The upcoming show ‘Careless’ promises thrills and secrets, but it also depicts the challenges of living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Created by Helen Fitzgerald and Louise Fox, this four-part series tells the story of a married couple, Angela and Mike, who decide to hire some much-needed help. It’s not easy – Mike has multiple sclerosis and doesn’t tolerate fools. They meet Robbie, a young man who doesn’t patronize Mike and seems to be having a good time. But he hides a secret they can’t even imagine.
Solly McLeod – Coming Soon to Practical Magic 2 – Starring Robin Malcolm, Richard Roxburgh, and Katie Leung.
“I love creating TV drama that lives up to genre expectations and provides an immersive experience, but I also want to say something deeper: MS is not well-known on TV,” says executive producer Claire Mandel.
The team worked with MS consultants to review all scripts. One of the cast members, Alison Peebles, also has MS.
“She is a highly successful, award-winning actress who has performed on stage and in film. She lives and works with MS. Our director also had first-hand experience with MS through his family, so we had a lot of people within the production who could draw on real-life experience.”
‘Careless’ was commissioned as an original drama by Stan and produced in collaboration with Channel 4, All3Media International, Screen Scotland and Australia’s Nine Network. Produced by Easy Tiger Productions and Synchronicity Films. Directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin.
Mandel says being honest about the debilitating illness adds an “interesting dimension” to the story.
“Angela is doing great. Mike, a highly successful music industry executive, is heartbroken by the progression of his illness. And into the mix comes this young man who is strong and sexy, but also very vulnerable and empathetic.”
“As Mike’s condition worsens, we start to wonder: How much of this is really the result of Robbie’s manipulation? That adds to the complexity. For me, the characters always come first.”
Mandel said he was “shocked” not only by the script but also by the cast. “The story is very tense and tight. It’s a real page-turner.”
“Solly McLeod, who plays Robbie, is a young star on the rise and at the top of his game. He has some major film roles lined up and is going to have a very exciting year ahead of him.”
In addition to “Practical Magic 2,” which is set to star Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, he is also set to star in “Anxious People,” co-starring Angelina Jolie, Amy Lou Wood, and Jason Segel.
“He’s incredible. The way he brings Robbie to life is so subtle and deep. He has a vulnerability, but he also has a darkness inside.”
They spend a lot of time inside the house, which creates “extra tension.”
“It’s an interesting dynamic. It’s like a cuckoo in the nest. They’ve hired this boy to look after Mike, they’ve got a beautiful house in Sydney, and they’ve just invited a huge threat, someone bent on revenge, into their private domestic space.”
But they go out and go to, say, Scotland, where social workers are looking for Robbie.
“I think it creates a nice contrast between the claustrophobic nature of the house and the world of Glasgow, even though it’s a huge modern minimalist house with high ceilings and lots of glass. It also really emphasizes the danger that this man is in. The only person who really knows what’s going on is this woman on the other side of the world. So how on earth is she going to stop whatever happens?” Mandel points out.
“One of the joys of co-productions like this is that for Australian audiences it feels like an Australian show, with well-known casts and locations from Australia and New Zealand. For British audiences, it feels like a British show.”
“Careless” always sought “a balance of intrigue and menace,” she says.
“That was the absolute goal: to portray three-dimensional people that you can really love and empathize with. Robbie is a product of what happened to him. He’s a human being, he’s not a psychopath. He’s on a mission to understand what happened to his family. But then he starts to feel something for this couple. There’s more to his story than meets the eye.”
Richard Roxburgh as Mike and Robin Malcolm as Angela (c) Synchronicity, Easy Tiger, All3Media International.jpg
