TV

Emily Berrington’s sci-fi coup

We chat to English actress Emily about her new sci-fi drama Humans
Humans Emily Berrington

Up-and-coming English actress Emily Berrington isn’t afraid of a challenge. At 28 years old, she’s already taken on Kiefer Sutherland in 24: Live Another Day, kissed the hapless lads of The Inbetweeners and solicited an illicit affair in Sons of Liberty.

But now the blonde beauty is taking on her most testing role yet – playing a robot (aka synth) in TV3’s new sci-fi drama Humans.

As the series enters its third week, we sit down with the charming and chatty Emily to talk about the show, her character Niska and Stephen Hawking!

What attracted you to Niska?

I loved the idea of playing something that has super-human strength, ability and intelligence. I just thought that would be the challenge – to transcend all of my own natural lack of ability and become something that could do anything and achieve anything physically.

What did you think when you first read the script?

It was genuinely the best thing I had read in absolutely ages. It’s not about robots – it’s about a normal family and how their lives are changed by the advancement of technology.

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Would you own a synth?

I’d like to say I wouldn’t own a synth, but it’s difficult because when mobile phones came out, I said, “I will never have a mobile phone,” and obviously I have a mobile phone. So it’s hard to know what could become normal to us.

What do you think is special about the show?

It’s not just a sci-fi show. It has elements of science fiction in it, for sure, but it’s set in a world that we totally recognise. The audience is not being asked to make a huge leap of imagination – it’s actually completely believable.

How far away do you think we are from this technology?

Artificial intelligence is a really hot topic at the moment, and I’ve noticed it more and more from doing research for the show. Stephen Hawking did an interview recently where he says artificial intelligence could be the biggest threat to the human race and I thought that was a great bit of publicity for the show – great timing, Stephen!

Humans airs 8.30PM tonight on TV3.

Emily plays Niska, a synth trying to find her way in a human world.

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