Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Veronica West talk Surface

A brand new series from Apple TV+ is coming out this Friday in Surface. We sat down with stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and the creator of the show Veronica West to talk about the psychological thriller.

I’ve repeated this time and time again that Apple TV+ continues to deliver the best TV shows in the streaming game. With Surface, they have another hit on their hands that I could see ending up in future Emmy nominations, including one for Gugu Mbatha-Raw. She gives a career-best performance in this haunting, terrifying, and multi-layered role.

The writing of this series by Victoria West will have you guessing about what is happening, who is what, what is what, and when you think you got it all figured out, the show takes another turn. I not only believe Surface is one of the best shows of the year, but I’m also adding it to the list of best shows produced by Apple TV+ to date.

Hidden Remote sat down with Mbatha-Raw and Oliver Jackson-Cohen to talk about their roles on the show as well as with creator Veronica West about the creation of Surface.

Check out the video version of the interview here.

Surface cast and crew talk about the upcoming series. 

Hidden Remote: Gugu, with a character as layered as Sophie, how did you prepare for the role?

Gugu Mbatha-Raw: The scripts were just so good. Veronica West’s writing drew me into the world. I feel like the way that she wrote the relationships, the dynamics between the characters, you know, that was definitely my starting point. But, obviously, being involved as an executive producer, I had a good amount of time, six months of being a part of the project, before filming.

So I had time to kind of absorb the world and there were practical elements of preparation. But, to be honest with you, once we got into it, it was really a joy to be able to collaborate with this amazing cast, you know, Oliver, obviously to find Stephan James, Marianne Jean-Baptist, Ari Graynor, an incredible cast of actors who were all very generous.

Hidden Remote: Oliver, I had a love/hate relationship with James, how did you get in the mindset to play this multifaceted character?

Oliver Jackson-Cohen: I don’t know if you can sort of play the good or play the bad. I think you have to play it all, and then it’s actually up to an audience to decide on how they feel. So, I feel like, again, this is down to the genius of Veronica and the writing and the edit. All these incredible things like the sound and the sets and the light, all of this stuff that dictates, and you can show someone putting a coat around someone as a kind gesture and then a controlling gesture. It’s all about how these things are interpreted, which we’re constantly playing within the show of how things can be interpreted in different ways. So, I feel like you have to play the truth of it and, then, an audience will decide.

Hidden Remote: Veronica, You created the upcoming series Surface, where did the idea come from?

Veronica West: I always started with this question of what you would do if you woke up and didn’t know your own secrets. Sophie’s mind is essentially rebooted by this accident that happens. In some ways, that’s a gift, and it’s this second chance to rewrite her life, so what will she do with it?

Surface hits Apple TV+ on Friday, July 29, 2022