With countless incredible roles already under her belt, you might think an Apple TV+ drama would be a breeze for British acting legend Anna Maxwell Martin – but not so much!
The actress, known for starring in the likes of Motherland, Line of Duty, Ludwig, and with an upcoming role in the Heartstopper movie, has admitted that she couldn’t escape the nerves of her new drama, Star City.
A spin-off of sci-fi For All Mankind, Star City follows the Soviet perspective of the space race and stars Martin as the brutal Colonel Lyudmilla Raskova, the head of KGB surveillance, alongside Rhys Ifans, who plays the Chief Designer, the enigmatic man behind the entire programme.
Chatting at a special screening of Star City in partnership with Radio Times, Martin admitted: “I’m never nervous actually, but I was a bit nervous [for this] because you’re starting a big show with a big streamer, and there’s quite a lot of scrutiny.
“Everybody involved in this show is so lovely and supportive and creative and collaborative, but you definitely feel a little bit of scrutiny. That sort of rumbles at the beginning, and then everyone settles in, and then it’s all fine.”
Meanwhile, Martin wasn’t alone in her nerves. Agnes O’Casey, who plays a younger version of For All Mankind character Irina Morozova – and who shares plenty of scenes with Martin – opened up about having “idolised” the Motherland actress before working together.
“I have idolised Anna for years, so I think I had a little cry, and then I met her, and she’s obviously hilarious, and so kind,” O’Casey told us. “And then the first day – I mean, she’s just very generous and fun, and I think I really needed that, because I was dealing with being a bit starstruck, but she immediately put me at ease.”
Creators Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi also opened up about what drew them to exploring the Soviet side of the space race, with Nedivi telling Radio Times: “The more we read about the Soviet program, and how secretive it was, and this city in the middle of the woods that no one could access – the more we read and understood and heard about it, the more we thought there’s something special here.
“It started from that moment, and then suddenly these characters come to life. You realise the Chief Designer [played by Ifans], that’s based on a real person that was also anonymous and maybe historic, was one of the most historically great figures of all time that nobody knows about. So for us, it was an embarrassment of riches in terms of ideas.”
Star City will premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday 29 May.
Add Star City to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
