BBC The One Show@BBCTheOneShow

"As if I would ever say no."

@ferrifrump
on swapping comedy for drama as she took new role as Heidi in Netflix's 'The Stranger'.

#TheOneShow

Harlan Coben@HarlanCoben

The @TODAYshow @3rdHourTODAY set designer FTW.

3rd Hour of TODAY@3rdHourTODAY

Bestselling author @HarlanCobenchats with us about the new Netflix series based on his book #TheStranger.

We also can't help but ask if #KnivesOut, a movie about the murder of a renowned crime novelist named Harlan is just a coincidence... @rianjohnson please let us know!

The Stranger on Netflix plot hole: What happened to Mike Tripp?

THE STRANGER on Netflix has gone down a storm with fans who binge watched the series. For those who have watched all eight episodes, they are curious to know what happens to one character.

By Katie Palmer
PUBLISHED: 22:14, Tue, Feb 11, 2020 | UPDATED: 22:34, Tue, Feb 11, 2020

The Stranger on Netflix came to an end when it was revealed Doug Tripp (played by Shaun Dooley) was responsible for killing Corinne Price (Dervla Kirwan). In the last episode Corinne’s husband Adam (Richard Armitage) finds out what Tripp did to his wife and gets his revenge. But Doug Tripp had a son, Mike (Brandon Fellows), and fans are wondering what happens to him.

What happened to Mike Tripp in The Stranger?

Mike brings the humour to this dark and eerie series and is always cracking jokes with his friends.

He is the son of Doug Tripp, a close family friend of Adam and Corinne Price.

Mike is best friends with Adam’s son Thomas (Jacob Dudman) and features as one of the main characters in the series.

He was responsible for cutting off the head of an alpaca after his drink was spiked.

Mike features in all eight episodes of the series, but fans are left wondering what happens to him at the end.

Once Doug Tripp confesses he knows where missing Corinne is, he takes Adam to a reservoir to see her.

However, when they get there, Doug reveals Corinne is dead and buried under their feet.

He had hit her with a hammer before she had the chance to reveal his secret about stealing money from their local football club.

Distraught and wanting Tripp to pay for what he has done, Adam takes a gun he has acquired along the way and shoots Tripp multiple times.

Tripp is clearly dead at the end of the series and a couple of months pass.

The final scenes show Adam watching his sons play football, and all has been forgotten.

But there is no sign of Mike Tripp and none of the characters mention his name.

This surprised fans considering Mike was such a prominent character in the show.

He had an important role to play and helped uncover a few secrets along the way.

There is a possibility Adam and Thomas have abandoned Mike, considering what his dad did.

Or Mike could have moved elsewhere to seek support after the death of his father.

Thomas and Mike saw each other every day as they lived close by and went to the same school.

This means it would be difficult for Thomas to avoid him unless he moved out of the area.

Fans are waiting to see if a second series of the show will reveal all about Mike.

A second series is yet to be confirmed but judging by the hype from the first season, it is set to be a hit.

The Stranger is available to watch on Netflix now

RED Production Co.@REDProductionCo

Who wants to get to know the wonderful teenagers from #TheStranger?

On this episode of the podcast, we've got @jacobdudman_, @ellaraeks & @Brand0n_Fellows


We talk:
Auditions
Agents
Showreels

...And loads more!

You can listen to the full episode on Spotify & Apple

Style & Culture

Where was 'The Stranger' filmed?

Based on a bestseller by thriller king Harlan Coben, the Netflix series 'The Stranger' takes place in a glossy, imprecise but still firmly recognisable north-west of England
By James Medd



For those yet to have binged on the ridiculously addictive The Stranger, it’s about a mysterious young woman (aka The Stranger, played by Hannah John-Kamen) who invades the comfortable and contented life of Adam Price (Richard Armitage), unearthing a network of secrets that wreak havoc throughout his picturesque hometown of Cedarfield. It’s based on a bestseller by thriller king Harlan Coben and while the intricate plot and extensive cast remain intact, there’s one big difference: the source novel was set in the USA with Coben’s Cedarfield in New Jersey, but if you're wondering where The Stranger was filmed, the Netflix adaptation takes place in a glossy, imprecise but still firmly recognisable north-west of England.

As Coben explained at the series launch, this had some distinct advantages: ‘We condensed the world. In the book, The Stranger is dropping bombs all over the country. Here, The Stranger is dropping the bombs in one community.’ It’s also firmly on trend, following a raft of recent projects filmed in the area, from Peaky Blinders to Years and Years, World on Fire to Cobra, as well as forthcoming BBC shows Life and The Barking Murders, and big-screen Spider-man spin-off Morbius. In fact, two previous Coben adaptations, Netflix’s Safe from 2018 and Sky One’s The Five from 2016, were filmed around Manchester and Liverpool respectively. But the question remains: where is this British Cedarfield?

The place to start is the Price family home, which has attracted a great deal of attention on social media. This is Park End House in Didsbury Park, a southern suburb of Manchester. A mid-19th-century build, it was previously a hall of residence for Manchester Polytechnic, and the Manchester Evening News reported a previous owner describing ‘two dilapidated kitchens, sinks in all the bedrooms, a tree growing out of the back room and a jungle of a garden’ – a far cry from the immaculate interior and garden area with hot tub we see on screen. As in the show, the house of the Prices’ neighbours, the Tripp family, is directly over the road; called Pine House, it’s Grade II-listed like Park End.
Netflix

From here Cedarfield’s identity gets hazier. The sports club where the Price sons play football is Monton Sports Club in Eccles, a town about four miles to the west. The crime scene in Episode 1, where DS Johanna Griffin (Siobhan Finneran) and DC Wesley Ross (Kadiff Kirwan) find a decapitated alpaca in a busy square, was shot in Bury, 10 miles to the north – that’s the Peel Memorial we see, a statue of the Victorian politician by Edward Hodges Baily, who also sculpted the statue atop Nelson’s Column.
Netflix

Some other key locations are in Bolton, 14 miles north-west. The police station is in the Old Magistrates Court in Le Mans Crescent, a Thirties classical building that sits alongside Bolton Central Library and Bolton Museum Art Gallery and Aquarium. The school the Price boys attend and where their mother Corrine (Dervla Kirwan) is a favourite teacher, is Bolton School, a private day school on Chorley New Road. With 2,400 pupils, it’s spread across several buildings: we see both the Victorian wings and the 2012 Sixth Form Centre, as well as the Great Hall with its full-size organ, venue for the prize evening in Episode 1. We also visit a Bolton landmark later in the series, when Episode 5 shows Johanna and her husband sharing a sandwich on the steps of the Town Hall, a proper Victorian statement of a building (pictured above).
Getty Images

That said, in terms of sheer numbers, Cedarfield is Manchester through and through. The Brown Sugar Café, run by Heidi (Jennifer Saunders), is over the road from Manchester Cathedral: called Café at the Cathedral, it’s a handy spot for visitors. In Episode 2, when Heidi meets her daughter ‘in town’, she’s over in St Peter’s Square (pictured above), under the colonnade of the Thiritess Town Hall extension. Just round the corner in The Great Northern is the All Star Lanes bowling alley where we meet another victim of The Stranger on a hen party, and a few streets further on is Hardman Square, where in Episode 4 we see Ed (Anthony Head) have his own Stranger-danger moment while leaving his office before a sit-down in a nearby restaurant, Blockhouse Grill on New York Street. Later in the same episode we see Adam meet an old flame for a drink in Gusto on Lloyd Street, while the scene of Episode 5’s undercover police operation is the Grand Pacific on Spring Gardens.
Getty Images

A little out of town is the old Spire Hospital in Whalley Range, used for The Stranger’s office in Episode 5, while in Episode 2 Adam tracks the mysterious Suzanne down to Great George Street in Salford – that’s the clocktower of St Philip’s Church looming over the modern block. Further afield is the alpaca farm in Episode 1 where the animals are named after boyband members: it’s White Peak Alpaca Farm in Mobberley, 15 miles to the south. The viaduct where the Prices find themselves after a long search in Episode 4 is in Martholme, 30 miles north.
Netflix

If anywhere can stake a claim to being ‘the real Cedarfield’, though, it’s probably Stockport. That’s the town’s railway station in Episode 4 and its Plaza cinema, where The Stranger is working in Episode 5. In Episode 7, Adam chases a lead along its streets, passing through the boutique shopping area of Underbank before he reaches the Market Hall (pictured above), the covered shopping area that dates back to the 1860s and was recently refurbished. Known as the Glass Umbrella, it’s an instantly recognisable landmark, used here as the setting for Heidi’s café. Tellingly, it’s also front and centre for our first view of Cedarfield at the very start of the series, rising up over the town. So now we know the truth.

‘The Stranger’ is streaming on Netflix

‘Buffy’ icon Anthony Head back as ‘The Stranger’ on Netflix

By Lauren Sarner

February 14, 2020 | 5:28pm


Anthony Head surprised his on-screen son when he showed up to the table read for the new thriller series “The Stranger.”

“I got to play Richard Armitage’s father,” says Head, 65. “Which, bless him — when we met at the read-through he said, ‘You’re too young to play my father!’ I said, ‘Well how old are you? Actually, you were supposed to have been had when me and his mother were 18.’ That actually works out. Literally, mathematically, it’s right.”

Based on a Harlan Coben novel of the same name and filmed in Manchester, England, “The Stranger” (on Netflix) is a British thriller following a family thrown into chaos when they encounter a mysterious figure who reveals unsavory secrets, including secret babies and affairs. Richard Armitage (“Hannibal”) stars as Adam Price, who first gets a visit from the stranger (Hannah John-Kamen, “Game of Thrones”). She doesn’t seem to be doing this for blackmail, or any clear purpose, for that matter.

Head co-stars as Adam’s estranged father, Edgar Price — the instigator on many of the secrets and lies.

“First of all, it’s Harlan Coben. You know straight away that you’re going to get something which is not only a page-turner, but he has such a handle on humanity,” Head says. “All of his ideas are like, ‘Bloody hell, I wish I’d thought of that!’ So as soon as it came through I was like, ‘Yes, whatever, thank you, I’ll do it!’”

Head describes Edgar as a narcissist, a role he relished to play since he doesn’t want to be typecast.

“It’s something that I’ve worked quite hard at over the years, not to be pigeonholed, for someone to say, ‘Oh that’s him, that’s what he does,’” he says. “It was a really enjoyable character. Ultimately he is the driving force in what’s going on in Adam Price’s life. It’s also a story about a father and son being estranged. I like it when a part develops and grows, and you think it’s one thing and you go, ‘Oh, actually this is going down a very interesting route.’ ”

Head, who will also be seen on Jason Sudeikis’ Apple+ series “Ted Lasso,” is also known for shows such as “Merlin” and “Vanity Fair.” He’s most famous to American TV audiences as Rupert Giles, the Watcher and pseudo-father figure to Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) on cult hit “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003).

“[Fans still bring it up] quite a lot, actually,” he says. “It does span the generations. I still don’t understand how it never came away with any Emmys, or any of those awards. People [tell me] how much it meant to them at the time they were growing up, how it resonated, and bless them. They quite often say Giles was the father figure that was missing in their lives for various reasons. I think that’s part of it’s longevity. It hit home. It’s quite remarkable.

“When we did the pilot … [creator Joss Whedon] said, ‘This is going to be a hit, and it’s not going to be because the powers that be are behind it — they don’t know what they’ve got. It’s going to be something that is made a hit by word of mouth. People are just going to get it and tell each other.’

“And that’s exactly what happened.”

A ‘Buffy’ reboot is in development (with no announced date yet) and Head says he’s game to appear in it, if asked. “Yes. I wouldn’t know what as, because Giles has aged a little bit,” he says. “Maybe I’m the head of the Watcher’s council now. But to be honest, of course I would. It was so formative.”

Hollywood

Bestselling Creator Harlan Coben on ‘The Stranger’ and Adapting His Novels for Netflix Across the World

on February 14, 2020

By Team BingePost

Harlan Coben has been a bestselling thriller writer for many years, however till a couple of years in the past the one adaptation of his books was the acclaimed 2006 French function movie “Inform No One.” Quick-forward 14 years, and the New Jersey-based writer has a 14-book take care of Netflix that’s already resulted in British-set collection “The 5,” “Protected” and now “The Stranger” in partnership with Nicola Shindler’s Pink Manufacturing Firm. As author and producer, he’s arising with each authentic concepts and adapting his prolific output of novels, in addition to getting concerned in all the things from casting to hairdos.

“The Stranger,” the story of a suburban dad who will get drawn right into a darkish conspiracy when his spouse goes lacking, is presently certainly one of Netflix’s buzziest reveals. Stars embrace Richard Armitage of “Hannibal,” “The Crying Sport” star Stephen Rea, “Completely Fabulous” actress Jennifer Saunders and “Completely satisfied Valley” star Siobhan Finneran.

Coben is having fun with the fan interplay that comes with a well-liked streaming title whereas engaged on a brand new collection tailored from “The Woods” with Netflix Poland and “The Harmless,” starring well-liked actor Mario Casas, from Netflix Spain. His newest novel, “The Boy From the Woods,” Selection caught up with him a couple of days after the premiere of “The Stranger,” which seems to be his most-viewed collection but and is out there in 190 international locations.

Why do the tales you write lend themselves so nicely to the episodic format?

I feel when you’ve gotten the liberty a streaming service offers you, you don’t must make 22 episodes. It’s kind of like a novel. Every episode is sort of a chapter, you’ve gotten cliffhangers, and also you don’t need to put it down. Some individuals might take every week or two to complete it, some individuals will take a day. It really has extra in widespread with the novel than any format we’ve had earlier than.

Are individuals burning via the eight episodes too quick, or is there no such factor?

That’s actually satisfying. In case you inform me you watched episodes one and two and you’ll wait every week to observe three and 4, that’s a bit disappointing. I hope that the story offers you that type of starvation. It’s superb how many individuals have watched the entire thing already. I awoke the day after the present got here out and there have been tons of posts and questions already, everywhere in the world — that’s the opposite factor that’s type of outstanding, particularly with Netflix.

How are viewers experiencing the present? Is that this new so that you can get a lot suggestions?

I type of love the starvation — after individuals watch it, they’re on Reddit, they’re on Fb. Individuals argue about it, they focus on it, and I feel it simply will get extra individuals inquisitive about it. Thus far nobody’s actually discovered a gap within the plot!

What’s it like having your American-set novels tailored all over the world?

“The Woods” from Netflix Poland is actually totally different from “The Stranger,” way more atmospheric and moody and centered on two characters, it’s actually superbly accomplished.

How do the tales change from the books in several international locations?

I don’t like diversifications which might be slavishly dedicated to the textual content. “The Stranger” is thru a British prism — it provides a brand new dimension, despite the fact that on the floor they’re terribly American.

What did you should change?

One of many challenges in “The Stranger” was that police don’t carry weapons in England. A few occasions I’d have needed Joanna to tug out a gun. However she will’t, as a result of she doesn’t have one. In “The Woods,” it’s set in a Polish summer time camp within the ’90s — that’s very totally different than an American summer time camp, so it’s very cool to discover.

Why are crime tales so well-liked proper now?

We stay in a golden age of crime fiction. It’s by no means been accomplished higher by a greater variety of individuals and genders and nationalities. A present like “The Stranger” offers them much more time to be with these characters.

What was it like working together with your 25-year outdated daughter Charlotte on “The Stranger”?

She wrote episode 5, and was actually useful with the teenager story. I feel it’s a reasonably hilarious scene when Mike is screaming that he wasn’t the one who despatched the images — that was all written by my daughter. She gave us a youthful viewpoint, and she or he’s very humorous. Her expertise is in humor.

I used to be really laughing out loud — I confirmed it to my different youngsters they usually stated “Oh my god, that’s so Charlotte.”

How did Jennifer Saunders occur to affix the solid after her lengthy profession in comedy?

They despatched an inventory of 100 actresses in that age vary — I noticed her title and I assumed she wouldn’t do it, however she stated “I adore it and I need to do it.” So I wrote a letter to her and stated I do know you’ve by no means accomplished a drama, however I actually need you. I’ve been a fan of hers for thus lengthy.

How concerned do you get in manufacturing?

I don’t go on set as a result of it’s arduous, I stay in the united statesA, however each single day I watch the rushes. Day by day I talk with my staff over there, I watched over 300 audition tapes…I even see outfits and hairstyles. The actors all have my cellphone or e-mail if they’ve any questions.

Is there any considered doing one other season?

My guess is I gained’t need to try this, until I can provide you with an concept that’s equally good or higher. A part of the deal I make with the viewer is you get all of the solutions — it’s a full novel. However I by no means say by no means.

Theoretically the Stranger may reappear?

She may. If we got here up with an concept that might be nearly as good, then sure.

What are you watching today?

It’s such a cliche, however “Parasite” was my favourite film final yr. I knew nothing getting into. I feel that’s one of the simplest ways to see it — getting into and understanding nothing. And “Fleabag” was by far my favourite present of the yr.

I’m an enormous fan of overseas movies and overseas TV. I’m hoping viewers will give the overseas language ones an opportunity after “The Stranger,” as a result of after a when you actually do overlook you’re watching subtitles.

Will There Be A 'The Stranger' Series 2?

By L'Oréal Blackett
Feb 17, 2020

The Stranger has got all the ingredients for a stream-worthy Netflix drama; explosive family secrets, scandal, blackmail, murder and more twists and turns than an Olympic gymnast. Adapted from bestselling author Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name, the British thriller has topped the Netflix UK charts for good reason. With an ambiguous (and mildly infuriating) ending, will The Stranger be back for Series 2?

Well, it looks promising. The exhilarating miniseries first appeared on Netflix UK on January 30, 2020. It follows family man Adam Price (Richard Armitage), who gets approached by a stranger (clue is in the title), which leads to him getting entangled in a mysterious and wild conspiracy about his missing wife. Filmed in Manchester, the series is packed with British stars including Ab-Fab legend Jennifer Saunders, Hollywood actor Richard Armitage (Hobbit, Hannibal, Ocean's and Anthony Head who many will fondly remember as 'Giles' in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

With a glowing response from viewers on social media (the show has been trending on Twitter, as Hello! reports) and an open ending to the first series, calls for a second series are pretty inevitable. Bustle UK reached out to Netflix but the streaming platform is yet to confirm if we're in line for another bonkers bit of television. Nonetheless, The Stranger's author Harlan Coben has a 14-book deal with Netflix, 'that’s already resulted in British-set series The Five, Safe and now The Stranger.'

In a recent interview with Variety magazine, Coben remained evasive about the potential for a follow-up series. He said: "My guess is I won’t want to do that, unless I can come up with an idea that’s equally good or better. Part of the deal I make with the viewer is you get all the answers — it’s a full novel. But I never say never."

The Stranger season 2: latest news on new Netflix series after open season 1 ending
The door was left open for a second series at the conclusion of the season one finale

By Finlay Greig

Monday, 17th February 2020, 6:11 pm
Updated
16 hours ago

The Stranger is the latest Netflix original to take the internet by storm, gripping viewers with the unsettling tale of the Price family.

Adapted from Harlan Coben's novel of the same name, the eight-part thriller set in Manchester sees a mysterious stranger reveal a dark family secret, the destructive nature of which threatens to tear the Prices apart.

As well as garnering a large following, the drama has earned critical acclaim with reviewers labelling the drama "bingeable" and compelling, with one hooked critic describing the suspense dram as "anxiety-inducing".

Series one of The Stranger reached a thrilling conclusion in episode eight, but fans are already demanding another series of the drama - here's what you need to know about the show's finale, as well as any potential second series.

What happened in series 1?

Adam Price (Richard Armitage) is approached by a mysterious stranger who reveals that his wife, Corinne, faked a pregnancy and a subsequent miscarriage years ago, an event which saw Adam stay with his now wife. The stranger also plants the idea in the married man's head that his two sons with Corinne may not be his.

Corinne then goes missing, and Adam embarks on a mission to get to the bottom of the explosive secret.

The Stranger, seemingly capable of destroying life's with a single secret, targets everyone she come sinto contact with, blackmailing and threatening them with secrets she has inexplicably obtained.

Shady policeman Patrick Katz is one such person to get swept up into the Stranger's secret spreading, when he is hired to carry out some illegal private investigation work on behalf of a man named Powers who is being blackmailed by the mysterious, nameless woman. This brings him into contact with Heidi (Jennifer Saunders), the mother of a girl who is in a relationship with Powers.

When Heidi quizzes Katz, the policeman panics and shoots Heidi, for fear that his investigations will come to light.

Adam eventually tracks down the stranger and it turns out she is motivated by her own parents' infidelity - she's determined to punish people for their own dark and damaging secrets.

The final big plot twist comes in episode eight when the stranger reveals that she is in fact Adam's half-sister, and that she told Adam about Corinne because of their kinship.

It also becomes apparent that Corinne fled from Adam because she had become entangled in a plot to embezzle money from the local football club. Corinne is aware of the man responsible, Doug Tripp, who for fear of being exposed murders Adam's wife.

Enraged by his findings, Adam murders Tripp, only to cover it up with the help of detective Johanna Griffin.

The show ends with the surviving characters trying to live their lives as normal despite the horrific events of the series. The final shot is shows the stranger watching over the characters and perhaps hinting at a further season.

Will there be a Season 2?

Show creators Netflix have also yet to confirm whether there will be a second season of the thrilling story.

But judging by the buzz surrounding the show, Netflix will likely be considering a second season and the plot has certainly left room for a second season with the same characters.

But Harlan Coben revealed to Radio Times that he wasn't intending on pursuing a second season, stating: “it’s not our plan. Our plan is to give you one great, great season.”

The ambiguous finale, however, suggests that the stranger could be in line to return and reveal the dark secrets created in series two - such as the truth about the murders of Doug Tripp and Heidi - and set off another season of chaos.

When could we expect a second season?

If a second season were to be commissioned it would be reasonable to assume that it would arrive a year after the first series.

This would mean waiting until January 2021 for a second season.

Explaining the End Of Netflix's 'The Stranger,' Plus Will There Be a Season 2?

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 15, 2020 | 17 Comments



Let’s start with the second question first: Will there be a second season of Netflix’s The Stranger? Maybe, but it is unlikely. The series is based on a closed-ended Harlan Coben novel and neither the book nor the series was designed with a sequel in mind. Coben has written dozens of novels, so I suspect that both he and Netflix would be more inclined to simply adapt another one — like last year’s Safe with Michael C. Hall — than force another story for these characters for the sake of another season.

“We don’t think it’s fair to have one of those shows where they don’t give you all the answers, and you have to wait until season two before you get it,” Coben told Digital Spy. “This is a closed story. You learned all the answers by the end, and the ending is tremendously satisfying.”

“Could some of the characters return to season two? Maybe, but that’s not our plan,” he added. “I never say never, but it’s not our plan. Our plan is to give you one great, great season.”

But was the ending of The Stranger “tremendously satisfying,” as Coben suggests? Yes and no. The series, which is an easy eight-episode binge, follows a character named Adam (Richard Armitage), who is approached during his kid’s soccer game by a stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) and told that his wife, Corrine (Dervla Kirwan), faked a miscarriage and gives Adam enough information to corroborate the story. Before Adam can get any answers out of his wife, however, she disappears. The bulk of the story concerns Adam’s effort to discover who kidnapped his wife and to find her.

How’d that go? SPOILERS

Not so well, actually. The stranger confronts a number of other people and blackmails them, and Adam and a police officer, Johanna Griffin (Siobhan Finneran), essentially triangulate all the others who were blackmailed, which leads to the revelation that the stranger is Adam’s sister, the product of one of the many affairs his asshole of a father (Anthony Head) had.

Adam also discovers that Doug Trip (Shaun Dooley), the asshole neighbor/friend across the street, is not only responsible for abducting his wife but killing and burying her in the forest. As it turns out, Doug was embezzling money from the private school. Corrine — a teacher at the school — found out about it and refused to keep quiet, so Doug murdered her. Doug not only confesses this to Adam, but he believes that Adam will also keep this information to himself, because if Corrine were found murdered, Adam would be the first suspect (Doug had left some breadcrumbs leading back to Adam in the event he was caught). Adam, however, simply shot and killed Doug, a murder that was witnessed by Johanna — the detective — and covered up, because she reasoned that there was absolutely no point in depriving Adam’s kids of their father. Johanna and Adam pin Corinne’s murder on Katz, a shady cop who accepted large sums of money to murder a blackmail threat for a client in order to raise money to care for his sick daughter, who is inexplicably fed rat poison by her mother as part of a pointless Munchausen by Proxy storyline. The woman he murdered just happened to be the best friend of Johanna.

It all ends a little too neatly, but the killer is mostly a surprise and while I wouldn’t say it’s “tremendously satisfying,” it is satisfying enough. At least where it concerns Adam, his wife’s murderer, and The Stranger.

But then there is a storyline involving a group of teens — including Adam’s kid and his friends — written specifically for the TV series (read: filler) that fizzles out. It involves a party out in the forest, some MDMA, a teenager decapitating an alpaca, another teenager with a stalker-like crush on Corinne, and a groundskeeper at the school who also hangs out in the woods. A kid at the party is discovered naked and unconscious and nearly dies, and how he wound up in that state is investigated throughout the series. Ultimately, the kid doesn’t die, his near-death experience had nothing to do with the main storyline, and no one suffers any major consequences. It’s a completely unnecessary storyline that could have shaved a full episode off the series and left it a tight, gripping seven episodes. That was the series biggest weakness, save for the belief that a baseball cap is an effective disguise.

What to watch on Netflix in February: 10 surprisingly good movies and shows you might’ve missed



By Zach Epstein @zacharye
February 17th, 2020 at 9:36 AM

Each and every month, we’re always sure to tell you about all the new content coming to Netflix. There are always so many new shows and movies that are added to the Netflix content catalog each and every month that you’ll undoubtedly miss some of it without a guide. Seriously, just look at all the movies, shows, specials, and Netflix originals that are debuting over the course of the month in February alone! People love the release schedules that we publish each month, but we also started running a different type of Netflix roundup a couple of months ago that people have really responded to.

Because there’s so much new content added to Netflix all the time, it’s far too easy to let shows and movies slip through the cracks that you might have really enjoyed. With that in mind, we’ve started rounding up 10 shows and movies each month that you might have missed. Some are brand new, some are years old, some are Netflix originals, and some are from other studios. The one common thread is that all these movies and shows are surprisingly great, so you should definitely add them to your queue if you happened to miss them the first time around. And once you’re done with this month’s roundup, be sure to check out our posts from the past few months for even more great movies and shows to consider.


[...]

The Stranger

This British mystery series is based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same name. It stars Richard Armitage as Adam Price, a family man whose life is turned upside down when a stranger makes a shocking claim about his wife.

[...]

The Stranger on Netflix: How did Corinne really die? Was Adam’s dream real?
THE STRANGER proved to be one of the most popular shows on Netflix this year and fans are recommending the series to others. Some have asked what actually happens to Adam's wife Corinne towards the end of the show.

By Katie Palmer
PUBLISHED: 10:32, Tue, Feb 18, 2020 | UPDATED: 10:49, Tue, Feb 18, 2020


The Stranger on Netflix focuses on one family in particular: Adam Price (played by Richard Armitage), his wife Corinne (Dervla Kirwan) and their two sons. The stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) tells Adam his wife has lied to him by faking a pregnancy. When Adam finds out the truth Corinne mysteriously disappears and her family is worried she is dead.

How did Corinne really die?

Kirwan’s character Corinne only physically features in the first episode of the series.

Her husband Adam finds out from the stranger she faked a pregnancy and a miscarriage in order to persuade him to stay with her.

Corinne found out Adam had cheated on her with another woman he worked with, and wanted a reason to make him stay with her.

She bought a fake bump and baby scans online to fool Adam into believing her pregnancy - a secret he later finds out through the stranger.

Corinne explains to Adam there is more to the story than she thinks and then she mysteriously disappears.

The rest of the series follows Adam as he tries to find his wife, concerned she has been killed or kidnapped.

Corinne only appears in the series through flashbacks and memories from this point forward.

Throughout the series he calls upon the help of an ex-cop Martin Killane (Stephen Rea) to help find his missing wife.

Martin, Adam and his two sons - Thomas (Jacob Dudman) and Ryan (Misha Handley) - use a tracking app to try and find her.

The app leads them to a bridge above a river in the middle of the countryside and Adam follows his sons to the spot where Corinne is supposedly hiding.

However, when they get to the bridge the only thing left at the scene is her mobile phone - she is nowhere to be seen.

Her sons are worried she may have jumped off the bridge, taking her own life, but Adam says she would never do that and suggests she may have just dropped her phone.

During the night he has a dream about Corinne falling from the bridge and at first viewers think the scene is real.

However, Adam wakes up after being shouted at by his sons and it is revealed he was having a nightmare about his wife’s death.

Fans have taken to Reddit to find out more about how Corinne died and whether the dream scene was significant.

One fan said: “I thought we saw her jump off a bridge earlier in the season? I was surprised when it turned out how she was killed since it didn’t match up with what I thought happened. Am I missing something major?”

Other fans explained it was a dream, saying it was sometimes hard to tell what was real and what was imagination.

The dream only appears once in the series and seems to be Adam’s worst nightmare of what may have happened to his wife.

At the end of the series it is revealed Corinne did not die the way Adam had dreamt.

She had in fact been murdered by Adam’s friend Doug Tripp (Shaun Dooley) in order to stop her revealing one of his secrets.

Corinne had found out Doug had stolen money from their local football club in order to support his family.

She had found out the truth and was going to tell everyone it was him who stole the cash.

In order to silence her Doug picks up a tool and hits Corinne over the head with it. He then buries her in the woods at a reservoir.

The Stranger is available to watch on Netflix now

Meet the star of The Stranger: Hannah John-Kamen

Even before she was the Netflix talking point of the moment, Hannah John-Kamen was mates with Steven Spielberg and Marvel’s most wanted. And as she tells Susannah Butter, she’s only just getting started

Susannah Butter


On a break from a photo shoot in Acton, west London, wearing a Sixties-style yellow checked coat and ugly-chic chunky white trainers, Hannah John-Kamen fixes me with a gleeful stare.

‘Boom!’ she says, puncturing an imaginary balloon. ‘Just one pop and you can change somebody’s whole outlook.’ She is talking about her latest role in Netflix’s The Stranger — you’ve already binged all eight episodes, right? — but that ‘Boom!’ could easily also refer to her career trajectory thus far.

In the past five years she has played a string of strong, complex women, leaving no time for a holiday, but she’s not complaining. She was Daenerys’ friend Ornela in Game Of Thrones; then she was summoned to LA by Steven Spielberg, who cast her on sight as the steely head of operations F’Nale Zandor in Ready Player One and recommended her to director Peyton Reed to play Ava Starr/Ghost in Ant-Man And The Wasp. This cemented her supremacy as the in-demand action star of the moment. With all these sci-fi roles, it’s lucky she is, she admits with a proud grin, ‘a bit of a nerd’, breaking into the Game Of Thrones dialect, Dothraki, to tell me ‘something about the danger of dragons’, while comically pretending to check for them.

And now comes The Stranger which, for the tiny minority of people who have yet to watch it, concerns a mysterious woman in a baseball cap — John-Kamen — who sidles up to lawyer Adam (played by Richard Armitage) at a ‘dads and lads’ football game, tells him his wife has faked a miscarriage and recommends a paternity test for his sons. With that she disappears, and his life begins to unravel. It’s the latest Harlan Coben adaptation from the team who did The Five and Safe. It has the same producer as Happy Valley and a similarly twisting plot, full of dark riddles. The action has moved from New Jersey to suburban Manchester — familiar to the East Yorkshire girl from Beverley (although 10 years in east London have softened her accent). Coben was on set throughout, giving his view on everything from hairstyles to casting and, most radically, making his eponymous Stranger a woman (the character was male in his 2015 novel) after seeing John-Kamen audition, a move she modestly deflects as something he was already considering. Coben also wrote to Jennifer Saunders to ask her to play Heidi, who is also cornered by The Stranger.

‘I always play characters that are “villains”, in inverted commas,’ John-Kamen says, a glint in her icy blue eyes, inherited from her Norwegian mother, a former model. ‘But every character has a reason for how they behave. I try to understand what’s brought them there. With The Stranger, I asked Harlan to tell me how the show would end so I could know what’s driving her.’

Ant-Man And The Wasp was cast colour blind and John-Kamen, whose father was born in Nigeria and moved to London during the Biafran War, has said that means ‘now any young girl, any mini-me watching a movie can go, “I want to do that.”’ When she was cast, Reed said: ‘It’s important people see themselves reflected in movies. The Marvel Universe is filled with white people and I think it needs to be less so.’ John-Kamen is eloquent on the need for change in her industry, as highlighted by the dominance of white men at the Baftas and Oscars. ‘I’ve been lucky, but the lack of representation is definitely something which has to be addressed and action has to be quick. It’s disappointing and we have to strive for change, now.’ She’s proud of the British film industry: ‘So many Hollywood things are coming here, like Ready Player One and The Stranger, both made here.’

John-Kamen’s father, a clinical forensic psychologist, and mother, who looked after John-Kamen and her older brother and sister, brought her up with a strong sense of pride in her identity. She still calls on them when she needs a boost. When Spielberg invited her to Los Angeles to audition for Ready Player One in 2017, her father came into his own. ‘I had been playing it cool all the way there and didn’t even tell my parents I was going. Then when I said my name at reception it didn’t feel real.

‘That’s when I panicked so I went to the bathroom and called my dad. It was the middle of the night back home in England. He asked if there was a mirror and told me to look in it and he said: “You are Hannah John-Kamen, you are going to be fine, you are my daughter. Just be yourself, I love you and call me afterwards.” Everyone needs a Johnny John-Kamen in their life.’

It worked. ‘I went to Steven’s beautiful, calm office with trees outside and I wasn’t fazed any more. I just couldn’t wait to meet the man. We ended up talking about my parents. I still pinch myself. At the end of our interview Steven told me to stand up and asked how tall I was. I’m five foot eight. He said I’d got the job. Apparently he never offers anyone the job on the spot. That’s when I lost my cool. I skipped down the road like a Disney character. Absolute wow.’

On set her friendship with Spielberg blossomed. ‘We’d sit next to each other near the monitors and sing — “A Bushell And A Peck” from Guys And Dolls and “Singin’ In The Rain”. We’d print out the lyrics; it was professional.’

She wanted to do as many stunts as possible in Ready Player One and was disappointed to be held back. ‘They’d let me do certain things but then they wouldn’t let me walk across a slippery floor because it was dangerous, but I loved my stunt double.’

John-Kamen always wanted to be an actress, but she wasn’t scared of hard work. ‘When I was 14 I told my parents I didn’t want pocket money, I wanted a job. The only one I could get was dishwashing in a restaurant called Francois for £3.50 an hour but when I got my first cheque I felt so proud. My hands were dry with calluses but I had money I’d worked for.’

Her father’s background in psychology has come in handy in her acting career; her older sister is also a psychologist and her brother works in music. ‘My dad and sister taught me the importance of switching off at the end of the working day. You have to. When I’m given a hot towel in the make-up chair to take the day off and I realise I’m emotionally exhausted — that’s when I switch off.’

Her mother introduced her to old films: Some Like it Hot, Singing In The Rain, Sunset Boulevard. At 18 she moved to London and went to what was then the Central School of Speech and Drama, living in West Hampstead and going out in Camden. ‘Drama school is where I grew up. I always wanted to get out and go to London. There was so much bohemian energy.’ It was there that she made friends with Kadiff Kirwan, who plays DC Wesley Ross in The Stranger. She got to know him through the type of due diligence practised by her Stranger character. ‘We were at drama school together and I remember before we started I went on his Facebook page and saw him in this huge French Connection coat, looking fabulous, and he’d said his favourite movie was Legally Blonde. He sent me a message saying, “Hey girl”, and I had this feeling we were going to be friends.’

In her third year at Central she was spotted by an agent and cast in the ITV drama Whitechapel. A role followed in the Spice Girls musical Viva Forever, written by Jennifer Saunders (so The Stranger was a fun reunion). She has fond memories of it, even though it was panned by critics. ‘I don’t read reviews — all I cared about was that we had bums on seats every night and the fans loved it; they danced at the end and dressed up.’

To keep in shape for all these action roles she eats healthily, runs and works out with a former Olympian trainer. But The Stranger was more about having an agile mind. It made John-Kamen think about what she would do if she were in Adam’s position. ‘If a stranger approached me would I investigate what they said? Or is ignorance bliss? You wouldn’t want to believe them but there would be a voice at the back of your head wondering.’ And she loved the baseball cap her character wears, which lends her a certain Victoria Beckham look. ‘It was like my superhero cape.’

The Stranger is a deft hacker, breaking into websites and using gaps in privacy to find out people’s secrets. During filming in spring last year there was a news story about the Sugar Daddy website being hacked. ‘It was crazy how that mirrored the script; it was about these sites which are meant to be anonymous but you can find the names. We don’t realise how exposed we are. We are tracked all the time with CCTV, social media — you need to have an iPhone, you need the iCloud, you need to be connected.’ She pauses before saying with an enigmatic smile. ‘Also I’m a huge fan of the TV show Catfish, which shows you all the hacking tricks.’ Did it make her reconsider what she shares online? She has more than 200,000 Instagram followers but uses it mostly for work, with pictures from the Baftas and her film premieres. The occasional snap of her mastiff dog, Otis, sneaks in, usually with her boyfriend, a Canadian boxer turned bartender who has just moved to live with her in Dalston and open a new bar on Bradbury Street called, simply, The Bradbury. ‘Hack me if you like,’ she declares. ‘You’ll just see what I had for breakfast.’

Next she’s playing Wilhelmina in a TV drama of Brave New World with Demi Moore as Linda. ‘It’s brave, it’s new, it’s a world — you have to watch it,’ she says teasingly, sounding like The Stranger. ‘Aldous Huxley was ahead of his time.’ She’d also love to do ‘a good old play — there’s a particular adrenaline to that you can’t explain’. Do dramas like that and The Stranger provide distraction from our turbulent politics? ‘In darker times you need comedy but you also do need a reality check.’ And her Stranger will definitely give you one.

6 Of The Best: New movies & shows streaming on Amazon and Netflix

ByPaul Heath -
Mar 2, 2020


It is once again that time to share the best new content coming and indeed now playing on Amazon Prime and Netflix. The streaming giants have a lot lined up for the last couple of weeks in February and March and here are some of our picks.

Hunters

Al Pacino leads the cast of the new binge-able TV series Hunters, which comes to Amazon from 21st February. The cast also includes the likes of Logan Lerman, Jerrika Hinton, Tiffany Boone and Greg Austin and focusses on a diverse band of Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City. There have been some early reviews praising Al Pacino’s performance in the new series, his first for the streamer.

Guns Akimbo

After premiering in Toronto last year, Guns Akimbo‘s strong word of mouth has just grown and grown. Revolving around Daniel Radcliffe’s character Miles, who is cast as the next contestant with SKIZM, an underground gang live-streaming real-life deathmatches. He reportedly wakes up with guns bolted to his hands and must outrun the aim of the deadly Nix (Samara Weaving), a killer at the top of her game. Guns Akimbo will play on Amazon is some territories from 23rd March.

The Aeronauts

Again, another hot property from the Toronto International Film Festival. The Aeronauts stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as an unlikely duo who are put together for a balloon expedition that will seem them soar into the skies higher than anyone in history. Brought to the screen by Wild Rose helmer Tom Harper, The Aeronauts will have you on the edge of your seats. The film is now playing on Amazon in some territories but will hit others from the beginning of March.

Uncut Gems

Another movie now playing though this time on Netflix. Adam Sandler was robbed of an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Howard Ratner, an NYC jeweler who gambles everything on a bet that could quite literally set him up for life. A new Mobile Casino like Mobile Casino Kings have seen a big increase in UK players winning but Howard makes his bets by sending one of his workers on a helicopter ride to a casino in neighboring New Jersey. It’s quite the scene, just one in a remarkable film from Good Time filmmakers the Safdie brothers. Uncut Gems is now playing on Netflix outside the US.

Blinded By The Light

Back to Amazon for the next film on the list. Blinded By The Light centers on a Pakistani teenager named Javed who one day in the 1980s discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen, a life event that changes his life forever. Gurinder Chadha’s coming-of-age drama is an absolute must-see for fans of The Boss and of feel-good movies in general. It lands on Amazon from 16th March.

The Stranger

Adapted from Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name, The Stranger features an amazing cast and features a twist around every corner. Now playing on Netflix, the story begins when Adam Price (Richard Armitage) is approached by a woman he doesn’t know who tells his that his wife, Corrinne is harbouring a devastating secret – one that will have a devastating impact on his seemingly perfect life. The cast also includes Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders, Anthony Head, Hannah John-Kamen, Stephen Rea and many more. An absolute must.

Hannah Quinn is someone you can chat with about television and film for hours and it would only seem like minutes. Her work experience in the industry is vast but what made my Skype interview with Hannah such a pleasure was her great sense of humor and easygoing demeanor. She was at home in Ireland taking a short break from directing a new project in Manchester. We're in a time where more women directors like Hannah are shining their light like never before. Their visual perspective is unique and powerful and Hannah's directorial work in several episodes (4, 5 and 6) of the hit Netflix series, The Stranger, brought me here.

[Interview contains spoilers]

Origins​



Hannah's parents are Dubliners who moved to Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland, in the early '70s where they set up a small community cinema for local people in their converted knitting factory home. You'd think that Hannah wanted to start a career in film and TV as soon as she could, but it was the opposite, "I was NOT interested," Hannah said, "my father was a filmmaker and my eldest brother was an A/D (assistant director). After I left school in 1990, I did a course in bilingual secretarial skills and went to Paris for a year. When I came back I got a job as secretary at the Galway Film Fleadh coordinating the short films. I really liked that and then got a job in admin at the Galway Film Centre where I coordinated film foundation courses. I then worked as a production runner on a TV series called Amazing Love Stories in the early 90s."

Director, Hannah Quinn. Photo courtesy of H. Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
What led you to the path of becoming a Director?



"My actual love for working on films started when my brother got me a day working as a Trainee A/D on a feature film called Frankie Starlight. I loved getting the Extras ready through costume, make up and hair early in the morning and then setting them in the background of the shots. I continued working as an A/D directing Extras for the next 20 years, moving from trainee to 3rd A/D, 2nd A/D and 1st A/D, but it never occurred to me that I actually could be the Director. I just thought that was for the guys and gals who were much more creative than me."



For the past 5 years, Hanna's been at the helm of several film projects as Director, "I realized I had accumulated all these invaluable skills from working on countless productions as an AD. I saw a play my sister-in-law, Liz, had written and thought it would make a brilliant, short film. The following year I adapted it for the screen as my first short film, My Bonnie. It had an extraordinary impact on me as a Director."

Is there a Director you've worked with in the past that inspired you?



​"Ridley Scott had the most profound effect on my visual interpretations of narrative. Not just because I love all of his work, I was lucky enough to work on his films, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and a few days on The Martian. I got to learn first-hand how hard he works at staging and lighting to make his scenes have the utmost visual and narrative impact. I also worked on Children of Men where Chivo Lubezki's penchant for long, continuous shots showed me how endless ideas were possible."​



Hannah has worked alongside some of the best directors in the business but she's also created her own directorial style that's evocative. In collaboration with her husband, cinematographer Tim Fleming, Hannah's projects have taken visual flight. "[Tim] has shot most of my work and he has an incredibly technical and creative eye for lighting and staging. He understands me when I frustratingly say I want a wide and a close up shot all at the same time. We've both worked on My Bonnie, Smithy & Dickie, The Stranger, Fate: The Winx Saga and the current series we're filming in Manchester is called Intergalactic, a 10-part series for SKY TV about a women's prison breakout in space. I'm directing episodes 9 and 10."

The Stranger​

​

Adapted from Harlan Coben's book, The Stranger was expanded into 8 episodes and produced by Nicola Shindler's mega production company, Red Production Co. The series has become a hit with Netflix viewers.



How did you get involved in series?



Hannah: "My agent, Claire Best, got me a meeting with the producers because I had directed 3 episodes of a successful VMTV series called Blood on Channel 5 in the UK and became a big hit there. Blood got on the radar of Nicola Shindler of Red Productions so I got to pitch for The Stranger and got hired!"



Nicola Shindler has produced many brilliant TV series including Happy Valley, Safe, The Five and others. I follow her on social media because I don't want to miss any new projects she's working on.​



Hannah: "Yes, Nicola is a powerhouse. She's received a Lifetime Achievement Award from BAFTA and she's all about empowering women," said Hannah with admiration, "she always came up with great ideas for The Stranger because she structures stories so well. Brilliant producer to work with! I want to work with her again."



I hope so too. Perhaps a DS Griffin series with Siobhan Finneran reprising her role? Possibilities are endless and Hannah is very much in demand to direct various TV and film projects. Do you have a clone or doppleganger to help you with all these projects?

​

(Hannah laughs heartily), "I've been a busy girl in the last couple of years! It's been amazing."​



How did you decide what episodes you're going to direct out of the 8 episodes in The Stranger?

​

Hannah: "The lead director, Daniel O'Hara had already done another Harlan Coben adaptation, SAFE, and they were looking for another director for the middle block of The Stranger. When I came on board our episodes needed a few really cool set pieces, including the demolition of Killane’s house, the bridge and the train station so that was exciting for me”



The episodes in the series are very cohesive so it doesn't seem they had two different directors.



Hannah: "They liked what I pitched because my ideas were similar to the ones Daniel O'Hara had pitched".




People on social media, who've seen the entire series, have been discussing the bar scene [Episode 4 with Adam and Sally]. It's so great the way you crafted that scene because Adam Price realized what a naughty man he has been. To think he was shaming his father [played brilliantly by Anthony Steward Head] for his affairs.

​

Hannah: "The cool thing about more women getting behind the camera and on screen is that we can have a say in reducing the gratuitous violence and pornographic aesthethic, that is awash on our screens”.

​

Before I watched The Stranger I was hoping it didn't have heavy violence or graphic scenes. I wanted to see something that set it apart from other shows.

Hannah: "I have two sons so for me it's very important for them to see better stories and from women’s perspectives of the world. That's why directing is really interesting for us now because we don't have to shoot gratuitous sex scenes. We can just go 'nah, no thanks we'll have, you know, better sex' ".

​

Sexyyy!​

​

Hannah: "Yeah, we love sex and a lot of it is on the mind for us, obviously. Danny Brocklehurst had written the bar scene with glimpses of intimacy rather than full on sex, that felt more tantalizing. "



​So we want to know: did Adam and Sally have sex? Did they cross that line?​



Hannah: "You know, right up to that VERY day [filming the bar scene] we were still arguing 'Did they or didn't they?'. All the women were saying, 'HE EFFING DID IT! '.​



What did Harlan Coben or Richard Armitage say?​



Hannah: "Harlan and Richard would say 'NO [Adam] didn't do it' and all the women would say 'yes he did! '. Adam led Sally on, he made her believe they were a couple. All of us said that he [Adam] did it because he had invested emotionally and intimately. It was really important for [Sally], she knew that he was invested. Then Adam just chucked her aside and that's what happens in affairs. It's NOT ok and this is why it has to be Sally's impression that this was love. We had to show that and we did. On the day we rehearsed the scene we talked about it with Camilla (who played Sally Prentice)."



Camilla and Richard had great onscreen chemistry, by the way. So great together in this particular scene.

​

Hannah: "Yes, they are just brilliant. Afterwards I asked [Richard] 'now do you think Adam did it?' and he said "Yeah, he TOTALLY did!!".​



You know, I noticed that when Sally was drinking her wine she was so gutted by Adam's words. When she left the bar, Adam shrunk in his chair and he had a guilty look on his face because he still felt desire for Sally. It was his "oh my god what did I do? oh crap!" moment. "​



Hannah: "Yes and [Sally] had opened up her heart to him all over again! Camilla [Arfwedson] nailed that scene every time but it was a heart wrenching scene for a lot of us to watch."



​I have to admit I did get a bit teary eyed at the end and I would have hated to be Corinne or Sally.​

​

The Bridge



I want to talk about the Bridge scene where Adam, his sons and Martin Killane are looking for Corinne. There are many different camera shots. First, you feel as if you're there with them in the search for Corinne and then you have the bird's eye camera view over the bridge.​



Hannah: "Yes, the camera shots are intimate and then it's Corinne's point of view [the birds eye view]."​



It's true! She was already gone by then. It seemed as if she had committed suicide.​


Hannah: "Yes and Corinne was being edged out and I just kept wanting to bring her back, to see her point of view: 'don't forget the women, remember Corinne, remember her story.' There are too many TV series and films that kill off women without recourse. With extra flashbacks we can be more sympathetic to her story, how integral she is to her family and friends and work, how much she is missed. 'Don't forget Corinne, don't ever forget Corinne'."



The Train Station​



I loved how you directed the train station scene. You had several people looking for Corinne going all over the station. You had a shot here, then the other person on the other side.



Hannah: "For the Stockport Train station scene there were five platforms, we got incredible production value as usually there’s no way they're going to let you shoot on a live station. So I put together a shooting plan to shoot from 10 o'clock until 3 o'clock, keeping the crew really small, so we could get around quickly. Tim made it work with Steadicam and long lens on sticks and our wonderful A/D Tracy Chapman would move us safely from one platform to the next. AD's [assistant directors] would be with one actor over here, and another actor over there. Then we would shoot the scenes across platforms so the actors could see each other. My brilliant editor, Rachel Hoult put it together so well. "



Especially the bar scene. Great editing on the flashbacks between Adam and Sally.



Hannah: "Rachel loves that bar scene! She put it together and worked on it for days and nights. She would say 'don't touch it!' if I attempted to tweak it. It's her favorite scene ever. She edited episodes 4, 5 and 6 and she's got great energy and ideas. She just understands pace and I'm so lucky to have her. She's also editing Intergalactic as well."



That's wonderful! How long have you worked together?



Hannah: "Nicola [Shindler] & Richard Fee introduced us to work together on The Stranger."

​

​

Questions from fans of the series​



Raven Grace asks: what would you recommend to people who want to work/study in production?



Hannah: "Get life experience, do everything. If you want to write scripts, read the scripts of the successful films or TV shows you’re watching to break them down and see how they're put together. Most well-known scripts are all online. Definitely work in cafes and bars, make friends with everybody. You never know who is going to give you the next job. Be nice to people. It's really horrible when people get nasty on shoots, life is too short. I like a happy set. The showrunner of my next series, whom I met with today, heard very good things about me from the producer who gave me my first production runner job in 1993. So that is really nice to hear."



Cyn asks: How was it working with Richard Armitage? Any funny behind the scenes moments?



Hannah: "Richard is brilliant, he's such a sweetheart. He loves his work and works really hard at it. He’s fun too. He got me to do the flossing dance! haha. But Richard loved the whole family dynamic playing a dad to the two boys, Misha and Jacob (who played Ryan & Thomas). They made themselves a real family by coming up with great ideas together. It was Richard's idea in the kitchen scene where Thomas is saying, 'I think Mom is having an affair' and Richard was saying, 'this is where he's trying to really be a comforting dad and I should be getting him milk and cookies.' This is what dad should do when mom is not there. And dad is always making Spaghetti Bolognese. Love that. Richard came up with great ideas all the time."



Spaghetti Bolognese? Yum!


Follow Hannah on twitter: @ Hanquinn
​
Website is https://www.midnightminniefilms.com/

Netflix's king of the twist: Harlan Coben on the secrets behind The Stranger
America's ubiquitous thriller writer reveals what gave him The Stranger's fake pregnancy story, and why he won't write about coronavirus

By
Tom Fordy
30 March 2020 • 9:22pm

Bestselling thriller writer Harlan Coben is the author of more than 30 novels and the mind behind some of the most shamelessly bingeable shows currently streaming.

There's The Five, about a missing child whose DNA shows up after 20 years (available on Now TV); Safe, about a doctor (played by Dexter’s Michael C. Hall) who uncovers darks secrets when his daughter disappears (on Netflix); and recent binge obsession The Stranger (also Netflix), starring Richard Armitage, Dervla Kirwan, Jennifer Saunders, and Siobhan Finneran. If you haven’t seen The Stranger already, you almost certainly will now. Much like Coben, you’re self-isolating and at the mercy of Netflix.

The 58-year-old author, who in 2018 shrewdly struck a deal with Netflix for the rights to 14 novels and first refusal on original TV idea, wrote The Stranger in 2015, and was inspired by the online world. Specifically: the bizarre concept of fake pregnancy websites.

“I’d seen a story about somebody who used a website to fool a boyfriend into thinking she was pregnant,” says Coben. “I thought, ‘Wow! How can I use that in a novel?’ We think we’re anonymous online but, of course, we’re not. So what other secrets could somebody reveal? I came up with this character – The Stranger – who could constantly drop these bombs on people’s lives. And then you decide whether revealing these secrets is a good thing or bad thing.”

That’s how Netflix adaptation begins: The Stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) drops the bomb on Adam (Richard Armitage) that his wife Corrine (Dervla Kirwan) may have been lying about a recent pregnancy and miscarriage. She's operating a lucrative blackmail racket, and turns unsuspecting lives upside down – most of which are connected in a sticky web of murder, embezzlement, adultery, and, erm, a beheaded alpaca.


As both original author and executive producer, Coben was involved at almost every level of the series’ production: casting, table reads, choosing directors, looking at edits and each day’s filming.

“I watched 300 audition tapes for The Stranger,” Coben says. “I contacted a lot of the leads to try and recruit them to be on the show. I spoke with Richard Armitage. I sent a letter to Jennifer Saunders with the script! I’m not sure which aspects I’m not involved. They were actually sending photographs of different costumes… I thought, 'OK, this may be a little out of my level of expertise.'”

As well as relocating to the UK, the Netflix adaptation also scaled down the action to a relatively small area (the book takes place across States). The biggest change was switching The Stranger from male to female. In the book, The Stranger is Chris; in the series, Christine, a bi-racial woman in a gay relationship. Coben insists the change wasn’t for the sake of appealing to woke culture (“I think the diversity is making shows stronger,” he says. “But I’m not doing it for politically correct reasons – I don’t think any of us are”). It was more about the appeal of casting Hannah John-Kamen.

Master of suspense: American author Harlan Coben CREDIT: Eric Gaillard
“I think if I wrote the book today I would have done that anyway,” he says about making the character female. “But as a visual medium, Hannah dropping the bombs was just perfect. We had a lot of conversations about how we wanted her to do it, and she just got it. I said to her, ‘You’ve just got to be the coolest person in the room in that first scene – you’re just dropping that bomb with a smile, like it’s an everyday thing.’ Then slowly, each time you see her falling apart just a little bit more. Hannah just killed it.”

The Stranger is an undeniably addictive watch, tiptoeing around the edge of plausibility before it charges right over the line for sheer twisty-turny indulgence. And refreshingly – unlike many other series – it comes to a conclusion. Coben doesn’t think there will be a second series. When I ask him about some of the loose threads – what really happens to The Stranger after its conclusion? – he laughs.

“How much farther do we have to go?” says Coben. “It ends where it ends. Is The Stranger going to continue to drop bombs or not? I think that’s something we can leave as mystery. I wonder what she’ll be doing when she’s 63 – but you have to stop someplace. My guess is I will not do a second series. Unless I can think of an idea that’s as good or better, I don’t see much of a point – I can do a novel instead. But never say never.”

Coben’s stories do feel tailor made for the Netflix model of twist-heavy, highly-bingeable television (“To me it's a novel on screen,” Coben says. “Like taking the novel and putting it straight on”). But Coben isn’t writing books with TV in mind. There’s no formula.

“If you write a book thinking, ‘This would be a good movie or TV series,’ the novel is going to suck,” he says. “I don’t know any good writer who writes like that. It’s the kiss of death. That’s why I believe in making changes. TV is different – it just is. There are things that sometimes we write in scripts and I think, ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna hate that! That’s not what I would do in a novel at all! Then you see it visually and it works.”

Coben published his first book, Play Dead, in 1990. He later wrote a series of 11 thrillers featuring his sports agent character Myron Bolitar. He’s written more than a couple of handfuls of standalone novels – contemporary stories with shades of the underground Americana that derives from classic hard boiled mysteries – including Run Away, Fool Me Once, No Second Chance, and Don’t Let Go.

Coben is one of the few writers who embraces change in the transition from page to screen. “I don’t believe an adaptation should be slavishly devoted to a text,” he says. “That’s just not my thing.”


He has, rather smartly, bypassed Hollywood. Instead of relinquishing his stories, he’s put them in the hands of film and TV creatives he trusts, or taken control himself. “A lot of adaptations I’ve seen over the years of optioned books are frankly terrible,” he says. “If this is terrible you can blame me. I was involved!”

Coben’s latest book, The Boy from The Woods – a mystery about two missing teenagers, a plot against a presidential candidate, and a feral child who’s grown up to be an investigator-cum-action hero – is set in his native New Jersey. But it belongs to a world that’s familiar and prescient wherever you are: the world of technology and online culture, just like The Stranger.

Digital tech isn’t a cheap trick to escape narrative corners (Google truly has been the death of quality exposition in Hollywood cinema) but a means of producing a realistic contemporary novel. He likens using texts, WhatsApp, and GPS to those high-tension scenes of a phone ringing in mystery stories from decades past.

But The Boy from The Woods is also about channeling the various problems both exposed and created by online culture: Me Too, Twitter bots, fake news, viral videos, and the cult of personality (his presidential candidate, Rusty Eggers – a TV star-turned-politician – is decidedly Trumpian, though Coben insists he’s not based on anyone).

“I’m reflecting what I’m seeing – the danger that I see as well,” Coben says. “Unless you’ve been living in a cave, this last year had these issues – MeToo, fake news, media manipulation, or campaign manipulation using bots. Maybe it will open some eyes on both sides – that you are being manipulated, and you are following your normal narrative, the narrative you like, but maybe that’s not a good thing.”


And despite the self-isolation, (during which he is speeding through Netflix's bonkers documentary Tiger King), Coben tells me he's not ready to write about the coronavirus pandemic. But, just as The Boy from The Woods channels the effects of online culture, he expects future novels to reflect the world – however it looks – once we’re through this.

"If you write a book about America in the early Seventies, you might not be writing about the Vietnam War, but it’s there on every page," he says. “I did the same with 9/11. It had a similar feel to this – and I didn’t do it for two or three books. We were hit in this town particularly hard by 9/11 – it was too close. But I also realised it was still there.

If I want to be a contemporary novelist and set the book here and now, there’s no way to not reflect what we’re going through. My guess is the world is going to change – maybe for the better in the end, maybe for the worse, who knows? – but it’s going to change, the same way 9/11 changed the times for a while too.”