Anna Samson admitted that she broke one rule set by bosses when landing the role of DCI MacKenzie Clarke in the spin off show, Return to Paradise. The actress secured the part of the franchise’s first ever female lead.
The character leaves and returns to her hometown of fictional coastal town Dolphin Cove – but soon comes face to face with some dark aspects of her past.
She is joining Lloyd Griffith, who will play Detective Colin Cartwright. Meanwhile, other cast members include Tai Hara as Glenn Strong, Celia Ireland, and Aaron McGrath as Police volunteer Reggie Rocco and PC Felix Wilkinson, respectively. Catherine McClements and Andrea Demetriades.
Speaking to RadioTimes the star shared what happened in the audition process as she admitted to breaking a rule before filming even started. Anna said she had gone through multiple rounds of callbacks before learning that the iconic role was hers.
She said: “At the end of each episode, there is a denouement, where the detective gets all the suspects in one room and makes a bit of a theatre show, describing the plot and then,
Return to Paradise star broke BBC rule (Image: BBC)
“There were two in my audition process! It was a huge number of lines to learn, inhabit and perform. But, they were really keen on finding the right woman for the gig. So, it was a real joy and privilege when I got the call.”
The actress confessed: “You’re not supposed to tell anyone – but I called my mum straightaway. And then, the fear kicked in!”
Speaking about the similarities between the original drama and the spin off, Anna said: “So the show, without being a carbon copy of the original, has lots of tips of the hat to the original, not just with the characters but even certain shots are paying homage to the original.
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Anna landed the role of the leading lady on the BBC drama (Image: BBC)
“Like on the beach with the suitcase and not [wearing] an appropriate outfit for the weather. That is certainly a wink and a nod to the original.”
When first being announced as the new lead detective, Samson penned on her account: “Paradise is coming soon!
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be following in the footsteps of the maverick detectives of Saint Marie @deathinparadiseofficial.
“We loved making this Aussie whodunnit, we hope you love mystery in the bloody sunshine as much as us.
“I think it is something about playing the lead detective in a Paradise show, so I want to talk to them; I would love to meet them all.”