Samantha Mumba spoke to David Hennessy about her role in the Jane Seymour led Irish murder mystery series, Harry Wild.
Samantha Mumba was still a teenager when she burst onto the scene as a pop princess in 2000 with her debut track Gotta Tell You making it to number one and number two in Ireland and the UK respectively while also making the top five in international territories such as the US, Australia and New Zealand.
After making US chart history as the youngest international female soloist to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 with Gotta Tell You, Samantha was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for her follow-up Baby, Come on Over.
Her debut album Gotta Tell You sold over 1.7 million copies in the U.K. alone, went to number one in American and sold over 5 million worldwide to become one of the biggest selling debut albums of the 2000s.
In addition to music, Samantha starred in the 2002 film The Time Machine with Guy Pearce.
She was part of a cast that also included Patrick Bergin, Eriq La Salle, Vinnie Jones, Lennox Lewis and Roger Daltrey when she was part of 2006 film, Johnny Was.
Samantha has been part of the cast of Harry Wild since its second instalment with. A fourth series has landed and a fifth series has been filmed and set for release this year.
Samantha Mumba plays Paula.
Paula was the absent mother of Fergus, Jane Seymour’s title character sleuth’s teenage sidekick.
Paula turned Fergus’ world upside down when she returned after years away but, while she had some ulterior motives to begin with, she was home to stay and be part of her children’s lives.
Samantha took time to chat to the Irish World about the Dublin- set murder mystery series.
Harry Wild season four is out but I understand season five is also in the can so it’s very exciting..
“Yes, and it’s fantastic.
“I just think the show has gotten legs of its own and it’s doing really well.
“People seem to really connect with it and enjoy it and it’s great for us obviously.
“We’re all very, very excited.”
What drew you to the show initially? Do you remember first hearing of the role etc?
“Well I was familiar with the show.
“Kevin Ryan, who’s been on the show since it started, would be a friend of mine so I was aware of it and was so excited for him.
“Then randomly when I had gotten the email to audition, I was just very, very excited.”
You joined the show in season two so you were joining an established cast with a series under their belt, what was that like?
“I think that’s the beautiful part of it.
“Obviously every episode is so completely different so there’s always new people in every episode so there’s always people coming and going.
“That core cast that have been there from season one just couldn’t be nicer.
“I love getting to work with the crew and everybody’s so lovely.
“It’s just a great environment.
“I love that kind of team/ group effort, maybe that’s because I’m solo and so most of what I’ve done my whole life has just been me and so I love that collaboration with lots of other people.
“It’s great and obviously it’s a lovely excuse to be home as well so it’s a win-win.”
How did you like the character from the off because there was some mystery to her when she arrived in the show?
“Yes, and it’s developed.
“I mean obviously when I first came in, I didn’t know if I’d be in another season.
“I kind of thought they’d probably write her out to be honest because they could have easily and so the first season was very fun and then even as the seasons have gone on and the character’s developed a little bit, I love my character.
“I think she’s great and it’s definitely been fun.
“I think that’s the joy of the show as well.
“The writers are brilliant and I think they love creating that kind of mystery and intrigue.
“It’s been fun for me just reading each season not knowing what to expect myself.”
How have you related to the character?
“Of course.
“I’m a mother so that’s the immediate relate.
“There’s definitely pieces of my own life and younger life, I suppose, that I would say that I kind of would pull from to make it a bit more sense to me but I think that’s the fun of acting.
“You don’t have to relate to the character, it’s more fun when it’s something I think almost that’s so far removed from you so definitely there’s little bits that I can relate to but it’s fun getting to play dress up and play somebody else.”
So much of the show rests on the shoulders of Jane Seymour in the title role, what is she like to work with?
“She’s so fabulous.
“I remember I’d filmed a couple of days before we had a scene together and you just don’t know what to expect and everybody prior had been saying, ‘You’re going to love Jane, she’s so lovely’.
“She’s that and more.
“She just is the most humble, funny, light hearted woman.
“She just doesn’t take herself seriously at all and she’s just incredible and has amazing stories.
“I could sit and chat with her for hours.
“She’s just incredible and she’s a workhorse.
“I just don’t know where she gets the energy.
“I don’t have a fraction of that energy now.
“I adore her.
“She’s great.”
Is she a real leader on set?
“She’s a leader but in just such a relaxed way.
“There’s no separation between her and anybody.
“We’re all just hanging out together, we’re all spending time together in between takes.
“She’s very, very approachable and just very easy to chat with.
“She’s lovely.
“She’s really, really great.
“Don’t know how she does this.”
Do you get the sense she loves this part of an older female but one who is young in her attitudes?
“She absolutely eats and breathes this show and I feel like it shows as well.
“I think there’s probably a level of satisfaction for her as well because, like you say, particularly for women, as you get older, roles are few and fewer. It’s playing the old woman and she’s so the opposite of that.
“She’s beautiful and incredible and she’s just not that person so I think it’s probably really fun that she has a role that she doesn’t have to try and be that or which is more reflective of who she really is in real life.
“She adores the show and I think she obviously carries the show and does it very well.”
Rohan Nedd plays your screen son. He is not an actor I was familiar with but he’s made their role of Fergus his own..
“It’s interesting as well even to see how much his character’s grown and I feel like he’s so comfortable in the role now.
“He’s brilliant and it’s so funny, we were laughing because I think there’s only really 11 years age difference between us so we laugh about that.
“Rohan is a huge talent for sure and very committed to any role he plays.”
He may not be that much younger than you but plays a teenage character. Do you reflect on your own rise? You were just a teenager when you rose to fame with hits like Gotta Tell You..
“Yes, I suppose it is crazy.
“Obviously that’s not stuff I ever think of but even then, when I do think about it, it feels like a lifetime ago but then not.
“I just think things happen when and how they’re supposed to happen, but mad time for sure.”
Would you be reminded of that experience now and would you offer advice to younger cast members like Rohan and Rose O’Neill who plays Lola as they are embarking on a career in the industry?
“I don’t know that I’d be reminded.
“I’m so glad that you brought Rose up, she’s fabulous and such a beautiful girl.
“She’s so talented too.
“I just love seeing young people getting to walk and work in their passion.
“There’s so many people that have passions or things they want to do, and either don’t have the confidence to do it or don’t have the opportunities to do it and so I love seeing that.
“I don’t know that I would unless I was asked for advice.
“I don’t like to push any of my ideas or thoughts on anybody but I mean Rohan he’s a married man, he has his head on his shoulders.
“He’s very, very talented.
“Rose is a young girl. Very, very talented, so much ahead of her so it’s just exciting.
“I’ll be excited to see their journey as it develops and changes over the years for sure.”
Can you put your finger on what people love about the show?
“I just think it’s easy, isn’t it?
“It’s light hearted, it’s tongue in cheek, it’s funny.
“There’s a little bit of drama.
“I don’t think the show takes itself too seriously either and I think that’s what people like.
“I think nowadays there’s such a saturation of reality TV or overly glossy high production.
“I think it’s just an easy, nice show to watch that kind of is reminiscent maybe of shows that would have been on back in the day when I was a kid.
“I think it just fits and fills a lovely niche that’s almost a little bit nostalgic but it’s so interesting, so many people watch it.
“I remember even being in Milan for a couple of days and a trailer for Harry Wild coming on at the hotel.
“I was like, ‘God, even in Italy, I didn’t even know’ so it’s cool.
“It’s really, really cool.”
The best selling Irish crime writer Jo Spain has been involved as a writer/ producer since the start. What is it like to have someone like that on board?
“Jo is incredible.
“She’s just some woman for one woman.
“She just stays going and working and writing, and she’s on set a lot actually.
“Again so approachable and open and loves talking about, ‘What would you love the character to be?’ or, ‘Where would you see the character going?’
“Very open to, I think, maybe some slight collaboration in that regard.
“I think every writer’s process is different but she just seems very open and fluid in that regard so she’s great fun.
“I think Jo just has a really good button on characters and even with actors, what she thinks will work well or not, so she’s really, really great.”
It may feel like a novelty to see you acting but it shouldn’t because you were in The Time Machine with Guy Pearce back in 2002 and even before that when you were a child in Dublin stage schools..
“Of course I’ve been singing, dancing since I was a kid, acting not so much.
“I think it was more singing and dancing for me when I was growing up.
“I think I just have always loved to be creative and ultimately use my imagination and go and play.
“I really do love anything that’s collaborative, that feels creative and so it’s nice being able to kind of move in between the different worlds a little bit.”
Speaking of your singing, what is going on there? Will we see new music from you in the near future?
“It’s so funny.
“I’m almost- not allergic to that question but of course, that’s something I’m always asked and I’ve so much music that I’ve never released.
“I’m always actually recently just started writing a little bit again.
“I felt a little bit inspired but I will forever be making music, I will forever be taking breaks, going back to it and so definitely I am working on stuff but I hate saying the ‘new music coming soon’, it just feels disingenuous not that it’s not the truth.
“There’s something in the pipeline for me always with music.”
You have been back in the UK in recent years to perform at events like Pride in both Manchester and Birmingham..
“Yes, I love being asked to do Pride.
“I’d done Manchester Pride before.
“Birmingham, was really, really good fun actually.
“Pride will forever have my heart.
“I will always want to be involved with it so I’m always very, very grateful when I’m asked.”
We have just had Eurovision and that reminded me that last year you threw your hat in the ring to represent Ireland, how did you enjoy that experience although it ended in disappointment?
“Honestly I don’t know that I could say disappointing.
“It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and I knew I needed to be pushed out of my comfort zone.
“I can get very complacent with certain things so I’m actually very grateful for that and genuinely, I just think things happen how they’re supposed to happen and so I don’t feel that way about it, I definitely don’t regret it either.
“I enjoyed it.
“I enjoyed getting to work with my very small team and we all broke our backs trying to put something together and so now I’m proud of it.”
So not so much of a disappointment?
“No because if anything, I kind of felt like it was almost going to be harder for me because I had history and was already established.
“I just felt like that it was already going to be more of a battle in that regard.
“But no, I think it was always going to be one way or another going to be a 50/50 thing and so I’m just glad that I pushed myself and kind of did something that was so out of my comfort zone, so out of like my wheelhouse of what I would ever normally do.
“But I do think it happened the way it should happen and I do think the right outcome happened as well if I’m being honest.
“I don’t know that that would have been the right thing for me with hindsight but you have to be in it anyway, right? You have to give it a chance, you’ve got to push yourself a little bit sometimes.”
You spoke up for yourself after that saying the judging panel were ‘dismissive’ of the contestants..
“I will forever stand up for myself and that’s all that is.
“I also stood up for a few of the other contestants that I felt didn’t have a voice or as loud a voice as maybe I had, and I will never regret that.
“And I would do it again.
“If anything, I probably would go harder if I was to do it again so no regrets.”
Back to Harry Wild, what can you tell us about the forthcoming fifth series?
“I just feel like the show every season has gone from strength to strength.
“I just genuinely do feel like it gets better and better each season and season five is no different.”
I get the feeling you and others involved would love it to continue for many further seasons?
“I think that would be the goal for everybody.
“Obviously I don’t know who makes those choices but I think that the viewings are really high, the ratings are high and people seem to love it so hopefully the network keeps it going but we’ll see.”
Is acting something you would like to do more of?
“Absolutely, for sure.
“That’s a no-brainer so absolutely, that’s in the cards and that’s something that we’re kind of actively working on at the moment too so definitely wanting to do more acting, yeah.”
Is it a new love perhaps?
“No, I don’t think that it’s a new love, I think it’s just that for me growing up my focus had been singing and music and dance whereas now it’s flipped the opposite.
“I’d say acting would probably be right up there.
“I mean you couldn’t catch me doing an eight count of choreography really for the most part at this point.
“No, I love acting and there’s definitely room there for me to get better at it and continue with it and try and book some interesting roles.”
Harry Wild Series 4 and 1 – 4 Box Set are on DVD and digital now.
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