Naomie Harris (Blood And Oil) interview

Naomie Harris plays Alice in BBC Two's Blood And Oil, a powerful drama about two British women and their extraordinary journey deep into the hinterland of the Niger Delta - a beautiful but highly dangerous region of Nigeria. There, they become embroiled in a hostage negotiation situation, which soon turns into a nightmare.

> Watch the trailer.

> Take a look at our episode guide.

> Read our interview with Jodhi May.


What attracted you to the role?

"What attracted me generally was the quality of the script and the fact that it was touching upon a subject matter that I hadn't seen dealt with, particularly on television. I felt as though it was a really worthy issue of attention and I liked the way that it was so intelligently dealt with. So, more than a particular interest in playing Alice it was a general interest in the script and getting the message of the script told to the public."

Like Alice, you are also a graduate of Pembroke College in Cambridge and you studied Social and Political Sciences. Do you think having such a fantastic educational background pulls you towards that subject matter?

"It makes me more aware. I know from studying those kind of subjects the importance of the media and the importance of the role that I play as an actress. Often you tend to think you're just a pawn but you really affect people and, if you are part of a drama as intelligent as this one is, you can really affect changes in the way that people view life. That's a really important function and it shouldn't be taken too lightly."

Tell us about Alice's story...

"Alice has led a very sheltered life, she's quite naive and unquestioning about where her family's wealth comes from. When she meets up with Claire [Jodhi May], she is forced to question this and to look at areas of her life she would never have done before. Alice gets to discover other parts of herself and it's really a journey of growing up and self-discovery. It's not always a fantasy and our parents aren't always as perfect as we hope to imagine."

How did you find filming in South Africa – had you been there before?

"It was my first time in South Africa and I had an absolutely fantastic time and what really struck me was the warmth of the people and their generosity. Also, there's part of me that's very like Alice in terms of not seeing what you don't want to see. I was really impressed by where they're at, the progress that has been made in such a relatively short amount of time. So, I really enjoyed my experience."

They are intense roles for both you and Jodhi – you're both making very shocking discoveries in a very dangerous environment...

"I think particularly for Jodhi because it's so highly emotionally charged for her character, Claire. Her husband and her entire life are at stake. For Alice, it becomes a real question of identity and lifestyle. She is going along with the journey largely out of guilt and a sense of duty to Claire – it's only much later on that Alice's foundations are shaken."

How did you enjoy working with Jodhi?

"Jodhi is a fantastic actress, really superb, so it's always great to work with someone who is at the top of their game. There's always stuff that you can learn and it raises your performance. I also loved working with [director] David Attwood because he and I have been friends for a while."