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Spearitt talks about his role in major new ITV scifi series
Primeval.
HANNAH PLAYS ABBY MAITLAND
“I have got no qualms whatsoever about being compared to the gorgeous Billie Piper. I mean, who would? Look at how well she’s done! If comparisons are going to be made, then that’s certainly one I would not want to discourage.”
Hannah Spearritt is best to known the public at large as one seventh of nineties pop phenomenon S Club 7. However this is all set to change. From February, viewers will see her in a quite a different guise as gutsy reptile expert Abby Maitland. So how does she feel making the transition from pop star to new prime time heroine?
“There’s a certain degree of trepidation and of course I’m nervous about what the response is going to be, but I’m really excited too. I just hope people give me and this show a chance. It’s just such a great concept and I still can’t quite believe I’m part of it.”
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Ex-pop star to prime time drama star is of course, not uncharted territory and Spearritt is not the first to walk this particular road. However it’s not something that concerns the twenty five year old who remains unfazed by the comparisons of her current career path to that of Billie Piper’s and says:
“I have got no qualms whatsoever about being compared to the gorgeous Billie Piper. I mean, who would? Look at how well she’s done! If comparisons are going to be made than that’s certainly one I would not want to discourage. I would love to enjoy the success she has earned. Who knows what will happen with Primeval, but I certainly hope to emulate that same success but in my own way.”
She goes on:
“Of course people are going to pick up on the pop star thing and you can’t blame them for that. It’s a pretty obvious comparison and people like to chat; they like to compare and that’s absolutely fine. God knows I’ve done it enough myself in the past. People will make their own judgement when they see it.”
So just how did she find herself battling monsters alongside the likes of Douglas Henshall and James Murray?
“It was via the normal route; the script came to my agent, who then called me. She said, ‘Abby, zoologist, fights monsters.’ And I was like ‘ok...‘tell me more!’ As a character she’s rather cool actually; quite unlike me! She’s really together. Put her in a tight spot and she can really handle herself. Which, given the increasing number of tight spots she finds herself in, is a pretty useful quality to have!”
She goes on:
“She’s a tough cookie who fights her own battles, but she is also very caring. She’s a cool little chick who really likes people and likes socialising. She’s fun. And while I loved her, I loved everything else about the script too. I just thought it was so well written and SO far out there! It’s completely different to anything I’d ever got through in the last year or two.”
The young actress clearly wanted to get involved in the project from the outset but was initially unsure as to whether she could secure it. As hard as it may be to believe, Spearritt didn’t think that she would had what the producers were looking for; and goes on to talk about her concerns:
“When I first got the script, my initial thought was ‘I’m never going to get this. This is too cool and they’re not going to want to cast me.’ I felt really nervous going for the audition, but I gave myself a good talking to and just thought ‘I’m going to give it my best shot and that’s all I can do.’
When I was called back for a second audition, I was shocked and worked so hard to make it better than anything I had ever done before. I really wanted to nail it, but I’ve got to be honest, I was feeling very unlucky at the time and never once thought I’d ever get the part of Abby. I feel very privileged that I was asked.”
Hannah’s look in Primeval is considerably different to the one she sported in her days as an S-Clubber. With her shock of white blonde, closely cropped hair combined with the attire of a seasoned rock chick, it’s fair to say that Spearritt’s Abby Maitland will dispel any myths that zoologists are uncool in anyway. It’s an incredibly unique look and Spearitt explains how it evolved:
“Yes, she’s definitely really got that Blondie, rock chick thing going on. When I found out she was a zoologist, it didn’t really occur to me that I could well be in green wellies and all weather gear for the duration of the shoot! After speaking with our costume designer Joey Attawa, I realised he wasn’t going down that route and we basically ran rampant in Top Shop and Miss Selfridges. It was great. That said, he did manage to get me into a pair of wellies in one of the episodes; green wellies and a maroon t-shirt. It’s a look certainly!”
She goes on:
“Although she ended up driving a Mini, she was originally going to have a Vesper so that’s where the leather jacket comes from. The jacket is very 80’s and the shoulder pads are quite big….not really me, but it suits her. And as for the hair, I went to my audition with something similar and they said ‘Oohh. We quite like the hair can you keep it like that please?" Everyone seems to like it, it’s quite a hit!”
While it’s clear Hannah enjoyed preparing for the role, how did she find filming when the camera’s finally started rolling on the production?
“It’s like everything in life; some moments were great, others weren’t so great. Filming up at Black Park near Pinewood Studios wasn’t so great as we were filming in the pouring rain and freezing mud for fifteen hours a day in March, so you can imagine what that was like! But for the most part, it was great with lots of memorable moments.
I remember one in particular when we were filming at the reservoir up at Stoke Newington. Andrew and I had to put on our attractive waders to go into the water, and there was a plank underneath which was making it really slimy underfoot.
As we were walking into the reservoir, Helen our 3rd Assistant Director was holding my hand and there was someone else on the other side of me trying to help me not to fall, but of course I slipped and ended up pulling her and Angie down with me as well. All three of us ended up totally submerged in the water and I couldn’t stop laughing, it was hysterical. Everyone else saw it coming a mile off but still let us carry on regardless!”
As with all her co-stars, some of Hannah’s screen time is shared with CGI creatures, but in Spearritt’s case, she more than most as her character Abby takes on the care of a rather unusual pet:
“Yes, Rex. He’s so cute and adorable and I was really thankful to have him actually, because there are two versions of that little reptile. A CGI version and an animatronics version; it just helped me out so much having the real Rex because there was something there to act with!
I think we developed a nice relationship and we worked rather well together, although he was coming apart by the end bless him!
His little fingers were these metal rods which started poking through the outer skin, and sometimes he went into spasms and wouldn’t stop, which was a little off putting! He had this ugly battery pack that I had to hide with the cloth and when the metal bits were coming through I would tuck his fingers under the material.
He was definitely a little worse for wear by the end of the shoot. It was probably me man handling him too much, though I’d like to make it clear I didn’t hurt him intentionally! Any damage done was not born out of spite because he upstages me or any of the other human characters in the show in any way!”
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