The “Last Light” series, available on Prime Video, plunges us into a race against time against the backdrop of an eco-terrorist attack. Joanne Froggatt (“Downton Abbey”), who plays one of the heroines, tells us all about the filming of this breathtaking thriller.
Available for several months in the United States on Peacock, the thriller Last Light, which marks the great return of Matthew Fox twelve years after the end of Lost, has finally been available for a few days in France on Prime Video and has already been placed in the top of the most watched programs on the platform.
Composed of five episodes, this mini-series follows the journey of petrochemical chemist Andy Yeats, an expert in the field, who realizes, during a business trip to the Middle East, that his worst fears are coming true. If something prevented the supply of oil all over the planet, it would set off a chain reaction: transport would be paralyzed; supplies would cease to be delivered; and law enforcement would be overwhelmed.
Met last year at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, actress Joanne Frogatt (Liar, Downton Abbey), who lends her features to Elena, Andy’s wife, returned to our microphone on the themes more than ever updates on the series, on his collaboration with his play partners, and on the filming of Last Light, which partly took place in Paris.
AlloCiné: How would you present Last Light to French audiences?
Joanne Froggatt: Last Light is a thriller that mixes action and social and ecological issues. The series chronicles the aftermath of an eco-terrorist attack that targets the planet’s oil reserves and threatens to bring down the infrastructure of our society and the world as we know it.
The family that we follow throughout the five episodes, whose members are played by Matthew Fox, Alyth Ross, Taylor Fay and myself, is scattered all over the world and will do everything to find each other. It’s obviously an incredibly topical series, with the energy crisis we’re going through. But it’s also a hugely entertaining, exciting and epic series that promises to keep audiences hooked.
How is Elena different from your previous TV and film roles?
Elena is a woman who finds herself plunged into this disaster and who has no choice: she must fight to get out of it. She must use her wits to find a way to get home and bring her son, who is with her to Paris to safety, as the world descends into chaos. And I must admit that I really enjoyed playing this woman who is ready to do anything to save her family. The way she copes with all of this is very interesting.
MGM Television/NBCU/Peacock Matthew Fox, aka Andy, the hero of Last Light.
The family is at the heart of the series and you can feel a real chemistry between your playing partners and you. It immediately matched between Matthew Fox, Alyth Ross, Taylor Fay and you?
Absolutely. On any set, a family spirit is usually born quite quickly if you are lucky enough to work with pleasant and professional people. And that was obviously the case on Last Light. Within days, it felt like we had known each other for years.
I was pretty motherly towards Alyth and Taylor, who play Laura and Sam, my character’s children. I immediately took a liking to them, they are incredible actors and young people.
And I was very excited to work with Matthew, I’ve enjoyed his work for a long time. And what I liked is that we both spent a lot of time imagining the past of our characters, in order to understand where exactly their marriage is and how they got there. We didn’t have a lot of scenes all together, but I really loved shooting those family sequences.
What can you tease about how the plot develops over the episodes?
I obviously can’t say much because I don’t want to spoil the viewers’ enjoyment. But what is certain is that you will see the characters fight for their survival, their ideals, their families, and the future of the planet. And I think that despite the twists and turns that await you, the series ends with a sense of hope that feels good.
The series is set in both the Middle East, London and Paris. Did you actually shoot in France?
We mainly shot in Prague and Abu Dhabi in fact. But I also had a few days of filming in Paris and I loved filming in France. Paris is a magnificent city.
MGM Television/NBCU/Peacock
Joanne Froggatt opposite Samir Boitard in Last Light.
You can hear your character speak French in the series. Did you have to learn the language for Last Light?
I didn’t speak French at all so, yes, I had to learn some notions of French for the needs of the series. It was a real challenge (laughs). Even if it only concerns a few scenes, it took me a lot longer than I thought it would to manage to speak a fairly understandable French (laughs).
Fortunately, I had the chance to work with French actors, including Samir Boitard, who were adorable and helped me a lot. This experience on Last Light made me want to really learn your language one day.
You reprized your role in 2022 in the second Downton Abbey movie. Are you surprised by the continued success of this series?
It’s amazing for me to still talk about Dowton Abbey twelve years later (laughs). I am extremely grateful to have had the chance to be associated with this series for the rest of my life and to have had the opportunity to work with this wonderful team and actors.
Do you think a third film will see the light of day?
I’ve no idea. It will depend on the public, the success of the film, and the desire of Julian Fellowes to continue the adventure. If he comes up with an interesting idea for a third Downton Abbey movie, I’m sure we’d all be up for it.