Netflix takes you Away to space
Netflix is premiering a brand-new series, and it couldn’t have come at a better time amid social distancing and isolation.
Away, as this 10-episode drama (from Jason Katims, executive producer of Friday Night Lights) that debuts on the streaming service on Sept. 4 is titled, tells the story of a group of elite astronauts from the US, Russia, China, India and the UK who will attempt to break new ground in the history of humanity — that is, become the first human beings to set foot in Mars.
In the name of science, national pride and human space exploration, they pursue their do-or-die, three-year mission with the knowledge that survival and a safe return may or may not be on the horizon. With loved ones left behind, their journey poses extraordinary challenges on their relationships both on and beyond Earth, while their struggle to stay alive is being watched by the world.
Away is topbilled by Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank as the commander of the Atlas mission, Emma Green. On Earth, her husband Matt Logan, played by Josh Charles (The Good Wife, Sports Night), is a NASA engineer working on the mission from the ground. Despite facing increasingly serious medical problems himself, he stands behind his wife all the way, as she embarks on the journey of her life. However, this leaves their daughter Alexis (Talitha Bateman) to navigate on her own coming-of-age, reality and other pressures of growing up.
Ahead of the show’s premiere, The STAR had a virtual interview with Josh about what he has learned from working on this epic series. The 48-year-old US actor said: “I think the story has a real cinematic scope, dealing with space and all things we love about the unknown, mixed with a very real, grounded story about a family and you know, how they get through some pretty extraordinary circumstances, or how, I should say, they work to get through, not that they necessarily get through yet, but how they work.”
Before we share here the rest of the Zoom chat, some interesting trivia first about Away from the production notes. The series was loosely based on an article of the same title in the US publication Esquire authored by journalist Chris Jones, who also joined the Away production team’s writing staff.
Meanwhile, the relationship dynamic between Emma and Matt was based on a real-life famous couple. According to the showrunners, they drew inspiration from the marriage of former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Josh learned to play the piano for a poignant scene in Episode 1, where his character Matt performs a piece for wife Emma because he happens to be a composer-musician aside from being a NASA engineer. In real life, Josh only knows how to play the guitar, so he took as many piano lessons as he could as preparation. “I worked as hard as I could to learn to play the piece well enough to fake it and I ended up actually playing it in that scene,” he said.
Here are more excerpts from our recent interview:
Why did you take on the project, why did it appeal to you?
“Well, I think the whole show. When you’re picking to do something, I mean there’s so many variables, you know, I wanted the idea of working with Hilary. I love the idea of working with (director) Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall, Last Samurai). I like the script a lot, and I read the script first. I like the idea that it combines, sort of, a space-themed show with interpersonal, dramatic storylines that focus ultimately on these families, and on this particular family and how they’re going to navigate this journey together while away. I don’t know but it struck me as just really compelling.”
How was it working with Hilary and Talitha?
“It was fantastic. I love both of them. Really cool. In the beginning, we got to shoot a lot of the Earth stuff first, and the first episode. And that really gave us, I think — I don’t speak for Talitha, but I know since we talked about it — it gave us a real foundation to build on as we continued on to the season where more of the scenes became through this type of thing (referring to our Zoom interview), through Skype or FaceTime or what have you.
“But I love Hilary as an actor, she did not disappoint, it was great working with her, a really committed actor, grounded and true. I really enjoyed her as a scene partner and I felt the same way about Talitha. She’s extraordinarily talented, such a sweetheart of a young lady. It always just sort of warms my heart to work with younger performers because I started as a young performer and so I really, really enjoyed our scenes together.”
Would you do what your character did in that situation, supporting his wife’s career, even as he is going through a tough time himself?
“Would I do what he did in that situation? I kinda want to say yes, but it’s a really good question because I don’t know until you’re actually in someone else’s shoes. But I think, given the circumstances of this story, and these characters, it does make sense to be that selfless in that moment, because he knows how important this is. And he knows that he was unable to do that for no fault of his own but that she is.
“There’s no way that he was gonna call her to come back and not finish it, because of some stupid thing he’s going through, which is obviously not stupid and I’m saying that facetiously. But there’s just no way. Yeah, I don’t know how I would react. It’s a good question, but I’m not really sure. I’m gonna pass on that one. I’m gonna ‘punt’ on that one — that’s an American football terminology.”
The main theme of this show is being away and being separated from the people you love, which is very timely right now, so what can the viewers pick up from the series?
“Hmm, that’s a good question. Hopefully there’s some relatability there in terms of just how you navigate, you know, in the case of our story. It’s an extraordinary time because Hilary’s character is commanding this international, historic mission to Mars, and on Earth, my character being chief engineer, but who’s also dealing with a physical ailment, is trying to sort of get himself back together both physically and emotionally, both for his work and for the mission, and for Emma, to protect her, the astronauts and also his daughter. So, I would just hope that people see the humanity in it. Find something that’s relatable right now that we’re all sort of dealing with a form of this. And maybe that will touch something in people.”
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