Jessica Hobbs has left The Crown, but she can’t seem to escape definitive articles or the ruling classes. In mini-series The Regime, the Emmy-winning New Zealander shares directing duties with veteran Stephen Frears on the HBO political satire.
It is set in an unnamed contemporary central European country, where Kate Winslet is Elena, the not-too-bright chancellor who has inherited the job from her dead despot dad. Hobbs directed three of the increasingly anarchic latter episodes on the show, written by Will Tracy, whose credits include foodie black comedy The Menu and episodes of Succession. The Regime may also be about power but it’s rather sillier than the Windsor or Roy family sagas. Which for Hobbs – who won an Emmy for directing “War”, the Princess Diana-oriented finale of The Crown’s fourth season, and whose earlier UK credits include detective shows like Broadchurch – might seem as if she’s found something lighter.
The Regime is less serious than what you’ve been directing before, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier, does it?
It certainly doesn’t. It’s a satire, and very funny but it’s pretty dark and it’s talking about something that’s really important in terms of the rise of populism and the soundbite news that we’re letting leaders get away with. I think it’s great to wrap that up in a character that’s as charismatic and hilarious as Kate, but I hope the deep messaging still comes through. Basically, it’s a magpie of the show: we’re taking things from regimes that have occurred over history and using contemporary politics to reflect past politics. Will really wanted us to say something about the current state of the world but to make it in a way that’s entertaining that might make people think about when you’re laughing, but hopefully you’re uncomfortably laughing.
You’re still playing around with people living in palaces? Is that your specialty now?
I think when you come from New Zealand, you have a particular interest in that. You’re always going to have the outsider’s point of view and I love having the outsider’s point of view. I think it gives you a particular privilege in your storytelling.
This is a directing partnership with the venerable Stephen Frears, who, based on past interview experience, is a man of few words. How was he to work with?
He was absolutely brilliant. Stephen has worked with another director before. But he came to me, and we had a really great conversation. I felt that our directing styles actually worked really well together. He’s very funny, incredibly well read, very erudite but also immensely respectful. He really enjoyed my take on things and the way I did things. Honestly, it was one of the greatest privileges of my life. I remember sitting watching My Beautiful Laundrette. It was one of the films that made me think, “Oh, maybe I could do this.” This is a really lovely full circle moment for me.
And this is a big HBO show. Did you get this because of the kudos you got on The Crown or everything you’d done leading up to this?
It was a whole body of work leading up to it. The Emmy made a difference. That was a great thing – a lot of people wanting to meet and talk. I’d wanted to work with HBO for years, and this one felt exactly the way I wanted to kind of enter their universe. It was very original and particular, and I felt I could have a voice in it. That was right for me.
So, you weren’t involved in the final season of The Crown because of this?
I was never going to be doing the last season. I had a brilliant time on it but I’d done four years on it. I was really looking for something new. I had a film to do but that fell over, and this came up.
Given the last season of The Crown was going to be the most problematic one because it was the most contemporary one, were you reluctant to do that last season?
It actually never came up because at the beginning of season five, I’d said to [creator] Peter Morgan, “Look, I’ve got this film”, and he was really thrilled for me, and he was an old friend of Stephen’s. So, when it switched to the HBO thing, it was fine. So, it just wasn’t a question for me. But I loved those challenges with it, and it was really enjoyable being a viewer outside the show.
The Regime streams on Neon from 6pm, Monday, March 4, and screens on SoHo, from Tuesday, March 5, 8.30pm.
