For Miranda Otto, nothing compares to working on an Australian production. Having been a part of many international projects, coming back home is always a breath of fresh air for the actress.
Walking on set and seeing old faces and people she’s loved working with before – there’s no wonder why Miranda agreed to join Disney+’s all-new and all-Aussie series, The Clearing.
“There’s a camaraderie on Australian sets that is different [to filming internationally],” she tells TV WEEK ahead of the launch of the eight-part psychological thriller.
“There’s an egalitarian nature here where people really do hang out together. Whereas sometimes in the [United States], it’s a little more compartmentalised.”
Miranda Otto stars in new series, The Clearing.
(Image: Disney+)Taking on the role of Adrienne, an elusive cult leader in The Clearing, Miranda had to unravel the complexities of her character while also making it her own.
“I very much felt like I was inventing my own character, from both the script and then actually being in the room and working with the other actors,” she says.
She also had to work out what would actually work on her fellow actors, trying to find the balance between what was making them drawn in but at the same time frightened of her.
“It was really interesting to work with actually because I thought at first that I would be really quite cold, but then I found that I actually had to be quite endearing with them at times,” she admits.
“I very much felt like I was inventing my own character.”
(Image: Disney+)What is The Clearing about?
Filmed across Victoria, The Clearing is an emotional and psychological thriller that follows the nightmares and inner workings of a cult called The Kindred.
The series introduces us to Freya, a woman who’s forced to face the demons from her past in order to stop the kidnapping and coercion of innocent children in the future.
Inspired by the darkness of real-life cults in Australia and around the world, The Clearing is based on the best-selling crime thriller In The Clearing by author J.P. Pomare.
Who is cast in The Clearing?
The Clearing features a stellar line-up of Australian talent, of which Miranda Otto is proud to be a part of. She takes on the role of Adrienne in the limited series.
Teresa Palmer also stars in the series as Freya.
(Image: Disney+)She’s joined by Teresa Palmer as Freya, Guy Pearce as Dr. Latham, Hazem Shammas as Yusuf ‘Joe’, Mark Coles-Smith as Wayne, Kate Mulvany as Tasmin and rising star Julia Savage as Amy.
The Clearing was directed by Jeffrey Walker and Gracie Otto, and was created and written by Elise McCredie and Matt Cameron, with co-writer Osamah Sami.
Where to watch The Clearing in Australia
The Clearing premieres with the first two episodes on Disney+ on May 24. There are eight episodes in total for the limited series.
Stream The Clearing on Disney Plus with a mth-to-mth no lock-in contract. Subscribe here.
