Emma Thompson, a long-talking detective in a series for fans of 'Slow Horses'

BarcelonaIn the picturesque and seemingly peaceful city of Oxford, a mystery is eating away at restorer Sara Tucker (Ruth Wilson): what has become of the little girl who survived a spectacular explosion in the neighborhood? Obsessed with finding the child, who has mysteriously disappeared from the hospital, she contacts a detective agency that doesn't seem to be a very profitable business. It is there that she meets Zoë Bohem, a private investigator, played by Emma Thompson, who isn't interested in romance. The two women are the protagonists of the series. Down Cemetery Roadwhich can now be seen on Apple TV+ starting this Wednesday (as is usual on the platform, one episode will be released per week).

The series is based on a novel by Mick Herron, the author of the books that also inspired the series Slow horsesanother big hit for Apple TV+Thompson has found an unexpected parallel between Herron and Jane Austen, a writer whose work the actress and screenwriter brought to the screen (she is the author of the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility(the film directed by Ang Lee in 1995). "Like Austen, Mick Herron doesn't tolerate fools, and he can crush stupidity with a single adjective, but he also enjoys them deeply. He returns to them again and again, giving them more to do. His world is as darkly witty and as dryly practical as hers," the actress says in an interview. Radio Times

Pragmatism and being down-to-earth are two elements that define Detective Bohem's life, which she uses to compensate for the vital deficiencies caused by her husband and agency partner, a man with his head in the clouds. "She's good at taking necessary risks. She's rude and direct, and she's not good at small talk because she's not interested in people's private lives. She's very moral, although she comes across as somewhat amoral, and she's fascinatingly resistant to affection," the actress summarizes when talking about the girl, "a role she accepted."

Physical preparation

Down Cemetery Road is one thriller And that means both Thompson and her co-star, Ruth Wilson, have had to perform action scenes. "I prepared as much as I could: for example, I tried to train more and eat fewer cakes. I did weights and squats, and I wore one of those heart rate monitors that are a constant source of disappointment," Thompson explains with her usual irony. The star of Much ado about nothing She says the role required physical training, but also putting Zoë's life attitude into practice: "I practiced feeling pessimistic about human nature and only smiled when I felt like it, which was difficult. I said no to many things I felt I really had to do, which was less difficult," she says.

Ruth Wilson, who emphasizes that she joined the project because she wanted to work with Emma Thompson, describes her character as a middle-class woman "with a restless soul." "She has a complicated past and hides a trauma she hasn't yet dealt with," she explains in the online publication. TV InsiderRegarding possible comparisons between Down Cemetery Road and Slow horsesThe actress believes the two series are very different, despite both depicting a very murky British intelligence service and sharing a similar sense of humor. "As it progresses, the series becomes crazier, wilder, and more dangerous. The scenery changes, and so does the way it's filmed. The last three episodes are almost like an action movie," explains Wilson, known for series such as Luther.