Get Millie Black stars Tamara Lawrence and Joe Dempsie promise that viewers of their new Caribbean-set police drama will see a side of Jamaica that has not been shown on television before. “Before filming, I definitely held the same preconceptions as many other people – of Jamaica as a holiday destination,” says Game of Thrones star Joe. “But part of what makes this show unique is that the action takes place in Kingston. Most tourists land there, disembark the plane and jump straight on the minibus to a Sandals resort, but Kingston is a vibrant, working city that’s constantly on the move.”.
“I’m so fortunate to have had Kingston as my first experience of Jamaica,” he adds. “I got a much greater feel for Jamaican culture than I would’ve done sipping a pina colada on a pristine beach in Ocho Rios.”. Tamara, whose mother is Jamaican, also loved filming on the island. “It was amazing,” she says. “The landscape of Kingston was integral to the authenticity of this piece and platformed aspects of Jamaica we’ve not seen before. The Jamaican crew were fantastic and so kind and being around Jamaicans every day brought me a lot of joy. It was an opportunity I will always cherish; working in the land of my heritage surrounded by people who look like me, telling a story that addresses so many things I care deeply about.”.
The 30 year old actress, best known for her roles in Time and Mr Loverman, stars as former Scotland Yard detective Millie Black, who returns to her native Jamaica to work in the Missing Persons department of the local police force. Tamara describes her character as “irreverent, belligerent, hawk-eyed and driven by her heart for justice.”.
“She doesn’t mince words and is not remotely interested in being palatable. She tows the line between loneliness and independence. Work comes first, a choice she convinces herself is in everyone’s best interest, even when she’s actually using work to avoid the things she doesn’t want to face. She can be stubborn and impulsive but that is what makes her great at her job.”.
When Millie arrives in Jamaica, she discovers that her brother Orville, who her mother had claimed was dead, is very much alive but is now living as Hibiscus (Chyna McQueen). “A deeper desire she has is to cultivate home with her sister, but after all their time estranged from one another, she doesn’t quite know how to build this bond,” explains Tamara.
Meanwhile Joe’s character, British detective Luke Holborn, arrives in Kingston as part of an investigation into a crime gang and a powerful local family connected to them. However, Joe hints there is more to Luke than first meets the eye. “‘Who is Luke?’ is a difficult question to answer. My intrigue around that was what drew me to the role in the first place, and ultimately, I wouldn’t say the show goes out of its way to answer it,” he says.
“He arrives in Kingston seemingly with the simple mission of collecting a Jamaican man who has agreed to testify in a big case and taking him back to London. But as that seemingly simple mission begins to spiral out of control, the truth of Holborn’s intentions is revealed as far more sinister.”.
When Joe was offered the role he received a letter from the series creator, Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James, “selling” the part to him. “As I’m sure you can imagine; the dude can write a letter,” laughs Joe. “But I mean…it’s a noir thriller penned by Marlon James that’s shooting in Jamaica for 3 months. I was already hook, line and sinker.”.
Marlon James says the idea behind Meet Millie Black was to give people a more complicated view of what Jamaica is. “It is certainly more than sun and sand and sea. There is a dark undercurrent, but at the same time, the forces of good are also Jamaican. There is stuff going on, but there are really talented and dedicated people who go about protecting people and saving lives and solving mysteries,” he says.
“When people think of a Caribbean crime, they might think of Death in Paradise. But it’s more than that. It’s complicated, it’s dark, it’s sexy, it’s mysterious. You get the entire cross section of Jamaican society, but it is set in Kingston.”.
The 54 year old author, who now lives in Minneapolis, was born in Kingston and says he was shielded from crime there when he was growing up. “My mom was good at saving us from all of the underworld stuff and not bringing that home,” he says. “Jamaica is a small country. You are never far away from the possibility of crime. Jamaica is a British colony in a lot of ways. Because so much is swept under the rug and so much is about keeping up appearances, there will always be these undergrounds and secrets.”.
“There is a lot of Jamaica under the Jamaica you see.”. Get Millie Black airs on Channel 4 at 9pm from Wednesday 5 March. Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.
