PRODUCTION. HARRY WILD
BOXING CLEVER The crew of Harry Wild pull out every trick in the book in order to stretch their budget and time constraints further
W hen Acorn TV ordered the first series of Harry Wild in 2021, it may not have thought that the show would deliver the US streaming service its most successful premiere week viewership of any series in its history. No surprise, then, that Seasons 2 and 3 of the Irish murder mystery were swiftly ordered off the back of that success. Yet, while many readers may be unfamiliar with the name Harry Wild, they’ll almost certainly have heard of the lady who plays the eponymous character. Jane Seymour entered the cinematic lexicon for her central role as Solitaire, beautiful tarot reader in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die , also playing opposite the late Christopher Reeve as his love interest in cult classic Somewhere in Time (1980). Seymour has appeared in countless productions on the big and small screens in every decade since. She won a Primetime Emmy for her portrayal of Maria Callas in Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988), and Golden Globes for East of Eden (1981) and her role as the title character in US TV series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman , which ran from 1993-2001.
More recently, she appeared in the critically acclaimed Netflix dramedy, The Kominsky Method . While on the other side of the Atlantic, Seymour has been based in Ireland since autumn 2022. Filming at locations in and around Dublin, she is reprising her role as Harriet (Harry), a retired literature professor who discovers a passion for investigation after being mugged. IN THE DARK Seymour is an executive producer on the series, and for her – unlike many actors who take that credit as part of their contract – it’s certainly no vanity title. She uses her 50 years of filmmaking experience to help operatives get the best light and sound possible. “We’re working nine-hour shifts,” she explains. “We start in the dark and what we’re trying to do is get as much of the natural light as we can. When we’re outside, we’re racing against time – but when the light’s gone, we either go inside or find a way to make it work.” Seymour says she used her experience of working on Dr Quinn . “It was so dark you didn’t know where you were,” she says. “Roland ‘Ozzie’ Smith, our DOP, could still make it look like it was broad
daylight. So I know that when it’s dark, we can somehow figure it out.” The big challenge with lighting Seymour close up, she says, is to make her not look lit up, but at the same time have her reflect light. This is easily overcome, as she has developed her own lighting technique, affectionately and comically known in some quarters as ‘Jane’s igloo’. “Nobody else needs one because they’re under 30,” she jokes. “So, basically the minute you take the top light off me I don’t have bags under my eyes. If you have top light, my eyes become very baggy. So, I need no top light and I
“We’re working nine-hour shifts. We start in the dark, and when the light’s gone, we either go inside or find a way to make it work”
DAWN ’TIL DUSK The crew would shoot all day long in order to make the most of the natural light – then carry on!
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