Things will be getting very steamy in Obsession, Netflix's raunchy new four-part erotic thriller about a man who starts an affair with his son's girlfriend.
A contemporary adaptation of Josephine Hart’s 1991 novella, "Damage, Obsession", the miniseries sees Richard Armitage and Charlie Murphy star in a tale of lies, lust and forbidden love.
There are sure to be plenty of on-screen bedroom antics over the course of the limited series, but it doesn't take a family counsellor to realise this is the kind of relationship that might not have a happy ending.
Adapted for the screen by Noughts and Crosses writer by Benji Walters and Morgan Lloyd-Malcolm alongside directors Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, the series will be produced by Gina Carter, who previously worked on See How They Run and 24 Hour Party People.
Here's everything we know about a drama that's sure to leave very little to the imagination...
Obsession release date on Netflix
The four-part miniseries will premiere on Netflix on Thursday April 13, 2023.
Is there an Obsession trailer?
There sure is, check it out here... (NSFW)
Obsession plot
A synopsis from Netflix reads as a follows...
"Obsession is a thrilling and seductive limited series about erotic obsession and forbidden desire. A contemporary adaptation of Josephine Hart’s novella titled 'Damage', Obsession centres around a dangerous love triangle that emerges when the enigmatic Anna Barton embarks on a passionate affair with her fiancé’s father, William. While Anna fights to sustain both relationships, William is drawn into an obsessive spiral. But how long can they keep their secret hidden before someone gets hurt?"
This isn't the first time Hart's book has been adapted for the screen with Jeremy Irons and Juliet Binoche playing the leading roles in a critically-acclaimed 1992 film Damage. Miranda Richardson was nominated for an Oscar and picked up a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for her portrayal of William's wife, Ingrid.
Obsession cast
The Hobbit star Richard Armitage plays William and it won't be his first Netflix show, after playing a leading role in Stay Close and The Stranger in recent years.
Meanwhile Irish actress Charlie Murphy, whose CV includes hit British shows such as Happy Valley and Peaky Blinders will play the enigmatic Anna Barton.
The cast is completed by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) who plays William's wife Ingrid, Rish Shah (Ms. Marvel) who plays William's son and Anna's boyfriend, Jay, and Pippa Bennett-Warner (Gangs of London, Roadkill) who plays Anna's pal Peggy.
Marion Bailey — who played the Queen Mother in The Crown — also plays a crucial role as Anna's mother.
Richard Armitage on Obsession
What first attracted you to this erotic thriller?
It’s something I would have been very stressed about approaching in my early 20s, but I was just really curious about the psychology of William. He’s got seemingly a perfect life, with a happy marriage, but then this person walks in and he gets drawn into this fatal relationship. It’s a fatal attraction that he could put a stop to, but just doesn't - and you think how can a good man tread that path?
How would you describe the pair’s relationship?
At one stage Jay and Anna travel to Paris for a romantic weekend away and he secretly pursues them there! Psychologically, it's almost a horror film for William, because there’s this destructive force that he recognises because it starts to damage his family life, but there’s also a kind of ecstasy surrounding who she is. I guess it’s similar to what a drug addict goes through! We wanted to take the audience inside the feeling of having an overwhelming physical attraction to somebody. The more intense they are with each other, the more that fuels their relationship and for William it’s almost like a spiritual rebirth!
What was it like working so closely with Charlie Murphy during the shoot?
We both knew it was going to be challenging and I think we understood that at the start of the shoot we needed to be apart, because if we got too comfortable we wouldn’t have been able to create that friction on screen. At that stage we were like animals in the jungle stalking each other a little bit, but we actually got to know each other far more once all of the intimacy stuff was over and we were on the home straight. We started to kind of have drinks and dinner together, which was great because Charlie is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met!
The series revolves around Willam and Anna’s physical relationship, what were those scenes like to film?
I’ve worked with directors who film these scenes by saying “I’ll just start the cameras and you do what you do!” and some who are too afraid to show anything, which is almost worse. But we knew the journey they go on with each other physically was as important as the rest of the narrative, so we had to construct a relationship that was physically intimate and dangerous, but not voyeuristic. We rehearsed and we worked with a great intimacy coordinator, Adelaide Waldrop, so we had a map of where we were going with the scene, which allowed us both to relax. They were like fight sequences, they have to be choreographed so nobody gets hurt!
Following the success of the Fifty Shades of Grey films, do you think our attitudes towards sex on screen have changed in recent years?
It’s funny because when I told people I was doing an erotic thriller, most people folded their arms and raised their eyebrows. But they wouldn’t do the same when I tell them about all the unbelievably violent scenes I filmed when I was in Sky drama Hannibal a few years ago. We seem to salivate over punching people and pulling triggers, but sex makes people uncomfortable and I kind of hope we’re getting past that now. It’s an area of human expression that carries danger that almost everyone can relate to, so I think we should recognise that. Having said that, this isn’t one I’d have relished watching with my mum if she was still with us!
Charlie Murphy on Obsession
What made you want to do this project?
It's something I've never done before and when I read the book I loved the story even more, it was so interesting and drenched in noir.
How would you describe William and Anna’s relationship?
It’s almost like Anna’s a seasoned drug addict who's high functioning, while he's just had his first hit and it’s not going to go well. He's a very established person outside that flat, but in there she's very much the leader, the woman control and the architect of this whole world that she’s created. He's almost this kind of childlike figure to her.
The book is told mostly from William’s perspective, but the series explores Anna’s story as well doesn’t it?
It does and I thought that was really important, because you want people to understand her and like her as well, because she’s been through hell! There is a childhood trauma in Anna’s past and I think that’s the cause of her behaviour, because she wants the feeling of having control, but also self-destruction and catharsis. If she could continue with William and Jay forever then I think she would! She feeds in the darkness, but to be able to do that she needs to keep one foot tethered to something sustainable.
How does working on a project like this compare to Happy Valley, where you played Ann Gallagher for three series?
This is so different from Happy Valley and I’ve loved that. Shows like Happy Valley and Peaky Blinders are big ensemble pieces, whereas this felt so concentrated and intimate, which was a nice change of gear. It was such a big moment when Happy Valley came to an end earlier this year and it was an amazing thing to be involved with, but no one ever recognises me from the show - I don’t know why!
