Shalom Brune-Franklin On Adjusting to the New Normal, Insightful Wisdom About Failure and Her New Series 'Cursed'

Shalom Brune-Franklin, who you can catch in the Netflix series Cursed, talks about navigating the new normal, how she discovered performing, why failure is a good thing and what she’s most proud of in her new hit series.

Photography by Simon Fitzpatrick

Interview by Alison Engstrom

hi shalom, it’s great to meet you! How are you doing and where have you been spending the majority of your time?

I’m doing pretty well, I just got back to the UK from Australia and I am back to work. I am trying to stay as informed as I can, but without making myself crazy, like looking at the news the second I get up. Also, I think staying focused and doing what I can do and trying not to get to carried away with anxiety or thoughts about what is happening. More so than ever, I have been waking up and thinking about the future. I am very much one of those people who lives in the moment and I don’t really think too far ahead—that’s how I live my life. But this is the first time in my life, I have been forced to do that just because of the planning that goes into trying to control this pandemic. There are so many things happening; it can be really overwhelming actually, but I am trying to stay grounded, do the little things I can do to try to stay clear.

Living in the present under normal circumstances is a very good and admirable skill. I have been coaxing myself to try to stay in the moment. 

That’s so true; I feel like everyone is talking about economic crash, unemployment rates and infection rates— it’s so overwhelming. It’s making you think about about the future—it’s the most I have ever been challenged. It’s been difficult, I am not going to lie. 

I’ve been thinking about the future, but more in a profound way, like what do I really want and what’s really important?  

I couldn’t agree more. It’s funny how as soon as everything stopped, you were grounded in the place that you were and you could barely leave your house. Everything that was really important was at the forefront of your brain and you realized how much stuff has been filling it beforehand. I agree with you, it’s been quite profound on how to move forward now. I find it quite strange to try to go back to normal—or the new normal—from lockdown. I am finding that process even harder than staying in.

So you are back to filming in the UK? 

Yes! And it’s been really strange with the process of being on set and loads of PPE and everyone has face masks. Every morning you go into your trailer and there is a covid self-testing kit on your table, ready to go. It’s been a fun way to start your day by not trying to gag on this little thing (laughs). It definitely is strange but I feel like in a way, the work has become more focused because there is a limited amount of people who are allowed to be on set. It’s all about everyone staying isolated in their departments. In a weird way, there is a lot more silence and time to think, which is quite helpful. I left Sydney and cases were just on the brink of starting to pick back up again, but people were out eating in cafés and the gyms were open—no one was wearing a face mask. I landed at Heathrow airport and it was silent, I’ve never seen anything like it, I’ll probably never see anything like it again in my lifetime. A vending machine had face masks, I felt like I landed in a different world. (laughs). 

as a child were you always drawn to the arts?

I was born in England and then I moved to Australia when I was 15, so I am a dual-citizen.  Growing up, I was never interested in drama or art; I never really was a kid very into TV or film. I was much more interested in my sport—that was my upbringing, I was totally surrounded by sport. It was a different training class after every day of the week and some matches on the weeknd. I played basketball, net ball, rounders, which is sort of like a baseball, gymnastics—I did everything. When we moved to Australia, it was a lot tougher to play competitive sports, we didn’t have a car when we first moved there, so logistically, it was just too hard to figure it out. I was much more busy with trying to make a new life and make new friends, all of the challenges of moving. I was in a math class and was failing pretty badly, so I moved into drama because it was the easiest looking subject and it sparked from there, when I was about 17. There was a meant to be element there I guess. It might sound cheesy, but it’s where it all began.  

Not cheesy! Some things are meant to be! Can you share a bit more about your journey and what led to you landing the role in the netflix series, ‘cursed’?

The first job I got after training was in Australia for an Australian series by Tony McNamara, who has now gone on to write The Favorite and The Great, so I was starting in amazing hands. It was incredible. He gave me my first start and it kind of went on from there. I ended up getting British representation and getting a job back in England, so I flew back for the job. It was the second time being back in the country in like ten years. It was really strange that we moved to Australia for opportunity and funnily enough the opportunity had taken me back to where I had grown up. Ever since then I have been going back and forth between the two places.  

What was it about the ‘Cursed’ script that made you think, I really need to do this project?

I think the fact that when I first read the synopsis, I saw that it was loosely based on the Arthurian legend. So straight away, my knowledge of it is King Arthur, the Round Table and Sword in the Stone. Since I grew up in England, you know a little bit about but I didn't’ have a huge knowledge. So when I read the script, I was really surprised that it was told from the perspective of the Lady of the Lake—a medieval fantasy told through this one woman’s eyes. I just thought that was so different and something I had never seen before when reading scripts. I loved that there were no damsels in distress. All the women in this series are tough and they are fighting just as hard, if not harder, than the men in this story. They aren’t being told what to do. I thought that was a really cool element that I loved. My character Morgana, who I went in to read for, I just fell in love with her right away. I just had to play her.

Can you talk a bit more about your character Morgana. 

We meet her in the nunnery; she is almost like a field fighter for the people who are being persecuted in our series. She is this really brave, strong-willed woman who has been down on her luck in a lot of life. She has been abandoned because she has lost a lot of her family. She has been told what to believe and where to go. We see a young woman who might have a fighting chance to take control over her life. We get taken on that journey, there are a lot of twists and turns, quite dark ones as well. It’s an amazing part, I’m so lucky. 

How do you typically get into character? Do you see any parallels between yourself and her?

When I saw the whole genre of the show and that it’s set in ancient Britain that was kind of the biggest challenge for me. How do I get into the mindset of something so far away? Everything I have ever played has been modern day. I gave myself unnecessary stress thinking how can I play that at this moment because I don’t know what it’s like to have these daily fears and have life and death every single second. You know this was pre-coronavirus (laughs). I kept alienating myself from this character and that was the biggest challenge. I had to sort things out and say this is a young woman; these people are still human, even though we might put them as treason-like aliens to us and allow the truth of every single moment to be the foundation of everything rather than being too theatrical. There are loads of epicness and you feel like you have to overcompensate almost, but finding the tone was really wrapped up in the character development. Once I kind of let that go, it was really easy, or it wasn’t easy (laughs) but it made it simpler in my head. 

What about the show are you most proud of?

I think the female story lines in the show are the most exciting thing. I think it’s cool that there is this young heroine who people can look up to. I loved watching things like Zena when I was a kid—it’s giving me those types of vibes. But when I saw Katherine [Langford] in her corset for the first time with the sword,  I was like, oh my gosh! It’s also a really action-packed story that provides a bit of escapism in this crazy time.

I love tapping into other’s for wisdom. I’d love to know, what’s one lesson or piece of advice that has helped guide you? 

I definitely am telling myself more to trust in the process and lean into the failures. I think the most growth I have ever had has been through the most heartbreaking thing or biggest losses, whether that be people or whatever it is. I learned so much in those periods. I am also not being afraid to loose as well—those are probably my biggest mottos or things that I am trying to live by. Also, caring less about what others think is also a huge one, I am trying to get better at it.

I agree with that, failure stings; it’s uncomfortable, but it eventually gets you to a new level of growth.  

Failure is always described as one thing but success can always be a multiple of different things, which I always find fascinating. You learn so much more from failure than you do from any success. 

What are you most passionate about these days? Do you have any hobbies? 

I am definitely passionate about trying to get better at cooking Thai food. My grandmother was Thai; she passed away this year. I’ve been taking the time in isolation to try to and get better at that, but I just ended up making incredible cherry pies, which is not Thai at all (laughs). That’s how good my pie cooking is going! 

I’m so sorry to hear about your grandmother.When it comes to your work, what types of projects intrigue you the most? Is there an area that intimidates you but you want to explore it anyways?

I just did this small part on a show about a couple who is locked together—the irony!—because of an alien invasion. It was really sweet just filming the dynamic of two people, so maybe doing a theater piece could be quite cool. That tense focus on one other  person I think could teach you a lot about really listening and can ground you quite a bit. 

Well, that’s a truth that many people will be able to relate to! Can you share what’s next for you?

I’m so excited, there is a show coming out in a couple of months called Roadkill, which I am really excited to come out; it’s a great story and features a bunch of great British actors like Hugh Laurie and Helen McCrory—definitely not bad company. I am also going back to filming Line of Duty, which is an awesome British drama. 

Follow Shalom on Instagram

Stream ‘Cursed’ Now on Netflix

A very special thank you to Simon Fitzpatrick