Actress Fern Sutherland.
Even the most powerful and influential CEOs or owners of companies cannot do it all alone. For that reason, most people like that typically have a loyal, highly-skilled and hard-working (in some cases overworked and under-appreciated) assistant coordinating things behind the scenes to make certain that the proverbial ship remains upright and on course.
On the New Zealand-made TV dramedy series The Almighty Johnsons, that burden rests on the beautiful shoulders of Dawn. She works for and runs a small PR company owned by Anders Johnson, a handsome as well as cocky, self-centered and arrogant young man who enjoys the “game” of seducing and having sex with woman after woman. He is one of three brothers who, along with their grandfather, are reincarnated Norse gods. Whether Anders is out of the office on a god-like quest with his brothers, trying to land a new client, or enjoying champagne at a glitzy press party, Dawn is left to hold down the fort. While her job might not exactly be loaded with perks, actress Fern Sutherland, who plays Dawn, was delighted to fill the position.
“When I first read the character description for Dawn, I felt an instant recognition,” says Sutherland. “I thought, ‘I understand this woman,’ which doesn’t always immediately happen when you’re auditioning for a part, if at all. I had my first audition and then got a callback with producer Simon Bennett. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate how important he was because I was only very recently out of drama school and naïve as hell. However, Simon gave me some direction and feedback, which was cool. Then one day not long after, as I was on my way to work (I was a waitress at the time; I know, a walking cliché), my agent called to tell me I got the part. I was absolutely beside myself.
“It was crazy, too, because at the time, all anyone in the acting fraternity could talk about was auditioning for the male leads on The Almighty Johnsons. It seemed like every male actor in New Zealand was reading for one of the Johnsons, and the competition was fierce. South Pacific Pictures [the show’s production company] was doing all sorts of workshop auditions as well as testing chemistry between potential actors, and then out of nowhere I got a part in the show. I felt bad because I was one of the first to be cast and my role was totally ancillary. Who am I kidding, I was smug as hell,” she jokes. “I’m pretty thankful, though, that I didn’t have to go through the anxiety and trauma that the lads went through.”
The Almighty Johnsons' Dawn (Fern Sutherland). Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
In The Almighty Johnsons opener It’s a Kind of a Birthday Present, the youngest brother Axl (Emmett Skilton) prepares to celebrate his 21st birthday. Upon reaching this particular milestone, Axl, like his brothers and grandfather when they turned 21, learned that he was a reincarnated Norse god, in his case, the most powerful of all gods, Odin. This revelation, however, came with a major caveat – in order for the Johnsons to attain their full powers as gods, Axl must find Odin’s destined lover, the Goddess Frigg. If he is killed before doing so, all the Johnsons will die along with him. Although Sutherland was a newcomer to the television industry, she was warmly welcomed when production began on the series.
“Everyone, cast and crew alike, treated me as though I knew what they were talking about and that I knew what I was doing,” notes the actress. “The crew really treated me as though I had something special to offer, which was hilarious because I had no idea what anything meant. I felt so ‘illegitimate’ and like such a fraud. However, looking back now, I think that was the best thing to happen because it made me get on with it [the job] pretty quickly. I didn’t want anyone to catch on that they’d cast a complete amateur. I worked mostly with Dean O’Gorman [Anders Johnson], and I remember thinking that he was such a genius and so professional – how young and, again, naïve I was. I’d never say this to his face, but Dean taught me a great deal about acting, especially when it came to comedy. Of course, I realize now that calling him professional is a bit of a stretch. Sarcasm doesn’t read very well, though, so I am going to insert a disclaimer which states that I love Dean O’Gorman.
“When it comes to my character of Dawn, the initial [acting] challenges for me were those I previously mentioned, but I also think it was hard-ish to be a peripheral character. Often I was aware that Dawn was there to further the plot or act as a catalyst for other characters, which is totally fine. However, it meant I needed to be very economical with my acting. I had to very quickly justify some seemingly abrupt changes in Dawn’s thoughts and feelings in order to fit in with the story as a whole. From a completely practical point of view, too, it often meant that many of my scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, as they were the least important in terms of driving the entire story forward. I’m not bitter, though. I actually loved being a supporting character. All care, no responsibility!
“In season three of The Almighty Johnsons, Dawn got out of the office a bit more, which I really liked,” she enthuses. “There is only so much pretend tapping on a keyboard and pot plant watering that I could do. I am particularly proud of the last season. I feel like that’s when it all slotted into place. Not to in any way discredit the two seasons before, but I just think perhaps we needed a little bit of time to work out what the story really was at its heart.”
Anders (Dean O'Gorman) and Dawn (Fern Sutherland). Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
As Bragi, the god of poetry, Anders has the ability to persuade others to do what he wants just by speaking to them. Unfortunately for him, his words are not able to bend the will of all those with whom he crosses paths. In the first season The Almighty Johnsons episode You’ve Gotta Love Life, Babe, Dawn, with a smidge of prodding by one of Anders’ brothers, Ty (Jared Turner), decides she has had enough of her overly demanding boss and quits. Of course, Anders is able to woo her back with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and some silver-tongued talking.
“What I love about Dawn and Anders is that they both find each other tiresome and tedious, but they get quite a sense of purpose from being around each other,” says Sutherland. “There is a familiarity to their dynamic. It’s a source of comfort to them both. When everything else is going awry, they always have their bickering and can count on one another to react in the ways that they do. It was interesting playing a woman who puts up with so much crap. Dawn doesn’t realize that Anders has his powers of ‘poetry,’ so it is incredibly frustrating for her. She can’t understand why she keeps going back for more, and probably goes home each night to a glass of wine and wonders if she’s half in love with him. With her self-respect in tatters, my character is almost a battered wife in that regard.
“Dawn doesn’t really have much to do with the other brothers, apart from Ty, of course. Anders and Ty are like chalk and cheese, which was quite a fun thing to explore because Dawn often gets caught in the middle of their personalities. Ty hates the way Dawn is treated and Anders gets a little worried that she is being distracted by Ty and his annoying ‘morals.’ It’s a bumpy road with Ty and it definitely is heartbreaking for my character along the way. There is so much Dawn doesn’t understand, and because Ty is very loyal to his family, sometimes he has to be really cruel.
“In the third season it was great for Dawn to interact with the other characters a bit. At times, Ben Barrington [who plays Olaf, the Johnson brothers’ grandfather] and I used to wonder what would happen if Dawn and Olaf had to spend an afternoon with each other. In a word, carnage,” says the actress with a chuckle.
Dawn (Fern Sutherland) and Ty (Jared Turner). Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
Despite any onscreen bumping of heads between Dawn and Anders or amongst the Johnson brothers, the mood behind the cameras during filming of all three seasons of The Almighty Johnsons was nothing but congenial. “Working on the show was so much fun,” says Sutherland. “The cast and crew were and are the greatest bunch of human beings. Seriously, there was not one clanger in the bunch. Those boys are just punch-in-the-face awesome and so hilarious, and the girls are all delightful and so laid back.
“One of the best things that happened to me while shooting the show was meeting Michelle Langstone [who plays Michelle a.k.a. Sjofn, the goddess of love on the series]. We became good friends and lived with each other for a wee bit. She is ‘mad’ in the best possible way and a ridiculously beautiful person. I think the show is special because while it is ‘ridiculous.’ It has so much heart. The gods and goddesses are really just people with emotions that happen to have some unique talents.”
Sutherland received a best supporting actress nomination for her work on The Almighty Johnsons at the 2011 Aotearoa Film & Television Awards (AFTA). Prior to that series, the actress made her small screen debut in an episode of the New Zealand comedy/drama series Go Girls. She can next be seen in the upcoming murder mystery miniseries The Brokenwood Mysteries playing Detective Constable Kristin Simms opposite Neill Rea as Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd. Coincidentally, this series also has a link to The Almighty Johnsons, with Tim Balme (who plays the oldest brother Mike) serving as one of the writers on the show. The Brokenwood Mysteries is scheduled to debut on New Zealand TV later this year, and Sutherland is looking forward to introducing audiences to her newest TV persona.
“Kristin is similar to Dawn in that she is driven, officious and wants people to take her seriously,” explains the actress. “However, it was important for me to make sure there was, obviously, a definite difference between the two characters. It was a constant concern of mine while filming, mainly because there is a similar relationship dynamic. Kristin and Mike have a similar vibe to that of Dawn and Anders. Kristin is less put upon that Dawn, though; she is much more active and less willing to be victimized.
Fern Sutherland as Detective Constable Kristin Simms in The Brokenwood Mysteries. Photo copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
“My character is modelled on a really good friend of mine. She’s the best friend you’ll ever have, strong moral compass, loyal, stubborn and pretty black-and-white, but deeply compassionate. When it comes to acting challenges with this role, there are things like increased workload. I had a lot more lines to learn as well as involvement in rehearsals and other stuff. I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I could handle it. I felt like I had learnt so much from my time on The Almighty Johnsons, and it was wonderful to be able to road test a few things that I thought I’d learnt. Hopefully it’s not all car crash-type acting.”
In a relatively short time, Sutherland has already made an indelible mark for herself in television history. She has no illusions that her chosen career path is not an easy one, but it is a path she has always been drawn to.
“Even though I didn’t consciously want to be an actor growing up, I knew that I always wanted to tell stories and pretend to be other people,” she muses. “I suffer a great deal from social anxiety and get stage fright something chronic. So it’s not really a match made in heaven, me and acting. In fact, I probably shouldn’t be doing it at all, but to cut a long story short, after I finished high school, I went straight into drama school and then graduated three years later. I got an agent straight away and did a bit of theatre before booking my first proper gig on The Almighty Johnsons.”
Steve Eramo
In the U.S., The Almighty Johnsons currently airs Friday nights @ 11:00 p.m. EST on Syfy. As noted above, all photos from The Almighty Johnsons and The Brokenwood Mysteries courtesy and copyright of South Pacific Pictures.
