The drama seriesLutheris back for Season 5 (airing on Sundays on BBC America), with a series of horrific public murders that forces DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) to yet again face the depths of human depravity that exist on the streets of London. As the killings become more bold and risky, Luther and new recruit DS Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku) try to untangle the leads that seem to keep presenting more questions, and when you throw in an irate gangster (Patrick Malahide) and the always dangerous Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), you’ll wonder if anyone will make it out alive.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Wunmi Mosaku (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) talked about the darkness ofLuther, how she came to be a part of Season 5 after first auditioning for Season 1, what she loves about her character, the fun of working alongside series star Idris Elba, and knowing her character’s full arc before they started shooting. She also talked about how humbled she feels to be a part of a project likeLovecraft Country, loving the book it’s adapted from, and how excited she is for the series to debut.
Collider: First of all, I have to say, I absolutely loveLuther. I’ve been a fan since the beginning, but because it is a show that gets really dark sometimes, it’s the only TV series that has ever given me nightmares.
WUNMI MOSAKU: Right, I know. I have a lot of people who say to me, “I can’t get on the bus anymore.” (Show creator) Neil Cross is just amazing. You wouldn’t think these characters and these stories would come from him because he’s such a light person. I don’t know where he gets these ideas from. He’s like sunshine.
Granted, it’s only a TV show, but at any point, did any of it bother you, at all? Whether it was reading the scripts, or during the actual shoot, were you ever like, “Oh, my god, what are we doing?”
MOSAKU: Reading the scripts, I was like, “This is messed up.” When I was reading it, I got shivers. It creeped me out so much. It was described so well, in the writing of it. It was perfect thriller writing. I do not really read thrillers, outside of scripts, and I was stuck in the story and in the reality because I could picture it all so well. And then, when I saw it, I was like, “Oh, yeah, this is good. This is better than what my imagination even did.” I loved it. I did not have nightmares, per se, because I was not around when that stuff was shot.
How did you come to be a part of Season 5? Had you been familiar with the series before this?
MOSAKU: Yeah, I actually auditioned for Season 1, 10 or 11 years ago now, and I loved the script so much. I had worked with the director before, and I was so excited for it, so I was really, really upset that I did not get it. But there are times, as an actor, where you are like, “Although I am really sad that I did not get this, I am really, really excited to watch it and just be a spectator.” So, I was a fan ofLutherfrom the first reading of the script and watching the first series. I think the actors in it are just brilliant, and I had never seen a black lead in the UK, for so many years. That was quite a shocking moment for me. So, I was just stoked by the whole thing, from beginning to end. Auditioning for it for Season 5, I flew back from America, where I was at the time, because I wanted to be a part of this show. It was my opportunity, and I did not want to miss my opportunity. It was not mine in Season 1, but I was like, “Please let it be mine in Season 5.” Thankfully, it was.
What was the role that you had auditioned for, for Season 1?
MOSAKU: I cannot remember the character’s name. I would have to watch Season 1 again to hear the lines. I did not watch it like, “That was meant to be my part. I should have played that character.” When I watched it, I just watched it for what it was, which is a wicked show.
What did you most enjoy about getting to play this woman, who is so very different from the kind of people that typically tend to end up in John Luther’s world?
MOSAKU: That’s what I loved about her. She’s geeky, girly, excitable, and like a puppy, but she’s really intelligent, when it comes to her work. She’s willing to put aside the stress and the gruesomeness, and take it in stride. It does affect her, but you can see her make a concerted effort to go, “No, I’m going to do my job and I’m not going to let this thing affect me.” I always felt like she was on a little bit of a different show, always smiling. She’s the only one smiling, in the show. It was really nice. It felt like a bit of yin-and-yang between Luther and Halliday. They’re like night and day, chalk and cheese, brains and brawn. She is definitely the brains. She is instinctive and logical, but she plays within the rules and boundaries. She is not interested in just getting the result, by any means. It’s still important to her that she is a woman of the law.
Because she has to contend with DCI Luther, that means you had to contend with Idris Elba. What was it like to work with him, especially with how long he’s lived in this character? Is it fun to work alongside of him?
MOSAKU: Idris is exactly who you want him to be, as someone who loves the show and respects his work. You want him to be everything that he is. He is the lead, and he’s also an exec producer. He is generous, kind, thoughtful and fun. There are a lot of laughs on set. He welcomes you onto the set. The whole cast really did. I t can be quite an intimidating thing, walking into a cast and crew who have worked together, for over the last ten years. I can honestly say that, by the time I stepped out of my car at the set, I was welcomed into the family, and it was just a delight. It really was a delight to work on that set, from everyone. I do not think there was one bad egg, in that cast and crew. It was great. Me and Hermione Norris are now best friends.
When you signed on to doLuther, did you know what the full arc for your character would be, or did they tell you, at some point later?
MOSAKU: I knew, straight away. The beauty with UK productions is that, most of the time, you get all of the scripts when you audition for them. I had seen her whole world, when I was auditioning, and I was excited for that. I thought it was a brilliant story arc.
As an actor, do you keep the full arc in mind when you’re working, or do you just attempt to focus on each moment?
MOSAKU: I shot my last scene of Season 5 on my second day. You just need to know where you are in the story, at any given time, where your character is emotionally, what information they have available, and what information they know and don’t know yet. You have to know all of that stuff, but the character doesn’t know how the series is going to come to an end, and neither does Luther or any of the other characters. When I was shooting my last scene on my second day, I had the whole of the four episodes in my mind, and what emotional state she would be in, at that point.
You’re also doingLovecraft Countryfor HBO. What was the appeal of that project for you?
MOSAKU: I loved the book. I’m not really into fantasy or sci-fi, or anything like that, but it has this other-worldly quality to it, even though it’s set in the past, in a world that we think we know. I love it. I really was so excited to read the scripts. Auditioning, I was like, “I love this. I love this character. Let me be in it.” The book is brilliant. It’s just great. It’s complicated and different. It poses a lot of questions. I don’t know if it fully answers them, but it explores them, anyway.
How exciting is it to be a part of a production for HBO, that has the involvement of Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams?
MOSAKU: Humbled is an understatement. I feel really lucky and really excited. I really enjoyed the whole process of the pilot, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the show. Everyone is great and a lot of fun, and it’s just feels so different and new. So, humbled is an understatement. I feel excited and ready.
