Is Population 11 based on Last Stop Larrimah?
Although the show is loosely based on the real-life disappearance of Paddy Moriarty from Larrimah, Population 11 takes on a unique and increasingly fictional angle.
"[We used] that story as a jumping-off point," Ben explains. "All of our characters are fictional. The actual drama, the potential murder, death...that's all made up in our show, and my character didn't exist."
"I listened to the podcasts just to see what it was," Perry adds. "And I did watch the ABC documentary because that's all that was available [at the time], I found it really interesting."
"The story has a lot of parallels," Stephen Curry who plays Noel Pinkus also shared. "You want to tell the story with as much respect as possible - the characters are heightened but we wanted to present them as real people."
Where is Population 11 filmed in Australia?
The show was filmed in the Kimberly region, an isolated area of Western Australia where the cast spent up to three months filming.
"We became like our own little city and there was like a hotel where all the cast and crew stayed," Ben shares. "It was almost like being in camp or on a cruise that didn't go anywhere."
While the town they filmed in was not as small as the town portrayed on screens, Ben admitted it still felt "remote."
"I mean, I live in Los Angeles, California and before that, I lived in New York, so this is definitely the most remote I've ever lived and to do it for three months...it was a lot."
"It really helps when you are like thousands of kilometres away, you really feel like you are immersed into the energy of the place and it makes your job easier as an actor," adds Perry. "But the isolation could sometimes get to you every now and then...you do go a little loopy out there but not in a terrible way."
Where can I watch Population 11?
Population 11 premiered on March 14, 2024. Watch the season on Stan.