Murray Bartlett on the ‘thrilling ride' it was joining Nicole Kidman on Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2
The 54-year-old went from playing resort manager Armond in the first season of the dark comedy to being cast as cancelled puppeteer Brian on Season 2 of the drama series Nine Perfect Strangers.
But Bartlett, who was born in Sydney and raised in Perth, is far from lost – and he is no stranger to fellow Aussie actress Nicole Kidman, who reprises her role of enigmatic wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko in the new season.
'She's an icon in the world, but she's like a special icon for us. So I think it was a thrill for all of us to jump on board with her and be able to be part of this world with her,' he tells news.com.au ahead of the Season 2 premiere on May 22 on Prime Video.
'It's an extraordinary character that she's created and she's wild and mysterious and unpredictable. And so that was also a thrilling kind of ride to be on, to be in scenes with this character. You're not sure whether she's helping you or messing with you, which I think makes the show really compelling to watch.'
Like in Season 1, nine people with different traumas convene for 10 days at fictional wellness retreat Zauberwald in the Austrian Alps led by Masha (Kidman).
But with the Russian guru's unconventional approach to healing, it's anyone's guess what journey is required for them to undergo their transformations.
Murray plays a once-popular children's TV show host and puppeteer who is 'cancelled' for his offensive meltdown on screen.
'I love the character. I love the way he was written. I think it's really interesting to explore the nuances of cancel culture and what it looks like from both sides and trying to suspend judgement on both sides of a situation like that and just kind of dive into the emotional stuff that people are projecting or dealing with in that kind of situation. So I felt there was so many kind of interesting things to explore with Brian,' he says.
Mainly for Bartlett, it was the cast that made the series. Among them are billionaire father Peter Sharpe (Mark Strong) and son David (Henry Golding), glamorous divorcee Victoria (Christine Baranski) and her enraged daughter Imogen (Annie Murphy) and a nun named Agnes with a mysterious past (Dolly De Leon).
'It's this great ensemble show. I didn't know at the time when I signed on what a wonderful group it would be, but it's amazing to be able to be part of such a great ensemble and to tell this story together and lean on each other and develop those relationships,' Bartlett says.
Co-star Annie Murphy agrees. She played Alexis Rose in the award-winning Netflix hit Schitt's Creek on all six seasons. In Nine Perfect Strangers, Murphy portrays Imogen – a guarded woman raised with wealth and privilege.
'I was so excited by the prospect of working with a big cast,' Murphy tells news.com.au. ' Schitt's Creek was such a special show because it was such an ensemble piece and that really is where I feel most comfortable and the opportunity for adventure. We spent six months in Munich and travelling around Austria. It was just an obvious no-brainer to hop on board.'
Adds Bartlett: 'I love a situation like that. Similar to your experience in Schitt's Creek, I had that in White Lotus and other jobs that I've done where I love being part of an ensemble. And this was a pretty extraordinary special group to be part of.'
While parts of the show explore the depths of trauma and mental health, Bartlett says the cast, the location and the comedy in the chaos balance out the darkness.
'There's so many beautiful layers in the show connected to that dealing with trauma and facing your demons and trying to let go of the baggage you might've been carrying,' he says.
'But also its beautiful locations. It's beautifully shot. It's a gorgeous place to spend some time in watching this show. It's got a lot of complimentary aspects to it that it's got those depths, but it's funny. It's a really brilliant group of actors inhabiting some really funny, fascinating, interesting characters.'
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