Emmy Award-winning actress Gillian Anderson is set to return to Northern Ireland for a new romantic drama series set during the Troubles.
The X-Files star has been announced as leading Trespasses, a drama which follows a Catholic schoolteacher who falls for a Protestant solicitor who defends members of the IRA.
The series is based on the award-winning debut novel of the same name by Holywood author Louise Kennedy, which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Anderson, who won acclaim for her recent portrayal as Margaret Thatcher in Netflix’s The Crown, previously called Northern Ireland her home for three years during filming of BBC’s crime drama The Fall, which also starred Co Down’s Jamie Dornan.
Set in 1975 in a town outside Belfast, the four-part series will follow Catholic schoolteacher Cushla (played by Lola Petticrew). Whilst working one night behind the bar of her family pub, serving a mixed crowd including the locally stationed soldiers, she meets Michael (played by Tom Cullen), an older, Protestant, married man, who often defends IRA suspects and who is friends with cultured Bohemians who enrage and intrigue Cushla.
“Worlds apart, Cushla knows a relationship like this spells all kinds of trouble, but they are irresistibly drawn to one another. In a place where loose lips cost lives and danger lurks in the shadows, amidst the fear and paranoia, this illicit affair between Cushla and Michael ignites and burns bright,” the official series synopsis reads.
Anderson is set to play Gina, Cushla’s mother, who is described as a “glorious wreck” and who is constantly sparring with her daughter.
The X-Files and Sex Education star will also executive-produce the series.
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Speaking about the role, Anderson said: “I fell in love with Louise’s stunning book when I read it in proof. I was immediately drawn to the tragi-comic creation that is Gina and couldn’t resist when Louise asked me to play her.
“Reading [screenwriter] Ailbhe Keogan’s brilliant scripts confirmed how vividly this story could translate to screen. And with Dawn at the helm and Lola and Tom alongside, I’m delighted to be part of the Trespasses family.”
Novelist and executive producer Kennedy added: “Watching Amanda Posey and the team develop Trespasses for television has been an utter joy. From Ailbhe Keogan’s ear-perfect, sexy script to director Dawn Shadforth’s gorgeously melancholic aesthetic vision, exceptional care has been taken to bring an authentic and beautiful version of my book to the small screen. I honestly could not have asked for more.”
Trespasses, which will consist of four one-hour episodes, was commissioned for Channel 4 by Ollie Madden, director of Film4 and head of drama, and Gwawr Lloyd, senior commissioning editor. Amanda Posey (Brooklyn, An Education) executive-produces for Wildgaze Films.
Filming is due to begin in Northern Ireland next month, with an expected airdate on Channel 4 next year.
In addition to Trespasses, rising NI actress Pettigrew, who previously appeared in BBC’s Bloodlands, will also lead Disney and FX’s upcoming adaptation of Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe’s book about the disappearance and murder of Jean McConville.