“I think all of the main characters in the story are just brilliantly complex,” enthuses Fra Fee of what attracted him to Unchosen, the new six-part Netflix thriller centred on The Fellowship of The Divine, a fictional modern-day religious cult based in England.
“These ‘men of God’ are going around holding their Bibles and preaching, and yet, behind closed doors, are behaving despicably.”
The Co Tyrone-born actor gets up to all sorts of despicable acts himself as Sam, a mysterious Irish stranger who inveigles his way into the cloistered Christian community.
It’s a rigidly patriarchal sect led by strict, superficially good living preacher, Mr Phillips (Christoper Eccleston) and his equally no-nonsense wife (Siobhan Finneran), where members worship in fear of being cast-out – unchosen – for any transgression.
However, the way we percieve Fee’s character is constantly changing throughout the Julie Gearey written and created show.
At first, the charming yet enigmatic Sam is introduced to viewers as a hero via an act of bravery, and also as an object of lust for married cult member Rosie (Molly Windsor) to project her ‘sinful’ desires upon.
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Fra Fee and Asa Butterworth in Unchosen. PICTURE: NETFLIX
A man on the run from a troubled past, Sam also appears vulnerable and in need of help himself, qualities which – along with physical attributes highighted by many bare-chested scenes – begin to tempt Rosie away from her unhappy marriage to tightly wound senior cult member, Adam (Asa Butterfield), who is struggling with his own repressed desires.
As events escalate, viewers will see Sam involved in vigorous adultery, violent brawls and cold blooded murder while engaging in Machievellian manipulation, to the point where this initially beloved interloper is eventually denounced with the chilling words “The Devil walks among us!”.
However, Sam also has moments of extreme kindness and empathy, and even throws himself into acts of life-saving bravery.
So, is the character really evil, or just a ruthlessly pragmatic survivor fighting his own inner demons?
“I mean, there’s no doubt about it – Sam’s actions are totally abhorrent and reprehensible,” chuckles Fee, who has also explored his dark side of late with villainous roles in the Marvel series Hawkeye and Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films.
Sam (Fra Fee) is not as good as he first appears. PICTURE: NETFLIX
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“But it didn’t really serve me to try and categorise him as any one thing. And I think it would be such a disservice to Sam as a brilliantly written character to just label him as ‘the bad guy’ or the antagonist.
“He’s a deeply passionate person and extremely intelligent. He is clearly, like, wired wrong, there’s no doubt about that – no one can behave the way he does without there being something [psychological] going on. But a lot of it is trauma-induced as well.
“I just loved all of his contradictions. I love that he kept me questioning his actions on a daily basis. Even when we were shooting, I never had him fully figured out, because actually, there’s so much to like about Sam as well.
“His need for repentance and atonement are legitimate, and he really wants to find peace, which is something that we can all relate to.
“I think all those complexities and contradictions were what really appealed. I hadn’t come across a character like that in such a long time, and I was just desperate to to get my hands on him. It was a real thrill to do.”
Unchosen
I hadn’t come across a character like Sam in such a long time – I was just desperate to to get my hands on him
— Fra Fee
Interestingly, Sam was originally written as being English, until the show-runners realised that introducing an ‘exotic’ Irishman into the mix would enhance the storytelling.
Thus, Sam speaks in a version of the Dungannon man’s own accent.
“In the first scripts, he had a soft northern English voice,” explains Fee, who studied music at the University of Manchester and the Royal Academy of Music prior to landing his breakthrough screen role in the 2012 film version of stage hit Les Miserables.
“But when they were assembling this cast, the main accent that the Fellowship seemed to have was this Midlands-y, northern English kind of thing.
“That meant that my own accent was just brilliantly, audibly different from all of theirs. And because Sam comes from such a different place, I think it was perfect for him as the ‘outsider’.”
Unchosen (Justin Downing/Netflix)
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While Fee says he is enjoying more opportunities to play characters in his own accent – including his acclaimed turns in last year’s BBC series Lost Boys & Fairies and Sophie Hyde’s 2019 indie feature, Animals – he wasn’t always so keen to sound like himself on screen.
“I had an aversion to acting in my own accent for some reason,” admits Fee, who has also enjoyed critically lauded stage roles in the Sam Mendes-directed The Ferryman, Translations at the National Theatre and The Playhouse Theatre’s revivial of Cabaret.
“I really used to cringe at the sound of my own voice. I never thought that we had a particularly ‘beautiful’ accent, necessarily.
“Certainly, when I was starting out, it was much easier for me to play a different person if I just gave them a different voice.
“But in more recent years, I have actually really, really enjoyed acting in my own accent – and I can see the the advantages of it, because it’s just one less thing to distance yourself from your essential core. It’s easier to be truthful [in your own accent].
Asa Butterfield and Fra Fee as Adam and Sam in Unchosen. PICTURE: NETFLIX
“Also, I think I just got more used to the sound of my own voice!”
Fee says he relished the opportunity to work with a mix of veteran actors, like Christopher Eccleston and Siobhan Finneran, and younger talents including Molly Windsor and Asa Butterfield, on Unchosen.
“It was great working with Chris,” enthuses the London-based Dungannon performer, who is set to return to the stage this autumn in the Alan Cumming directed I’ll Be Seeing You at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland.
“He’s such a fantastic man and just a fearless actor. He’s just brilliant and I really got on with him as well.
“I’m also a huge fan of Siobhan. I’ve just loved her for so long – when Downton Abbey first came out, that was my escapism.
Siobhan Finneran as Mrs Phillips in Unchosen. PICTURE: NETFLIX
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“She tends to play these ruthless, conniving so-and-sos, but she is an absolute legend and unbelievably funny. Just one of the greatest actresses on television, without a doubt.
“Asa and Molly are also phenomenal and have done such brilliant work in the past. It was really lovely for us younger cast members to have these two legendary figures of stage and screen with us, and we all got on so well.
“Obviously, when you’re doing such a dark story, it’s very, very intense – but the time that we spent together off screen was just a complete joy.”
As mentioned, Fee developed a real affection for the scheming, not to be trusted Sam – an emotional ‘journey’ he feels viewers will also experience when watching Unchosen.
“I really loved Sam a lot of the time,” he tells me.
“I felt such empathy for him and an affection for him. I wanted to look after him. I think the audience will sort of flip between [hating him and] really liking him as well, because there’s so many qualities that are endearing.
“I think one can’t help but admire just how damn smart he is, and how he’s able to read and manipulate people to create a scenario that suits him wholly.”
Sounds like a real devil in disguise to us.
Unchosen will be available on Netflix from April 21