Aussie actress Essie Davis, best known for her role as Phryne Fisher in ABC’s Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and for playing Lady Crane in series six of Game of Thrones, is set to appear in series two of True Story with Hamish and Andy.
“She has been somewhere in Spain in a massive castle for Game of Thrones - and then she has to come and sit at our set, which is a university pretending to be a hospital," laughs series creator, Andy Lee.
Though he won’t elaborate on exactly what it is Essie will be doing, Andy admits she’s not the only big-name star appearing this season.
“We have been really fortunate,” he says. “Thankfully no one had too bad a time in season one, so word has spread that it’s OK to come onto this set and you won’t be treated badly.”
Joining Essie are Toby Truslove (Laid) and Upper Middle Bogan’s Michala Banas.
“We’ve also got Christie Whelan Brown in this episode, and TJ Power, who has flown in from LA for this,” says Andy, who is speaking to WHO from the set of the final episode of the series, which will wrap production in a few days.
The duo have also managed to secure All Saints’ John Waters, Bruce Spence of Mad Max fame, Dave Lawson from Utopia, Working Dog’s Rob Sitch and Santo Cilauro, as well as Katrina Milosevic (Wentworth), Anne Edmonds (Edge of the Bush), Kate McCartney (Get Krack’n!), Nicholas Bell (The Ex-PM), and a host of others.
It’s quite the line-up.
And, as the boys explain, securing this list of some of Australia’s best actors and comedians has been one of their favourite parts of producing the show.
“You get an idea [of who you’d like to cast] when you first hear the story,” Andy admits.
“Sometimes you just go, ‘Oh this person is definitely this person, so it makes it easier,’” Hamish adds.
“But otherwise it’s just us throwing around ideas in a room, and then we see who’s available - and wants to come and play!”
True Story with Hamish and Andy will premiere later in the year on the Nine Network.
