The State Within
Genevieve O'Reilly plays Caroline Hanley
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Genevieve O'Reilly plays Caroline Hanley, a British international relations specialist who works for a think-tank in Washington.
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She becomes caught up in the cataclysmic events of The State Within when within the first few minutes of the six-part drama her father is killed in an aeroplane blown up by a terrorist bomb.
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Thereafter, she is ensnared in more twists and turns than an Alpine track.
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The actress' reaction when she first read Lizzie Mickery and Daniel Percival's script was short and sweet: "I thought it was bloody brilliant!" she beams.
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"It's very rare, when you read something, to keep having sharp intakes of breath. But when I was poring over Lizzie and Daniel's script, I often gasped out loud.
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"It's written in such an intricate way, and parallel strands keep colliding and interconnecting. All the characters are wonderfully complex, and there are so many contradictions within each of them. That makes them immensely credible.
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"I just wanted to bite into that script - there's so much to get your teeth into! As you can see, I love this project. I was passionate about it before I had even met anyone on it, and simply overjoyed when I was offered the role of Caroline."
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The actress was astounded by how the writers seemed to rip stories from the headlines - sometimes before they had even occurred.
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"It's a vitally contemporary script, with huge relevance to our world right now," asserts Genevieve.
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"If you open the paper any day, you could read part of our plot. It's so topical, it's bound to strike a chord.
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"I found its revelations about the political world especially exciting. It gave me such an insight into the corrupt machinations that go on behind the headlines. I had no idea about the sort of dirty tricks that happen all the time in the realm of high-level politics. The State Within shows that in our present environment, plausible deniability is rife."
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Genevieve, who has previously appeared in Mary Bryant, All Saints, Avatar, Life and Second Chance, believes that it is the function of high-quality drama to tackle the most pressing issues of the day.
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"It is the duty of the creative community to ask tough questions publicly," she opines.
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"Television is a place where ideas can be heard that might not otherwise be heard. It's a superb vehicle for addressing these matters."
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She goes on to laud the producers of The State Within for avoiding simplistic polemic.
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"I don't think it will annoy people in high places.
They are always pretty thick-skinned, anyway - that's why they have got to where they are!
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"But this piece is not knee-jerk. There is nothing soap-boxy about it. The way it's constructed is very subtle and intriguing. It will keep audiences guessing. I think it will make a huge impact, but not because it's waving a political banner. It's using current affairs and weaving them into an enormously clever and creative piece."
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The actress, who has made a splash in Hollywood as Mon Mothma in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and as Officer Wirtz in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, describes her character in The State Within as: "An international relations specialist who advises and gives analysis to clients within the US Government and the British Embassy, as well as corporations.
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"In the scheme of things, she's a very independent woman who's personally connected to many of the other characters, such as the British Ambassador, Mark Brydon, and his aide, Nicholas Brocklehurst.
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"It's a real ensemble piece, and it was a treat to play opposite actors of the calibre of Jason (Isaacs), who makes for an extraordinary lead, and Ben (Daniels), who is quite simply a great actor."
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The actress continues that: "What I love most about Caroline is that she's marvellously human - a flawed, fallible, brilliant, questioning woman.
She's very three-dimensional and textured - and was a joy to play."
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Genevieve, 39, is now taking the leading role in a new drama series, entitled The Time of Your Life.
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"I'm playing a very different character in that. She's a much more quirky woman. She's 35 and has just come out of an 18-year coma. In doing so, she brings together an ensemble of friends who have drifted apart. But she just doesn't possess the social etiquette expected of a woman in her mid-thirties."
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The actress, who hails from Dublin, closes by enthusing about the experience of filming The State Within.
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"I adored the whole process of making it. When I'm 60, I'll look back on it and say, 'God, I loved every minute of that. I'm so proud to have been involved with it.'"
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