Everything We Know About The Cast Of The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart
In the Amazon Prime Video series, "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart," there's a jarring dichotomy between its lush Australian landscapes and the dark themes it explores, which include generational trauma and how victims often find themselves trapped in a cycle of abuse once that first rotten seed takes root. Symbolism and secrets abound as viewers follow Alice Hart's story from a tragic childhood to a young adulthood haunted by echoes of her past.
The series is based on Australian author Holly Ringland's best-seller. "The genesis of this novel was trauma," Ringland told Harper Collins Publishers Australia. "I've lived with male-perpetrated violence for a lot of my life, which silenced my voice." In an interview with Harper's Bazaar Australia, showrunner Sarah Lambert said it took reading a single page to convince her that the book deserved a screen adaption. It was also a hit with pretty much everyone else who signed on to participate in bringing Ringland's vision to life. "I have rarely work (sic) on a show where everybody has read the book and had something to say about [it]," Lambert marveled.
Those readers included two actors who made waves worldwide by facing off against horrors of the sci-fi variety, as well as a number of well-known Aussie stars. The cast of "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" is as diverse as the outback's flora — and it blended together just as beautifully as one of the wonderful wild floral bouquets featured in the series.
Sigourney Weaver adored Australia's plants and wildlife
Sigourney Weaver's role as Alice Hart's grandmother, June Hart, called for her to get well-acquainted with Australia's hardy wildflowers. June is the fiercely protective owner of Thornfield Flower Farm, which also serves as a women's refuge.
For one of her most iconic roles, the "Alien" star took viewers on a journey far from their home planet, and she did it again with "Avatar." While June's story is an earthly one, seeing Australia's flora up close was an otherworldy encounter for Weaver. "It's like being around plants from another planet. When I see our plants and the emphasis that Americans put on beauty and balance and everything, they're missing that whole spectrum of these tough, tough plants that can live in the bush," she told Parade. Their resilience perfectly embodies the women who live and work at June's refuge. And in Weaver's view, the celebration of female camaraderie eclipses the show's darker elements. "There's more hope, there's a lot of love, and an increasing amount of understanding and forgiveness," she said.
Weaver learned how to imitate an Australian accent for the role, but she struggled with one aspect of coming off as a convincing native Aussie: being unimpressed by the presence of kangaroos. Weaver once apologized to her costar Leah Purcell for getting distracted during a scene because she thought she'd spied a kangaroo. "I had to tell her: 'That one's a cow,'" Purcell recalled to The Australian.
Leah Purcell saw herself in Sigourney Weaver
Leah Purcell is an Aboriginal Australian actor who is known for her role as Rita Connors in the popular series "Wentworth." She plays June Hart's partner Twig, whose own Indigenous heritage is woven into her storyline.
Purcell was thrilled to work with Sigourney Weaver, telling The Australian that she saw herself in the American actor when she watched "Alien" as a teenager growing up in Murgon, Queensland. "I was tall and had curly hair. I was masculine in my physicality because of all the sports I played. And I was hungry to be a performer," she said. She even once harbored a dream of playing the daughter of Weaver's character, Ripley, in the "Alien" sequel. When the opportunity presented itself in the best way possible, she shared this tidbit of trivia with Weaver. "She just cracked up and said, 'Well, now we're playing lovers,'" Purcell recalled to Flicks.
The show's exploration of how domestic violence affects families and the way some characters struggle to end the cycle of abuse likely resonated with Purcell, as it's something she's experienced in her own life. She was just 14 when she had to start figuring out how to break free from an abusive relationship herself, and she was 17 when getting pregnant gave her the extra push she needed to end the cycle. "I didn't want it anymore and I didn't want it for my daughter," she told RNZ.
Alycia Debnam-Carey got to return home
Alycia Debnam-Carey's role in "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" is its titular character after she has grown into a young woman who decides to leave the confines of Thornfield. While the actor hails from Sydney, Australia, her roles in the American series "The 100" and "Fear the Walking Dead" catapulted her to fame. They also made it difficult for Debnam-Carey to spend a lot of time back home, which is one reason she desperately wanted to land the role of Alice Hart. "I've been wanting to come back and work here for so long. After COVID, I missed home a lot," she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Debnam-Carey also felt a kinship with her character due to Alice's deep appreciation for Australia's plant life. The actor considers herself a "flower nerd" and told Vogue that she uses sketching blossoms as a "mindfulness technique." So, she'd definitely be able to contribute to Thornfield's Language of Flowers book. "Flower fields and the Australian bust, and the earth, and this sun-kissed farm girl coming-of-age in this challenging drama," the actor said of the role. "It was just like: I need it."
She was willing to put in the work bringing Alice to life, telling Refinery29 that she spoke to domestic abuse victims. "I think that's why this show is important, as it shines a light on something that is hard and that's difficult to talk about," she said.
Why Alyla Browne asked Sigourney Weaver for advice
For her role as young Alice Hart, Alyla Browne had to emote without using her voice. A traumatic event leaves Alice mute, so she learns to communicate using the language of flowers and a small notepad.
Executive producer Jodi Matterson already knew that the Australian actor possessed the gravitas for the role, thanks to their shared involvement with the series "Nine Perfect Strangers." Matterson paid Browne quite the compliment in an interview with the New York Post, saying, "I tell everyone she is the Meryl Streep of child actors! I have never before been on a set where everyone from the lighting technicians to the standby props people were in floods of tears watching her do emotional scenes."
Sigourney Weaver told the New Zealand Herald that Browne taught her a lot about Australian wildlife, including the important role funnel-web spiders play in the ecosystem. In turn, Weaver helped Browne prepare for her role in the horror film "Sting," which is, coincidentally, about spiders. "I actually did ask Sigourney for advice while shooting 'Sting' for a scene that references her famous 'Alien' scene," Browne told FilmInk. While many of the child actor's projects tackle tough subject matter, by age 13, she'd already learned how to avoid bringing her work home. "I never walk away from set with any bad feelings," she said.
Frankie Adams brought her own flavor to Candy Blue
In the States, viewers might recognize New Zealand-Samoan actor Frankie Adams from her role as Bobbie Draper in "The Expanse." But Kiwi fans may know her from her four-year stint on the New Zealand opera "Shortland Street."
Adams got to play the most stylish character in "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart": June and Twig's adopted daughter Candy Blue. Candy's hair color matches her monicker, and she's a fan of the retro pin-up aesthetic. Adams told Viva that she believes she got the role because she didn't just stay true to the author's vision of the character but gave Candy a personal touch that was well-received. The woman who first envisioned Candy, Holly Ringland, quickly became one of Adams' biggest fans. "Frankie walked onto the set and in every step, and literally follicle of her blue hair, she was Candy down to the ground. She really took my breath away," said the author.
For Adams, it's always refreshing when she gets cast as a character that wasn't specifically written as Polynesian because it's a means of improving representation and visibility for her community. "I don't think they ever imagined that Candy was Samoan, but I'm really glad I brought that to the table," she told RNZ. Adams also appreciated how diverse the rest of the cast was, telling Viva, "It was amazing to be surrounded by a cast who represent all parts of the rainbow."
The actors playing a couple for the second time
Asher Keddie has appeared in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" as Dr. Carol Frost, and she starred in the Australian series "Offspring" for seven years. In the latter, Alexander England played her character's love interest. "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" pairs the actors up again, this time as a husband and wife whose marriage is tested by a revelation about the past. "It was really great to explore different territory together as actors as there's a trust and a second-hand with us now," Keddie told The West Australian. [link w/out paywall] "As an acting partnership, we're all the things that you kind of want." Keddie also previously co-starred alongside Alyla Browne in "Nine Perfect Strangers."
In "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart," Keddie plays Sally, a librarian who becomes concerned about young Alice when she walks into the library barefoot with bruises on her arms. "This was the only project I've ever put my hand up for," Keddie told The Sydney Morning Herald. She was also thrilled that Sally's role was expanded beyond that of the book character.
Meanwhile, England's character is a police officer who goes to check up on Alice and her family before getting drawn into their story in a way he didn't see coming. The Aussie actor also has a connection to Sigourney Weaver through her sci-fi franchise: he appeared in "Alien: Covenant." However, the "Little Monsters" star told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2019, "I don't waste energy trying to be an American actor anymore."
Tilda Cobham-Hervey wanted a different role
Tilda Cobham-Hervey told The Australian [link w/out paywall] that she first auditioned to play Alice Hart as an adult. However, she was a better fit for the role of the character's mother Agnes, whom young Alice often imagines as a selkie who has lost her skin. Like one of the mythological creatures, Agnes yearns to escape a man who has found a way to hold her captive. But unlike a selkie, Cobham-Hervey isn't at home in the waves; she had to take swimming lessons when she got cast in "Young Woman and the Sea," a biopic about English Channel swimmer Trudy Ederle.
Agnes' second pregnancy is a major plot point in "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart," and Cobham-Hervey discovered that there was a perk of wearing a fake baby bump. "Everyone treats you really differently!" she said. "They're like, 'Do you want a seat?'"
Cobham-Hervey previously gave critically acclaimed performances in the movies "52 Tuesdays" and "I Am Woman." She also appeared in the 2018 movie "Hotel Mumbai," which is how she met her boyfriend, Dev Patel. Before her acting career took off, she was a circus performer who could take flight on the trapeze, wow audiences with her hula hoop tricks, and execute acrobatic stunts. "I think being physically aware is a really great thing to have, whether you're performing on screen or in the theatre," she told The Sydney Morning Herald of how her unique background has aided her as an actor.
Charlie Vickers relished his freedom on set
Clem Hart, Alice's father and the son of June Hart, is an abusive man who does both terrible and wonderful things with his hands. But after watching the talented artist unleash his inner darkness, his intricate carvings of beautiful subjects seem to possess a grotesque quality.
The actor who plays Clem, Charlie Vickers, has learned a thing or two about characters grappling with inner darkness, thanks to his role as Sauron/Lord Halbrand in "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." While the fantasy series presumably had a much bigger budget, Vickers found filming "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" a welcomed change of atmosphere after adhering to the rigid rules that the cast and crew of the former project had to follow. "Being able to just drive on set — compare that to 'Lord of the Rings,' when they scan your eyeballs just to get in! Now that was really refreshing," he told The Guardian.
Working on the smaller Amazon series also enlightened Vickers about an issue he was previously unaware of. "The biggest realization that I had throughout working on it was learning and beginning to understand — particularly in Australia — how much domestic violence there is in Australia ... far more than I could imagine," he told 1883 Magazine. While it's a heavy subject to take a deep dive into, Vickers said he's grateful that his job requires him to keep learning something new.
The duality of Sebastián Zurita's character
Even after angrily uprooting herself from Thornfield to escape her grandmother's meddling in her life, Alice can't sever her connection with the Australian countryside and decides to become a park ranger. Her exciting new life comes with an exciting new love, but there's more to Mexican actor Sebastián Zurita's character, Dylan, than the charming demeanor that Alice is initially attracted to. And what lurks beneath the surface should remind her of the frightening situation that she was so desperate to escape as a child. "For me, it's where (the characters) come from, how can I humanize them, how can I give them other kinds of colors, how can you make them be charismatic and charming and then show a dark, predatory side in some way," Zurita told AP of the challenge of playing a disarming deceiver like Dylan.
Zurita started acting when he was a child and has starred in several telenovelas, including "En nombre del amor." He's also a producer, writer, and director, and he and his brother, Emiliano, co-created Amazon Prime Video's first original scripted Spanish series, "Cómo Sobrevivir Soltero." Zurita's role in "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" resonated with him because domestic violence is a major problem in his home country, but he shared that the hope of everyone who worked on the show is that it will raise awareness worldwide of something that is a global issue.
Shareena Clanton's experiences with racism
Shareena Clanton's character, Ruby, is a park ranger who is one of the many women who feels drawn to protect Alice from harm after the young survivor enters her orbit. It's a trait she shares with Leah Purcell's character Twig, and there are also some commonalities between the two actors: they're both Indigenous Australians who starred in "Wentworth."
While the prison drama was popular, Clanton took issue with her casting as a criminal because she's too often been typecast. "In the roles I get, I'm always being beaten up, if not physically, then emotionally. I'm always a drug addict or I've been abused or I'm supposed to be this dumb Aborigine," she told Screen Hub. "Why can't I be the secretary or the cop?"
Clanton has also guest-starred on the long-running Australian soap opera "Neighbours." Her casting was meant to be a step in the right direction by making the show more diverse, but she accused one of her co-stars of uttering the n-word multiple times. Clanton told The Guardian that the actor in question received cultural sensitivity training for the offense. "It's been lonely, triggering, and traumatizing to work in such a culturally unsafe space," Clanton wrote in an Instagram post chronicling additional examples of racist behavior she claims she witnessed. "The retaliation for calling out this misconduct and racism often left me ostracised and further marginalized."