Growing up in a small Victorian seaside town, Tuppence Middleton is used to everyone knowing each other’s business, which is sort of similar to her character in the critically acclaimed sci-fi series Sense8, only on a much more global scale. Cast in the role of Riley Blue, Tuppence plays an Icelandic DJ who’s recently moved to London. One day, she has a violent vision and suddenly realizes she is connected to seven other people from all around the world — all of whom make up a Sensate. Forget knowing what your local postman had for lunch, Tuppence’s character can actually taste it. Only, instead of a postman, it’s a minibus driver from Nairobi, a kick boxing businessman’s daughter from Seoul, a trans hacktivist in San Francisco, a lonely pharmacist in Mumbai, a criminal locksmith in Berlin, a closeted actor in Mexico City, and a dishy policeman from Chicago. And it’s not just lunch, Riley experiences everything her fellow sensates do and feel from period pains and orgasms to fighting criminals and learning to use a gun. Add to this the fact that you are being hunted down by a mysterious organization, led by a man called Whispers, and you might find yourself in a bit of a pickle. With season two ready to binge-watch on Netflix, we sat down with Tuppence to hear her thoughts on acting, feminism, and creativity.
A post shared by Tuppence Middleton (@twopencemiddleton) on Apr 21, 2017 at 7:20am PDT
Did you always want to be an actress?
I think since I was about 14. I liked doing it when I was younger, but I didn’t really think I would be able to make a career out of it. To be honest, I’m still not sure if I’ll be able to make a career out of it! I just liked doing a lot of different things because I had a sort of short attention span, but that was the one thing that sort of stuck and I loved enough to make a real go of it. I guess it’s worked out so far.
What is it about inhabiting roles that appealed to you?
It’s a kind of an escapism. There’s a huge education value in it sometimes. I love doing a project where it’s got some sort of social or historical context to research because you learn something on every thing you do. I think each character, each role, each project, unlocks something in you, which, makes you a more rounded person.
Can you tell us a bit about Sense8 and the role you play?
So I play a character called Riley, who is from Iceland. She was a DJ on the underground music scene, and then she, along with seven other people from different countries from across the world, experience this quite violent vision simultaneously. It connects them and they start to work out that they can see into each other eye’s and experience each other’s lives. And throughout the first season we realize that there’s a mysterious organization hunting them, which is led by a man called Whispers.
What can we expect from the second series?
Throughout the second series they’re on the run. There is a huge revolution brewing and no one’s quite sure what side everyone’s on. So it’s a real test of the Sense8’s bond and their trust.
Diversity in casting and storytelling has become part of the cultural conversation in a way that it has never been before, why do you think that is?
I think people just got sick of not seeing themselves represented on screen. If there’s only one type of person from one social background or walk of life shown, then the world is never going to progress and improve. People are finally feeling confident and able to speak up. I think we’re in a really interesting and uncertain time, and because of that there’s kind of a revolution brewing and people feel more able to express themselves and have a voice. There are a lot of amazing things popping up like Act for Change, which is a really great organization that is lobbying for more diversity in casting.
What does it mean to be a woman in 2017?
I think it’s a really great time to be a woman. There’s a huge amount of support for women at the moment. There are some amazing women in the media, in our industry especially, who are campaigning for equal pay, for women to be more prominent in the stories that we’re telling, and the characters to be more real. Feminism has always been around and it’s becoming a given, which it always should have been. It almost shouldn’t be a movement because we don’t want to have to fight for it — it should just be equal and that should be it. But you know, it’s still not, and it’s not solved, but I think this is a time when there has been more talk than ever about feminism getting into the global psyche. I think it’s really exciting, hopefully it will just keep getting easier and better.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
Well, in terms of work, I really hope I can be one of those people who can work till 90 — if I make it to 90. Because I really love this as a job. To be able to go to work every day and do what I love is really special.
All episodes of Sense8 Season 2 will be available on Netflix May 5.
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Text Tish Weinstock