Speaker 1: It's in the news today, but it was actually on
Speaker 1: TV Reload the podcast Last Weep their line. Hey guys,
Speaker 1: welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you
Speaker 1: for clicking and downloading on today's episode with actress Leanna Wolseman,
Speaker 1: who is about to drop the crime thriller of the year,
Speaker 1: which is called Human Error, inspired by actual events. Channel
Speaker 1: nine's new drama series Human Era follows Detective Holly O'Rourke,
Speaker 1: who is played by Leanna Wolseman, and her homicide team
Speaker 1: as a seemingly open and shut murder investigation threatens to
Speaker 1: destroy her career, her family, and her faith in.
Speaker 2: The justice system.
Speaker 1: I have to tell you from me this is a
Speaker 1: five star production and I am so thrilled to be
Speaker 1: talking about this with Leanna. Leanno is, of course an
Speaker 1: Australian actress. She's best known for her role in Star
Speaker 1: Wars Episode two, for her role.
Speaker 2: In the two thousand film Looking for Ala Brandy.
Speaker 1: Which I still watch on repeat, and the television series Wentworth,
Speaker 1: which she was in the very first season of. And
Speaker 1: you might remember her as the governor who had that
Speaker 1: very illicit of with Frankie in the very first season anyway,
Speaker 1: she was brilliant. We will unpack some of her decisions
Speaker 1: in playing a female law enforcer and how she made
Speaker 1: some very specific choices to make sure that her character
Speaker 1: felt real.
Speaker 2: There is a great opportunity to talk about John.
Speaker 1: Edwards and Dan Edwards, the legends of TV content creation.
Speaker 1: You'd know their work from shows like Love My Way
Speaker 1: and Secret Life of Us. We will also talk about
Speaker 1: the possibility of a series two for Human Error. You
Speaker 1: will also get some answers about why this show was delayed.
Speaker 1: I don't know if anyone knew that, but it was
Speaker 1: supposed to come out last year. This is actually a
Speaker 1: really fun chat and we get some very exciting revelations
Speaker 1: along the way. So sit back and relax as we
Speaker 1: unpack Human Error, which starts next Wednesday night on Channel nine.
Speaker 3: Hi. Hello, Hello, are you?
Speaker 2: I'm very well.
Speaker 1: I think it's always I don't know it's on brand
Speaker 1: for me to open my podcast with telling an embarrassing story.
Speaker 2: But I am such a big.
Speaker 1: Fan of your work and two different low Gie Awards,
Speaker 1: I came up to you and was like, I think
Speaker 1: you are so amazing. What are you working on next?
Speaker 1: One of them was went worse and we hadn't sell
Speaker 1: and the other one was this one. And I think
Speaker 1: you were like, I don't know, you're a bit like me.
Speaker 1: If anyone comes up to me and recognizes me, I
Speaker 1: feel a bit like get away.
Speaker 3: Yeah, No, I'm not get away.
Speaker 4: I just think I get a little I get I'm
Speaker 4: going to have to turn that round.
Speaker 1: I think you don't know why people are approaching. You
Speaker 1: don't know if they're being genuine. And so when people
Speaker 1: sometimes come up and say something that's you know, you're like, oh,
Speaker 1: you know, that's a really nice thing to say, but
Speaker 1: are you being serious? And that sort of look of
Speaker 1: that always comes across really strangely.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: And also I don't know, I guess like most No,
Speaker 4: I don't know if most creators are like this at all,
Speaker 4: but some I kind of be oddly insecure for something
Speaker 4: that's so public and open, you know.
Speaker 3: So I think a little bit of that, you know,
Speaker 3: and that attention.
Speaker 4: Sometimes you feel like that attentions undeserves because you're just
Speaker 4: doing your job. You're doing your acting, which isn't just
Speaker 4: a job, it's an art form. But yeah, I think
Speaker 4: there's a little bit of a get a little embarrassed,
Speaker 4: but that's silly because the reality is that when people
Speaker 4: come up to you to talk about something, it means
Speaker 4: it's moved them, and that's kind of that's the point.
Speaker 3: So if you should embrace that.
Speaker 2: You should. I think that it is uncomfortable.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm not used to it, Like I'm not used
Speaker 4: to doing publicity or doing interviews.
Speaker 5: I always seem to kind of get a bit tongue
Speaker 5: twisted as well, So I guess that's all a learning
Speaker 5: learning curve.
Speaker 3: I'm like middle aged, so you know.
Speaker 1: Well, thank you for coming on the podcast and talking
Speaker 1: about Human Error. I've watched the first five episodes and
Speaker 1: I am positively obsessed.
Speaker 3: Oh really, that's great.
Speaker 1: It's a really good crime thriller, something that I feel
Speaker 1: like we haven't seen in a while.
Speaker 2: And do you know what's interesting.
Speaker 1: They're promoting it as though, you know, a connection to Underbelly,
Speaker 1: and there is that feeling of that very first season
Speaker 1: of Underbelly that we saw, which was completely addictive like
Speaker 1: this one.
Speaker 2: But I kind of feel like Human Error is better
Speaker 2: than Underbelly. So I feel like.
Speaker 5: Underbelly certainly went to a place that was not likely
Speaker 5: original by.
Speaker 3: The end of it, I mean, didn't it just turn
Speaker 3: into like a.
Speaker 4: Shot for like breast, every kind of breast fishy, and
Speaker 4: someone would to have a shot, so it was kind
Speaker 4: of evolved into something very different.
Speaker 3: I feel like, I mean, this is a procedural drama
Speaker 3: and it's on Channel.
Speaker 4: Nine, but I feel like when I've watched it again recently,
Speaker 4: and it's got all the makings of a procedural drama,
Speaker 4: but I think it's a different sort of pace and performance. Personally,
Speaker 4: I feel in retrospect when I watch it is a
Speaker 4: little more reminiscent of your kind of UK.
Speaker 3: Dramas and that, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 4: Like, I don't feel like I definitely don't feel like
Speaker 4: I've seen it on Channel nine, So I'm excited.
Speaker 3: I'm excited to see how people embrace it or how
Speaker 3: they feel.
Speaker 1: How did you go about creating this character, because did
Speaker 1: you borrow from some my kind of characters in the past,
Speaker 1: or did you spend much time with real investigators? Because
Speaker 1: you really carry this whole series, and you carry this
Speaker 1: whole series with an unbelievable task of making all of
Speaker 1: this high drama very believable, and you do it so effortlessly.
Speaker 2: I was wondering how you created that.
Speaker 3: Well, thank you.
Speaker 4: First of all, it was a lot of work, a
Speaker 4: lot more work than I've ever really done on a
Speaker 4: show before. I did speak to spend some time with
Speaker 4: a former Victoria Police homicide detective who helped.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm sure things were accurate or with modern procedures.
Speaker 6: But also I think because I knew that I had
Speaker 6: such a huge workload or responsibility, and because I was
Speaker 6: the leader, I kind of went with this attitude of making.
Speaker 4: It as authentic as possible, and I guess, in turn
Speaker 4: not just being me, because obviously you're following the narrative
Speaker 4: of your character.
Speaker 3: But I don't feel like I changed who I was
Speaker 3: too much.
Speaker 4: Like I think I just kind of embodied her through me,
Speaker 4: which is what acting is anyway. But I didn't create
Speaker 4: a funny walk but decide there was certainly certainly mannerisms as.
Speaker 7: In holding the gun and all that stuff or procedure
Speaker 7: that I really was probably what I was most nervous about.
Speaker 4: But the other stuff I just tried to, like I said,
Speaker 4: make it as authentic as possible, listen as much as possible.
Speaker 3: And try and find out ways to, like you said,
Speaker 3: like make it less like what.
Speaker 4: I see on other cop shows or procedural dramas overseas,
Speaker 4: which I suddenly feel like I'm just being kind of
Speaker 4: narrated information, which you know, you can fall into that
Speaker 4: track because there's so much to tell the audience.
Speaker 3: So I feel like I just tried to pull that
Speaker 3: back and make her as real as possible and hopefully
Speaker 3: that works. Hopefully because I also there's sort.
Speaker 4: Of stereotype of Okay, I'm going to play like the
Speaker 4: lead detective and she's a woman in a man a's well,
Speaker 4: she's got to like act tough.
Speaker 3: And all and whatever those things mean. And I guess
Speaker 3: my take is a.
Speaker 4: Woman man like you're successful at your career, you know
Speaker 4: what's going on, and you know you have to be
Speaker 4: as clear as possible to everyone, and I think there
Speaker 4: has to be a sort of sense of compassion and empathy,
Speaker 4: which that's how I led her with, and that she's
Speaker 4: always got an open and open mind listen. So it's
Speaker 4: really important that I was always actively listening, which is
Speaker 4: performing as well. I think sometimes people forget that that's
Speaker 4: part of the performance, is that, yeah, your character can listen,
Speaker 4: and when you're not saying something, you're still doing something.
Speaker 3: That's a lot of what Holly's performance is.
Speaker 1: I think it's interesting that you say that about the listening,
Speaker 1: because if I look at John Edwards Dan and John
Speaker 1: Edwards work in particular, and you look at their collection
Speaker 1: of shows that they've made, I think a lot of
Speaker 1: those really amazing female actors in those roles do a
Speaker 1: lot of listening. Like you look at Claudia Carvin in
Speaker 1: Secret Life of Us and Love My Way and Asha
Speaker 1: Ketty Love My Way and even in Offspring and things
Speaker 1: like that. The reason why those characters have worked and
Speaker 1: still stand the test of time, you can tap in
Speaker 1: and watch those shows today and still feel like they're
Speaker 1: your friends, is because you watch those women interacting.
Speaker 2: It's the list Yeah.
Speaker 3: They're really engaged.
Speaker 4: I mean you've just named two of Australia's best female
Speaker 4: actors too, so they're.
Speaker 3: Not your kind of run of the mill.
Speaker 4: I mean they've become, you know, a high profile that
Speaker 4: now and they can carry shows and get shows made.
Speaker 4: But in their own right, they're just exceptional actresses.
Speaker 5: So they're engaging, so they know how to respond, and
Speaker 5: that's part of the performance.
Speaker 4: You know, we don't just wait for our lines to
Speaker 4: come and I think that's really important.
Speaker 2: And Dan and I mean mentioning Dan and John.
Speaker 1: It's you know, they're producing this show with you, and
Speaker 1: they do such a fantastic job of making scripted dramas
Speaker 1: feel very real.
Speaker 2: I don't know how they do it.
Speaker 1: Because you can pick up with watching their work without
Speaker 1: anyone even telling you that you're watching and Edward's production.
Speaker 2: What was your relationship with their previous work?
Speaker 3: Oh well, all.
Speaker 4: The shows you've mentioned have all been iconic shows. I
Speaker 4: remember when Secret Life of Us first came on. I
Speaker 4: was actually in a show called Love Is a.
Speaker 6: Four Letter Word, and it was more like a really
Speaker 6: indie street cheaper version of.
Speaker 3: Secret Life of Us. And I remember they came on.
Speaker 3: I was like, oh, that goes that goes that. Then like,
Speaker 3: that's just an amazing show.
Speaker 5: And then that just they just had the most the
Speaker 5: most incredible people on it, like continually who to this
Speaker 5: day have become some of the best actors we've got too.
Speaker 3: So all both of those shows.
Speaker 5: I think, yeah, I mean definitely those female leads were
Speaker 5: very iconic and memorable in our television history.
Speaker 3: For sure.
Speaker 1: This show does make me feel as though that's you.
Speaker 1: Now you're in this world that bubble that you can
Speaker 1: actually I think people will have a lot of faith
Speaker 1: in what it.
Speaker 2: Is that you can do.
Speaker 1: Do you think that this opens the door to make
Speaker 1: more series of human error? Or do you want to
Speaker 1: go and do other more scripted dramas, Like what has
Speaker 1: this done to you as an actress?
Speaker 3: I mean yes to all of the above. I'd love
Speaker 3: to do another one.
Speaker 4: I mean, the reality is, I'm forty four and this
Speaker 4: is the first time I've been offered a lead in
Speaker 4: a show like this, especially for Free to.
Speaker 3: I've been part of ensembles, but I've never.
Speaker 4: Been the kind of catalyst of a piece and that
Speaker 4: workload and.
Speaker 8: That dedication and what you have to do and the
Speaker 8: way that you actually have to conduct yourself to as
Speaker 8: a bit of a leader, and like because it paved
Speaker 8: the way, Like whatever energy that you that you give
Speaker 8: to set is really indicative of the shoot.
Speaker 7: As well as everybody else's as well as everybody else.
Speaker 3: Of course, because it's a collaboration.
Speaker 4: But I'd never been on a shoot where I was
Speaker 4: there every single day being able to usually as an actor,
Speaker 4: to shoot your bit. And then you come in and
Speaker 4: it's a bit fragmented, You're part of it. But you
Speaker 4: come in with this sort of different energy because you've
Speaker 4: had all these days off and you realize how much
Speaker 4: people work. But until you're there every day, you don't
Speaker 4: really realize how much the crew work.
Speaker 3: And there's it's just a whole.
Speaker 4: It was a really different feeling and it was super
Speaker 4: interesting and I learned a lot from Also with a
Speaker 4: show like this, you have a lot of kind of
Speaker 4: guest parts and people who are very like really small
Speaker 4: amounts to say, but man, the I was so grateful
Speaker 4: when someone came on, no matter how small their role,
Speaker 4: and they were good.
Speaker 3: Because the better they are, the better I am.
Speaker 4: And there was this new appreciation for there are no
Speaker 4: small roles, which you kind of forget as you go along,
Speaker 4: but there really aren't. And that was a huge like
Speaker 4: a you know, not a learning because I knew that,
Speaker 4: but just to remind myself of that that was really
Speaker 4: good and just yeah, like I said, being there every
Speaker 4: day with the crew and really understanding pretty much that
Speaker 4: they're ninety percent of the show and just seeing how
Speaker 4: and kind of being part of that was. It was
Speaker 4: a lot of work, like I said, but really exciting
Speaker 4: to me, and I really got off on that, and
Speaker 4: I'd love to have that responsibility again.
Speaker 2: I'm sure that's honest.
Speaker 1: I really do think so, Ring your agent, I'm sure
Speaker 1: that they get after people watch this. I swear this
Speaker 1: is like it's just one of those iconic roles. I
Speaker 1: think that happens to people, like a real U turn
Speaker 1: to something else, Like I really just watched this and
Speaker 1: was just thought, I just thought you were so compelling.
Speaker 3: Thank I mean, I hope people watch. I don't really know.
Speaker 3: I don't really know about ratings or like. Obviously, we
Speaker 3: were supposed to show last year and.
Speaker 4: It was and it got postponed just because there were
Speaker 4: lots of different shows on and competing, you know, Seven
Speaker 4: had soccer, and there was just so many different things happening.
Speaker 3: So they postponed it so.
Speaker 4: They could have not because if they didn't, they weren't
Speaker 4: supporting it just because they wanted the best for it.
Speaker 3: So it's on now.
Speaker 4: But I definitely that's something that I don't really understand
Speaker 4: ratings and viewers and all that sort of stuff. But
Speaker 4: I guess it depends really on who's watching and who
Speaker 4: watches nine and who's going to tune in.
Speaker 1: Do you know whether or not they did you do
Speaker 1: any research or did they spend time tightening it up?
Speaker 1: Like because we had that extra year where we were
Speaker 1: waiting for it, do you know if they were still
Speaker 1: taking the time to tinker away at this very well
Speaker 1: put yea, So the end product is just first class,
Speaker 1: Like you could see this show up against anything on
Speaker 1: HBO or anything internationally, and so I just feel like
Speaker 1: a lot of work has gone into this and.
Speaker 3: I'm so flattered. It's really nice to say that because
Speaker 3: obviously no one else has seen it.
Speaker 4: No, I think it was pretty much. I remember watching
Speaker 4: the cuts last Unit's the same show we did do.
Speaker 3: We did do pickups because they were really.
Speaker 4: Invested, but that was, you know, a week or two
Speaker 4: post finishing shooting, and that's pretty normal.
Speaker 3: But no, I think what the finished product was the
Speaker 3: finished product.
Speaker 4: And apparently it's it's screened and sweetened, but I don't
Speaker 4: really know if that's true or not.
Speaker 3: I just had somebody write.
Speaker 4: That on my Instagram and then I am dB said yes,
Speaker 4: So who knows good?
Speaker 1: Never trust I am dB. I have to let you go,
Speaker 1: but I literally could talk to you all day. I
Speaker 1: do finish the podcast every time with a question of
Speaker 1: what is something from behind the scenes. You know, what
Speaker 1: is something that we as an audience won't get a
Speaker 1: chance to see, kind of from your experience of making
Speaker 1: this show. Maybe a funny anecdote or something that something
Speaker 1: crazy that happened.
Speaker 3: I'm so bad at anecdotes. I just know, I'm like
Speaker 3: the worst. I know that.
Speaker 7: I looked around quite a few times, and you know,
Speaker 7: everybody sees it productions and goes, oh wow, they must
Speaker 7: have such a big budget, and there must be so
Speaker 7: many people on it, and there are lots of people involved,
Speaker 7: there really are.
Speaker 4: But I remember looking around some days and they just
Speaker 4: be like it felt like they were just thirty people there,
Speaker 4: and it was just and it kind of always blew
Speaker 4: my mind that we were making something that was going
Speaker 4: to look immense compared to the amount of people that
Speaker 4: were actually on set working their guts out to make
Speaker 4: it happen. So and it's always, you know, it's always
Speaker 4: a lot faster than people realized too. It's manic and
Speaker 4: it's fast, and sometimes we don't have time to finish them,
Speaker 4: so you just have one take and you just hope
Speaker 4: that that works in the edits, you know, But.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know. I'm not very good at stories.
Speaker 2: No, no, that's I think that's great.
Speaker 1: I mean, at the end of the day, I hope
Speaker 1: people who are listening to us talking about it come
Speaker 1: at this show with fresh eyes. It's a very lux production.
Speaker 1: It looks amazing. It showcases Melbourne really well. Oh doesn't
Speaker 1: it support it so good? Like it's just honestly, there's
Speaker 1: so much that I could talk about with how this
Speaker 1: show lands, and I can't wait for people to get
Speaker 1: invested in it, in it.
Speaker 4: Well, that's really really sweet of you, And hopefully next
Speaker 4: time I see you at the LOGI so I'm not embarrassed.
Speaker 1: I try a second time to be to approach you lighter.
Speaker 1: Like the first time you turned up just behind my
Speaker 1: table and I was like, oh, it's like it's in Oh,
Speaker 1: it's you, Like I love you, and it was just
Speaker 1: so funny. The look on your face was like, you know,
Speaker 1: like an explosion gone off near you and you were like,
Speaker 1: oh my god. And then the second time around, I
Speaker 1: lightly approached you and I was like, and my partner's like,
Speaker 1: maybe don't go and approach the talent and tell them
Speaker 1: how obsessed you are with them, because I think they
Speaker 1: don't think you're being genuine.
Speaker 2: I think that's why.
Speaker 3: No, I think you're being genuine.
Speaker 4: I'm just completely I just have sometimes I'm ever socially
Speaker 4: great or sometimes I'm just so.
Speaker 9: Awkward, And I think in those that situation that is
Speaker 9: there is a certain sort of excitement and terror that
Speaker 9: comes with doing any of those carpets or especially the logis.
Speaker 5: I've never been so overwhelmed on the carpet, And like
Speaker 5: I said, sometimes with the interviews, I'm sitting.
Speaker 3: Here at home now and I'm more relaxed. But I
Speaker 3: mean the.
Speaker 4: Last one I did, I think I went for Safe
Speaker 4: Harbor this other show, and I just remember being with
Speaker 4: one of the cast mates saying, can you please speak?
Speaker 4: Every time we get asked this question because I have
Speaker 4: no idea.
Speaker 3: I don't even know what your name is right now.
Speaker 2: I'm upset that's on me, not on you. But just
Speaker 2: enjoy you know.
Speaker 1: It's so funny because like being at home these days
Speaker 1: and what COVID's done to us with how we can
Speaker 1: be at our.
Speaker 2: Homes where we get twins. He I mean, it's a
Speaker 2: bit of an.
Speaker 1: Invasion, but at the same time you can relax into it.
Speaker 1: And I genuinely think the media is going to be
Speaker 1: so excited to talk to you about this role, so
Speaker 1: I think you're.
Speaker 2: Just enjoyed it.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Oh, thank you very much.
Speaker 2: Take the question.
Speaker 3: Is a very nice way to start the day.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'll call you every day. I'm your hype girl.
Speaker 1: I'll let you go enjoy chatting to the media, all right,
Speaker 1: I see you later.