{"id":6865,"date":"2021-11-07T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1487849"},"modified":"2021-11-07T10:27:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-07T09:27:07","slug":"gemma-whelan-on-the-tower-taking-tips-from-suranne-jones-and-filming-at-9-months-pregnant","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/gemma-whelan-on-the-tower-taking-tips-from-suranne-jones-and-filming-at-9-months-pregnant\/","title":{"rendered":"Gemma Whelan on The Tower, taking tips from Suranne Jones, and filming at 9 months pregnant"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Flora Carr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 07 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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When Gemma Whelan, at nine months pregnant, was tentatively asked if she could film some extra scenes for police drama The Tower<\/a>, it never occurred to her to say \u2018no\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought about saying \u2018no\u2019, no way,\u201d she says. \u201cIf it\u2019s going to help and contribute, and I can, I\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With her due date just three days away, she returned to shoot some scenes (shot with clever camera angles) in south London, close to where she lives. But, she says, if it had come to it she \u201cwould have gone to Liverpool\u201d, where the rest of the ITV series was shot. \u201cThey\u2019ve got hospitals up there. I just thought, \u2018If the baby comes, the baby comes\u2019. But I didn\u2019t think for a second I would say \u2018no\u2019. I wasn\u2019t poorly. I was just pregnant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the event, the baby was late. \u201cI finished filming on a Tuesday, I think it was, and Freddie came the next Tuesday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Professionally, The Tower marks a new chapter for Whelan. The actress is best known for highly memorable supporting roles in the likes of Game of Thrones (as Yara Greyjoy of the Iron Islands), Upstart Crow (as Kate), and Gentleman Jack, as Suranne Jones\u2019 on-screen sister, Marian Lister. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, in The Tower, Whelan is front and centre in her first primetime leading role. She plays DS Sarah Collins, a compassionate detective in an orange coat, and whose rise in the ranks has been unfairly stymied because she \u201ccan\u2019t tell jokes to men in bars\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I ask Whelan if she took any inspiration from former co-stars such as Jones or Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones\u2019 very own Queen of Dragons) when it came to leading a TV series. <\/span>\u201cCertainly with Suranne \u2013 I very rarely worked with Emilia, but with Suranne [I worked] daily for many months. I guess her work ethic really rubbed off on me: her prep, the way she led the team \u2013 inadvertently, you know, she\u2019s not trying to lead, but just her attitude on set and the way [she had her] lines really prepared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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DS Sarah Collins first appears on-screen dressed in a lilac shirt beneath the (already trademark) orange coat. The colourful ensemble had a dual purpose: firstly, ensuring viewers could easily spot the character from among a crowd. \u201cThere was a \u2018no blue\u2019 rule on our set,\u201d Whelan jokes. \u201cI think Sarah\u2019s outfit certainly says [she\u2019s] unconventional, different \u2013 \u2018slightly nerdy\u2019 was what we were going for, you know, she\u2019s not cool and stylish. And she\u2019s not afraid.\u201d What\u2019s more, \u201chaving a big coat when you\u2019ve a growing belly is quite helpful\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we first meet DS Sarah Collins, she\u2019s just arrived at a crime scene. A veteran beat cop and a teenage girl have fallen to their deaths from the top of a tower block in south east London, and in mysterious circumstances. Sarah\u2019s job is made infinitely more difficult when the key witness, rookie police officer Lizzie Adama, disappears hours after the incident. <\/span><\/p>\n

As Sarah searches for Lizzie, she\u2019s also hindered by suspect male colleagues who belittle her, attempting to undermine her case by claiming she\u2019s under stress following a painful break-up with her ex-girlfriend. \u201cShe\u2019s not manipulable, thankfully,\u201d Whelan says of Sarah. \u201cShe\u2019s tough and she\u2019s able to compartmentalise, and I relate to that. I think many women will relate to those things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

The series is based on Post Mortem, the first in Kate London\u2019s Metropolitan series of novels, which centre on the characters of Sarah and Lizzie. When it came to casting an actress in the role of Sarah, Whelan was the author\u2019s first choice. \u201cIt\u2019s very flattering, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Whelan says now. \u201cYeah, I was thrilled, and when I read the script it just felt like a fit, it really did. I hope that doesn\u2019t sound arrogant!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whelan related strongly to the character, sharing a \u201cmoral compass\u201d that \u201cis very, very black and white\u201d. As an example, she mentions how she felt compelled to warn ITV about her then-very early stages pregnancy before signing the contract. <\/span><\/p>\n

But Whelan also related to the loneliness Sarah experiences. \u201cI related to a lot of the things that she\u2019s going through, and even in my personal life \u2013 things are very different now, but you know, I related to a former version of myself that was possibly a little lonely and vulnerable in my private life and really threw myself into work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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