This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
Mandeep, you were tied to a chair during a chainsaw killing in series one. Was that traumatic?
Mandeep: I was definitely up for therapy sessions after that. I’d be screaming for hours – your brain doesn’t know it’s acting when you’re tied to a chair and the chainsaw is revving. The only thing that wasn’t real was that they made the blade blunt, or it could have killed us. A few weeks later they said, “We’re doing it again, we’re going to put some Coco Pops in the blood to make it look real.”
Teddie, teenager Gina’s trauma is less graphic: her dad Harry’s away killing people and she needs parental support…
Teddie: At that age all her bravado and being angsty is a defence mechanism against what’s going on. I think her most sad phrase is telling him to f**k off, but it’s because she feels so vulnerable and can’t really rely on him.
Do you recognise your own lives in the MobLand family dynamics?
Teddie: No I don’t, but I recognise the toxic red flags in them. I think every member of the MobLand family needs to be put in a therapy session. It’s just so dysfunctional.
Mandeep: There are no gangsters in my family! I wish that I had – that would be great.
With so much male violence in the show, is there a special camaraderie between the women?
Teddie: Yes, we talk about really silly things, but also have deep meaningful conversations about our emotions. This is maybe the first job I’ve done where I’ve had that relationship with people.
Is working with Helen Mirren a little nerve-racking?
Mandeep: Weirdly, no. She’s such a wonderful woman, so approachable and real. There is nothing more exciting than going toe to toe with Helen, knowing in the morning, “Oh yes, she’s going to call me a b***h b*****d today.”
Teddie: She calls you the most terrible names ever, then the camera cuts and it’s just, “Oh, how have you been?”
Teddie, you’re from a showbiz background [her parents are actors Tamzin Malleson and Keith Allen]. Are you at ease around big names?
Teddie: I think I had a fairly normal childhood, so I wasn’t around too much of that, but working from a young age has maybe made me more used to it. The shocking thing is you forget they are just normal, genuine, lovely people; you’re pleasantly surprised every time.
How much can you reveal about the second series?
Mandeep: Seraphina [Conrad’s illegitimate daughter] is smart, ambitious and two steps ahead. There will be times when the audience will think, “Seraphina, what are you doing?”
Teddie: I think all the women are two steps ahead. Having intuition, having instinct, means that they’re not just going to be pow-pow-pow, like the guys. It’s more like playing chess: “My silence is going to be so much more powerful here.” The women on the show do that. They bide their time very well.
Mandeep: Like Succession, but with guns.
Photography: Rachel Louise Brown @rachellouisebrownstudio
Styling: Rachel Fanconi, Neil Cunnigham & Zahra G @rachelfanconi, @theneilcunningham
Set dresser: Propped Up @propped_up_ltd
Mandeep HMU artists: Sven Bayerbach & Bea Sweet @svenbayerbach, @beasweetbeauty
Teddie HMU artists: James Catalano & Sara Hill @jamescatalanohair, @sarahillmakeup
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