Kiwi Game of Thrones star Keisha Castle-Hughes is channeling her mum in her latest Hollywood role.
The 27-year-old has been working in the US on and off since her role in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2006.
Manhunt: Unabomber is a drama series based on the true story of deadly serial bomber Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as ‘Unabomber’ and the FBI’s hunt to track him down.
Keisha discusses her exciting new role in Unabomber and the role her character, Tabby.
“Tabby is a federal agent, she came from the streets of San Francisco, where she was a street agent” she says.
“She’s a real sh** kicker, she plays with the boys but she’s very smart. I think there’s a big part of her that feels like she just kinda hit the jackpot in terms of ending up as an agent, and she’s very happy to put her head down, get through the work, stay in the middle, not cause too much disruption, and then Fitz turns up and rocks her world.”
The Manhunt: Unabomber cast at TCA Summer Event.
Keisha explains the way in which Tabby differs from her previous acting roles such as Obara Sand in Game of Thrones.
“I feel much more adult than I have in my career because I get to wear excellent pant suits all the time [laughs] and especially the area, it’s crazy as you know it’s in the mid-nineties, which doesn’t feel like that long ago but it is 20 years ago” she says.
“The last 20 years have been huge in terms of technology, so our set dressing, our art decoration, our costumes, especially to be playing a role that I can remember events from, I feel very much like my mum, like I’m dressed up in my mum’s clothes.”
Keisha works alongside stars Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany.
Keisha relates to her character Tabby greatly, stating that Tabby is “very humorous.”
“She knows how to turn gnarly situations into something a lot lighter which I I think I do a lot as a person. My go to when I’m feeling awkward is to fill the space with a lot of crappy jokes [laughs].”
Keisha Castle-Hughes at the Discovery’s Manhunt: Unabomber World Premiere.
Keisha works alongside big-screen actors Sam Worthington (Hacksaw Ridge) and Paul Bettany (The Da Vinci Code) in the series. The actress says being one of the only women in a heavily male cast doesn’t phase her.
“I think it’s really great. You know, Tabby is very much her own person and she is a woman. When I first read about her my first response was ‘Oh thank goodness, someone’s written a human being who’s flawed and has feelings and other sh** going on in her life versus just her job’. She’s not just the token there to fill the quota, she’s a very important part of the story and she has a really important part to play and so I was really excited that I ended up being the person being able to do this” she says.
Manhunt: Unabomber is set to air on Discovery Channel, Thursdays from 5 October at 8.30pm.
