Actor Patrick Brammall, widely recognized for his comedic role in ‘Colin from Accounts,’ steps into a darker, more dramatic territory as the lead in the new thriller series ‘Last Seen.’ Set against the rugged backdrop of regional Australia, the show delves into themes of grief, obsession, and the pursuit of closure.
Brammall’s Hesitation and Vulnerability
Despite the initial excitement of being cast, Brammall confessed to a lingering sense of doubt about his suitability for the role of Ian. “When I was cast, I was like, fantastic, amazing, what a role,” Brammall shared. “But 5 per cent of me was going, ‘I think they made a mistake.'” This internal questioning, however, is something Brammall views as essential for his craft. “It’s important that doubt is there because you’re required to put it all on the line every time you embody a character — especially so for me with this role, which is really vulnerable,” he explained.
Brammall, known for his work in ‘Offspring,’ ‘Glitch,’ and co-creating the acclaimed comedy ‘Colin from Accounts’ with his wife Harriet Dyer, finds this role a significant departure. ‘Last Seen’ marks a return to a more dramatic mode for the actor, following a period that included playing a love interest in a sequel to ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and concluding the final season of ‘Colin from Accounts.’
The Premise of ‘Last Seen’
In ‘Last Seen,’ Brammall portrays Ian, a former police officer grappling with alcoholism and the unresolved grief stemming from his daughter Maggie’s disappearance 11 years prior. The narrative takes a sharp turn when the remains of a young girl are discovered near his coastal Victorian home, offering a glimmer of hope for closure. However, this discovery thrusts Ian into a tense confrontation with Henry, a reclusive fundamentalist played by Brendan Cowell. Henry, fiercely protective of his own teenage daughter, becomes Ian’s ideological and emotional adversary.
Balancing Drama and Comedy
The demanding nature of ‘Last Seen,’ with its exploration of child abduction, grief, and high-octane action sequences, might suggest a challenging filming experience. Yet, Brammall described the shoot as surprisingly joyful. “We had the space and the grace to have these emotional and highly charged moments, but to let off steam there was a lot of laughter on set,” he said. This sentiment was echoed by Cowell, who suggested that humor and camaraderie are vital when working with dark subject matter.
Brammall himself doesn’t differentiate his approach to comedy and drama. “I don’t approach comedy any differently than I approach drama. It’s not like, here’s a different style,” he stated. “The tone is all embedded in the writing. If it’s written well, it unlocks those things in you.” He and Dyer were even writing the third season of ‘Colin from Accounts’ while he was filming ‘Last Seen’ in regional Victoria.
Brendan Cowell’s Character and On-Set Dynamics
Brendan Cowell, who plays the complex character Henry, described the set atmosphere as one built on mutual respect. His character is devoted to his wife and daughter, a role that Cowell found compelling. “I tend to have more fun on the darker [shows] because you need the humour and you need each other,” Cowell remarked. “We formed this kind of feral gang in a lot of ways.” He acknowledged the emotional toll of inhabiting dark roles, referring to it as a “strange occupational hazard” where actors must draw upon their own emotional reserves.
Cowell noted that the character of Henry, while intense, resonated with him. “I was reading [the script for Last Seen] and I thought, ‘I never get offered that role of the cop or the guy in the suit, the guy that has a proper job’,'” he said. “But when I started reading Henry, I was like, ‘No, I’m happy here’.” He expressed a desire to help audiences understand the motivations of such characters, aiming to make them relatable.
Australian Storytelling on the Global Stage
‘Last Seen’ reunites Brammall and Cowell with Australian screenwriter Kris Mrksa, who adapted the series from Ryan David Jahn’s novel ‘The Dispatcher.’ Mrksa, a writer on ‘Glitch’ and ‘The Slap,’ is credited with the pivotal decision to transplant the story from its original American Midwest setting to regional Australia. This adaptation makes ‘Last Seen’ the first Apple TV+ show to be both produced and entirely filmed in Australia.
Cowell highlighted the significance of this Australian setting. “We keep the scale, but it’s in bushranger territory, with Aussie talent,” he explained. The series intentionally incorporates Australian humor and a sense of menace, aiming to resonate with both local and international audiences without alienating viewers unfamiliar with specific cultural nuances. Cowell shared his experience of being asked to moderate his Australian accent for international projects, but felt that embracing the inherent “Australianness” of ‘Last Seen’ was crucial for its thriller elements.
Brammall drew parallels to his experience with ‘Colin from Accounts,’ where he and Dyer resisted pressure to alter Australian slang for broader appeal. “I grew up exposed to American and British stuff and there’s a lot of references I didn’t get, but it didn’t stop my enjoyment of those shows,” he recalled. This perspective aligns with the growing international success of Australian productions, such as the recent popularity of ‘My Brilliant Career’ and comedies like ‘Fisk’ and ‘Colin from Accounts.’
The Future of Australian Content
Brammall believes that Australian productions possess the inherent quality to captivate global audiences but often require support to reach them. “We don’t all have to do a remake for the American market. We don’t have to put subtitles on so much. We’ll watch something from Ireland or Korea,” he observed. “But you do need to have the support.” ‘Last Seen’ is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+.
