Jenna Coleman on Starring in the New 1970s-Set Thriller ‘The Serpent’ – Vogue.com

Tom Shankland, the director, sent me a Marie-Andre playlist. We played with this idea that shes got bad taste in music and liked cheesy romantic songs. The playlist had John Denvers Leaving on a Jet Plane, ABBAs Mamma Mia, Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, and Simon & Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Water. Theres also a scene where something horrible is happening, but Marie-Andre is in the next room listening to Charles Aznavours She (Tous les visages de lamour) to block it out. We see that she wants to keep playing this romantic heroine that she has in her head.

The show hops from Bangkok to Kathmandu to Paris, but was it mostly filmed in Thailand?

It was mainly in Thailand, but we travelled around a lot. The Dal Lake scene, for example, was shot near Myanmar. We were meant to fly to Budapest to shoot the Paris scenes, but thats when COVID hit. We were flown home and there was a six-month break. We couldnt really travel after that, so we shot the rest of the series in Tring in Hertfordshire, which acts as part of Mumbai, Karachi, and Paris. Its been such an adventure, especially in Bangkok with the markets, the traffic and the heat. Our Thai crew were amazing, and the set was this melting pot of languages and cultures. It really captured the hedonism of the 1970s. Now, to have the show come out after all that, is thrilling.

How have you spent your time in lockdown when you havent been filming?

It feels like so much time has passed. I saw someone post an Instagram about banana bread the other day and I thought, Wow, were back to banana bread again! (Laughs.) Ive been learning French still, cooking, gardening and I started doing a photography course with Leica. The highlight of my social life has been meeting friends for walks. Zoom quizzes got boring very quickly.

What did you learn from 2020 that youve taken with you into 2021?

We need to slow down. Theres a feeling that you always need to be achieving something or pushing forward, everyones diaries are chock-a-block and we try to multitask on such a level that we forget the beauty of just surrendering. Ive appreciated the stillness, and also the kindness. I feel like there was so much of that around at the beginning of lockdown. I hope that continues.

The Serpent premiers on Netflix April 2.

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Jenna Coleman on Starring in the New 1970s-Set Thriller 'The Serpent' - Vogue.com