Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes takes center-stage in new BBC drama Crossfire, in which she plays Jo – a character whose world is turned upside down when a terrorist attack takes place during at her holiday resort.
The three-part series sees, which Keeley described as an ‘uncomfortable watch’, sees her character at the heart of the action, which the 46-year-old admitted was a different role for her, despite having starred in previous action thrillers including Line of Duty and Honour.
While Jo has to save her family and play the hero, that involved physically exhausting tasks like lugging guns around, leading Keeley to describe it as her most ‘taxing’ yet.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk and other publications, she shared: ‘It was the most physically taxing thing I’ve ever had to do.
‘You know the weight of that horrible gun along and the constant running in the heat and the adrenaline and just the whole thing was, it was incredibly stressful.’
The drama, which is filmed in Tenerife, also starred children as it begins with ordinary holidaymakers who suddenly are caught up in an extraordinary situation.
Keeley highlighted that the series involved ‘dealing with children quite a lot,’ adding: ‘and the whole thing is heightened, emotionally and physically, and it’s just nonstop, you know, Jo is always on the move.’
She added that the third and final episode ‘totally feels very different,’ as it ‘slows down.’
‘But yeah, it was taxing,’ she concluded: ‘I mean, in a good way, I like being stretched. I like doing things but that’s just sort of why I do what I do, and it was brilliant to have that opportunity.
‘But yeah, it was exhausting.’
Speaking about her character, Keeley added: ‘She’s sort of boxed up, not morally corrupt, but she’s a very messy individual. She seemed very real to me. I could relate to her.
‘We’ve all made mistakes in our lives, and I just related to her,’ she shared, adding: ‘It’s not a comfortable watch. It’s thrilling. But at its heart, it’s about these families and these relationships.’
She added that one of the reasons she was particularly interested in the role was because Jo was ‘at the heart of it.’
‘It’s something unusual in that she is a woman at the center of story, which usually would have had a man.’
The synopsis of Crossfire reads: ‘A story of survival and resilience, Crossfire is an edge-of-your-seat nail-biting thriller yet also emotional, intimate and relatable.
‘With the unsuspecting holidaymakers and hotel staff forced to make monumental split-second life or death decisions, the consequences will linger long after the final shots are fired.’
Crossfire airs on BBC One at 9pm tonight, and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.