that to Netflix, Murphy continued: “She experienced trauma in her childhood and was not protected by her mother (played by Marion Bailey). On the surface, she appears to be very cool, very in control. She thinks she’s keeping all the plates spinning and doesn’t need to rely on anyone but herself.”
Is there a trailer for Obsession?
There is! And if you’re looking for a steamy miniseries, look no further. Watch the trailer below.
Read More:
- Obsession ending explained: What happens to Anna and William?
- Netflix’s Obsession fails in what it sets out to do as an erotic thriller
- Richard Armitage reveals all about Obsession: ‘Let’s not be British about it’
- Who is Charlie Murphy? Meet Obsession and Happy Valley star
- Richard Armitage on Obsession: ‘I knew it would be intense before I read the script’
Obsession is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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