You might be as shocked as we were to find out that One Night is Harper Simon’s first ever acting gig. She astounds as Lily, the 16 year old daughter of Tess and Vicki, whose relationship with her parents dramatically shifts when the family moves to Australia for Tess’ job. Vicki is compassionate, open, and nurturing in comparison to Tess, who is quite closed off and much less effusive than her partner, especially after returning to the place where her sexual assault happened twenty years ago. Lily is on a search to discover who she is, but as her world grows, her parents' world shrinks, both of them feeling increasingly claustrophobic just as Lily's sense of self expands. It's amidst the thick fog of her mum's deeply traumatic event that she fights for her independence, and when her parents start becoming overprotective of her without telling her why, it only makes her fight more.
Harper handles this complexity with the grace and talent of a seasoned professional, shaping Lily into a young woman carrying much more than just your stereotypical teen angst. So when the opportunity to interview Harper about One Night arose, you can imagine that we jumped at the chance.
Our conversation traversed everything from her passion for photography, to her thoughts on Lily and her relationship with Tess, as well as her favourite scene to shoot. Harper was really sweet to chat to, and we can't wait for you to get to know her.
// Please be aware that, due to the themes represented in the TV series One Night such as sexual assault, PTSD and addiction, it was inevitable that some of those topics would be discussed in our interviews. //
Helena Emmanuel: You're a super talented photographer! What got you interested in photography? Do you think that your photography background helped you as you went into acting?
Harper: I always used to take pictures from when I was a kid. Then I studied art in high school for GCSEs. I did art and they only appreciated painting and very traditional paintings. So I didn't really feel like I had a space to do what I wanted to do. Then I moved school for sixth form and I took photography as its own thing. I was like, wow, that's it! I love this. I completely fell in love with it and it was really nice to have teachers that were really supportive of what I was doing.
I don't know if it informed my acting at all, but I think that it's kind of done the opposite thing, where now I understand the relationship between a director and an actor, which I think is quite a good parallel for the relationship between a photographer and a model. That relationship has to have really good communication and a lot of trust. I now understand how to do that a lot more with a model, actually get across what I'm seeing in my head and be able to communicate with them, make them feel really comfortable and really safe.
Alfie Whitby: Is acting something that you wanted to pursue?
Harper: Yeah, I definitely think it's something that I want to pursue. More than that, it's the industry that I want to be in, in multiple capacities. The goal, the dream, is to be a writer/director/actor. Before this experience especially, it was always just directing, but after this I've really seen that I want to have my hand in all the pots.
Right now, I'm at art school.I've just started after the show wrapped. It’s what I'm doing right now. People make short films there, and I want to start making short films there as well. So I'd love to act in those like student things too. In whatever capacity it is, I'd still love to continue with it.
HE: We got to talk with Emily Ballou a few weeks ago. She mentioned that she's known you since you were really young and you've been in each other's lives for a while. Emily hinted that she wrote the part of Lily with you in mind. How much did you know about her show and the character and all before you went into the audition?
Harper: Just to clarify, she didn't write the role with me in mind to play Lily, but more as in she drew from my experience of what I was like at that age and the attitudes that I had at that time. That's partly why I did want to audition anonymously as well. It was interesting! I think it was kind of a surprise to all of us that I did want to audition for it, or at least to me it was. But I knew a fair amount going into the audition and filming. I knew about Tess. I knew what had happened to her and I knew that she had started this whole life in London and was going to come back to the town where it had happened. I didn't know where it was going to go. I didn't know where it was going to end. I just knew the beginning.
HE: Thanks for clarifying that by the way. Appreciate it. Knowing what you did going in, when you got the full scripts and everything, what were your reactions when you read them? Was there something that jumped out at you the most?
Harper: Well, I think what really jumped out at me the most was just how beautiful her writing is. Em (Ballou) is also a prose writer and she's so talented. Even the big print - even the things that weren't dialogue and were just describing the scene, the way she writes is so beautiful and it's so poetic that it just creates this insane imagery. I think I was just really excited to be able to be a part of realising that vision for her and this story that I know that she's wanted to tell for so long. It was written by women, it's directed by women, it's for women. That was really exciting to me.
AW: Amazing. Do you have a scene that you were most excited to shoot, or was there one that was particularly hard to do?
Harper: Yes, the scene that I was most excited to shoot would be the scene where me and Jodie dance to “Young Girls” by The Distillers. I was really excited to get to do that with Jodie because she's such an incredible person and it was nice to have a scene together that was really fun.
Also, that scene was born out of something that actually happened. Me and Em, there was one time that she just filmed me in a red suit dancing to a different song. We just always came back to that video. It was a funny video. So it was exciting to be able to realise that in terms of a TV show. Who would have thought it?
Also I think that it was time for the world to see my amazing dance moves. [laughs]
AW: Of course!
HE: Yeah, I mean, you rocked it.
Harper: I would say there are two scenes that I found challenging, or at least I would say [I was] scared to film them. They're both in episode six: the first one is the scene with Trevor on top of the cliff and the other one is the one at Stanwell Tops with Jodie where she's telling me about what's happened. I think because I hadn't really acted before – I was very green and I was learning on the job – so I was nervous that I wasn't going to be able to bring the emotion. When you're working with really talented actors, it's scary because, you know, they're going to bring it. So you hope that you're going to be able to bring enough for them to bounce off of as well and react to. I actually think that my anxiety and my self consciousness, at least in that scene with Trevor, with Errol [Shand], worked because Lily was feeling anxious in that scene. So I was happy with that.
Then the scene with Jodie on top at Stanwell Tops, that was just an incredible thing to film. That emotion was real because she's such a talented actress and she just made me feel so safe. She was very welcoming, and I felt like I was allowed to actually be vulnerable. It felt like real emotion, though there were tears not even just for me and Jodie that day while we were filming that scene. It was like there was something in the air. I'm really proud of that. It was, I think, my favourite scene that we shot.
AW: Well, it's a really beautiful scene and you did fantastically in it. Very moving.
HE: You know, everyone we've talked to has said what a great environment it was and how supportive everyone was of each other. It's just been so great to hear that continued with everyone we talked to. I think that you can tell in the final product that everyone was in it together.
Harper: Thank you for saying that. That's really nice. I'm glad that that came across because also the idea of set prior to any of this was so intimidating because it's such a male-driven industry as well. So that was really scary to me. All of the men - there were a lot of men, and all of them were so respectful. They really just gave you the space to be a woman in these scenes. They made me feel very, very safe. So very appreciative of that. It was just such a good cast and crew together. Such a good time. It just felt like a really long holiday with all these people that got on so well.
AW: Looking at the character of Lily now, why do you think Lily calls Tess by her name and not mum or an equivalent? Is it because of when Tess came into her life perhaps?
Harper: I would say that the backstory for that is vague, but for me, what I decided was that Tess came into Lily's life when she was a young child - one to three years old. So Vicki was the initial mother and that is why she is Mum. She's the one that gave birth to her and Art. It made sense to me. Also on top of that, Vicki is the more nurturing, open parent. Tess, especially in Australia, is more cold and removed. So I think it's an easier thing to call Vicki mum than it might be to call Tess.
AW: Makes perfect sense.
HE: Yeah! Especially with Lily calling Tess by her name and then Tess calling her mum Helen by her name. That's interesting.
Harper: Yeah, it is an interesting parallel.
HE: Do you think that Lily should have been told about what happened to Tess earlier?
Harper: Objectively, as a viewer, reading the scripts as well and knowing everything, all the physical and mental torment that Tess was going through, I have complete sympathy and understanding for when she told Lily. Like, 100%.
I know how private and personal and shameful sexual assault is, so I don't hold that against her for not saying anything. Maybe being a 16 year old, not being told and then being controlled and not understanding why one of your parents is acting out against you when you're supposed to be the 16 year old, you know, you're supposed to be the teenager…I think that potentially Lily could have held some resentment for also being still around danger and not understanding why she wasn't supposed to be hanging out with these people. On top of that, I think that the way that Tess did tell her, I think that the satisfaction of finally understanding, having that conversation and that really special moment with Tess trumped anything, any sort of resentment for that.
HE: Yeah. You see Lily kind of reliving the same experiences in the same place, and you’re like, “Oh, she just needs to know." But then you're also like, “She’s a 16 year old. She probably can’t be told anyway”.
Harper: Yeah, exactly. It's such a hard thing to say regardless, especially breaking that barrier with a child. And because of the fact that Tess isn't an open person… This exact experience is what has closed her down, so then to be open about that in this space where all of these people are suddenly in her life again, I'm sure Lily would understand that that's so personal and there's so much. It's fraught with tension. I think she'd understand why she wasn't told.
AW: What do you think Lily's opinion on her parents and their dynamic is? How do you feel Lily's relationships to each of them differ?
Harper: I think that probably in London their life would have been, you know - they both had jobs, and big jobs, so they were busy, and Lily probably had more free time. So what she was seeing of it was probably normal, casual ups and downs of a relationship that didn't stress her out. Then moving to another country, and - even though as a viewer you don't know the life they had in London, I think that it's still kind of prevalent - and you can see that there's been a shift that's happened in this family, because of Tess’ reaction to being there. I think that seeing those more serious arguments between Vicki and Tess freaked Lily and Art out because they couldn't understand and they didn't know what it was about.
I think that her relationships differ with each of them because they are completely different people. Vicki is, as I said before, she is really nurturing. She is really open, empathetic and a lot easier to talk to. Plus she's taken a sabbatical that year, so she is so much more accessible, and Tess is someone who is normally a bit more closed-off, but suddenly it's like a really intensified version of that. I think that Lily felt a bit rejected by Tess in that moment while they were there, that she felt like she needed to escape Tess as well and rebel against that. I think she felt a lot less close until they had that conversation at Stanwell Tops.
HE: I mean what a huge 180 for Lily in her life. Moving across the world and then her relationship and dynamic with her parents totally shift overnight.
Harper: Yeah. Also Lily didn't even want to go, and then it's like as soon as she starts enjoying it, she's actually not allowed to do any of these things.
AW: One of our favourite scenes in the show is the beginning of episode six when you're dancing to “Young Girl”. In your opinion, what did that moment represent? What was it like to film? How did that go down?
Harper: I think what it represented for Lily and Tess's relationship was the beginning of the end of this torment between them. It was the beginning of a new version of their relationship.
We don't often see Tess letting go and having a good time, so you can kind of assume that Lily hasn't seen that very often either. For me as Lily, I felt very grateful to get to share that moment with Tess and be a part of that for her. It was very loving, like the scene itself. It felt very like a loving experience.
The way it was filmed was hilarious - it was not what I was expecting. We're in this tiny little house and there's 20-odd people, you've got everyone in this room, and they’re all doing their job. This is something that actually was hard for me in the beginning. I thought that everyone was watching me when I was doing my scene so I'd feel really self conscious in the beginning. Then you realise, “oh, they can't even hear what you're saying.” They're not even on the same- like they've got comms, but they're not dialed in [to the actors’ audio]. I thought that they would all be watching and judging. But for the rehearsal of this scene, everyone was watching because they have to look to see how they're gonna light it or direct it or film it.
So everyone sat down on the couches, I've got this pink lunch lady hair net on with these clips, and I have to do the whole song in front of everyone while they're just sitting there watching me. I looked so stupid, but I love Em (Ballou) so much because she was sitting in front of me going like, who's doing this [dances in her seat, including jazz hands].
I wasn't allowed to wear makeup, like, the entire filming, apart from one time. None of the younger cast ever really wore makeup - only young Simone with the eyeliner. We had to film the scene quite a few times and it was really hot in that room, so that scene was like, one out of two times where they had to put makeup on me because I was going so red because I was so hot. There were people like Freya, who was the third AD, literally stuck to me with an industrial fan, trying to cool me down. It was hilarious. Then like all the makeup girls, in the back, they'd be dancing to make me feel better about having to do it.
It got to the point where I had wrapped for the day, but they still had to film some more, so I literally ran out of that room, went to go and put on a swimming costume. The house was on the beach so I ran straight into the sea to cool down.
HE: You know, at least when filming it, people are looking at you, but they're looking to make sure that they did their job right, not at you specifically.
Harper: Yeah, people are only focused on doing their thing correctly, which is a really important thing to know. I found it interesting as well because apparently as crew you're taught to not really interact that much [with the actors] because if you were standing in front of an actor while they're doing an emotional scene or something and you guys are friends, you might start laughing or break out of character.
AW: Did that feel imposing sometimes, to know that the writer is just watching you?
Harper: I can understand how it might sound like that, but it was just this constant rock of support. You could go and talk to her and she was open to having conversations about things if you didn't know the intention of your character, along with the directors. She would have that conversation with you. She really respected that, even though your character is one cog in the machine, when you are that person, you're putting all your onus onto your character to make them as real, as built out and as three dimensional as possible. So she was really keen to hear and appreciate that that's what we were doing with our characters. I think she really liked that as well. It was like a nice relationship to talk about those things.
HE: Did you work with an intimacy coordinator at all for the stuff with Trevor?
Harper: For the stuff with Trevor, we didn't actually. That was kind of in the moment. It wasn't in the script that he would place his hand like that on my cheek. but I knew that if I felt uncomfortable with it – he asked me himself, too. He said, “Is this okay?” It was completely fine. He was a great person to work with as well because he made sure that you felt safe and everything. He knew that I was coming from nowhere. So he made sure that I felt good about all of this.
HE: He did a great job because Trevor is really creepy.
Harper: He's so creepy!
HE: And I mean that in the most flattering way.
Harper: No, no, no, I know! Even when I was filming the scene on top of the cliff with him, the way he was looking at me - And he'd snap out of it immediately whenever they called “cut”. I was like, “Whoa! It was making me feel nervous”. As a person, Errol is such a sweetie. He's really, really nice.
HE: Did you talk with Kat and Jodie at all about Lily's relationship with their characters?
Harper: Yeah, definitely. I live in the UK and Jodie, she's massive here. She's Doctor Who, you know? So I was a fan of hers anyway going into it. Also Kat is one of my favourite actresses, and I was gobsmacked that she was in it as well. When I saw her at the table read, she came up to me by the toilet and she goes, “I'm your
mum!!!” I was like, “Oh my god. I know this is really unprofessional, but I'm such a big fan”. She was just so nice about receiving all of that. I shared a green room with Kat a lot and she was incredible. She made me feel really talented. She made me feel like I could really do it. She built me up. She was a real little mum to me. It was really nice. I had a really good relationship.
There’s a scene on the beach with the guy that plays Jed. I'm wearing the red dress, then Tess and Vicki walk over and they're angry. I was struggling in that scene because it was around four in the morning. I was feeling so delirious. I sound drunk in that scene because I was genuinely so delirious. I wasn't trying to do that. I thought it might be kind of more interesting to not do that, but I couldn't help it. I was so tired and I spoke to them about it. I pulled them aside in between filming another version of the scene, and they said, “No, you're doing really well, please feel good about what you're doing”. They just gave me a lot of support. They made it really real which was really lucky to have and generous of them to do that for me. Really generous.
Words: Candice Dupire
Interview: Helena Emmanuel (HE) and Alfie Whitby (AW)
You can watch One Night on Paramount+ UK & Ireland and Paramount+ Australia now.
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