Interview with Stevie Cruz-Martin – Director

What attracted you to the project?

Initially, what attracted me to Careless was the beautiful Robyn Malcolm. I knew she was attached to play Angela, and she's someone I've admired for years and wanted to work with for a long time. Our schedules had never aligned before, so when I saw she was already involved, that felt like a real win.

On a personal level, my father also lives with MS, and we're both originally from Aberdeen. So the opportunity to go back to Scotland and work there, while telling a story that touched on something so personal, felt like everything had aligned.

What is Careless about?

For me, Careless is about what can happen when deep trauma goes unexamined.

What themes are explored in Careless?

Careless explores themes of rehabilitation, redemption and caregiving, but it also looks at social class and the contrast between different worlds.

At its heart, it's also about family and how far you're willing to go for the people you love, whether they're your family by blood or your chosen family.

And ultimately, I think it's a story about forgiveness, both for others and for yourself.

What was it like filming in two different locations, and how will they look different on screen?

It was incredible to shoot in both Australia and Scotland because they're such visually different places, and I think that really comes across on screen.

We filmed the Sydney scenes heading into summer, so we were able to capture that beautiful warmth and openness that Sydney has. The Garton house almost becomes a character in its own right. Even though it's warm and inviting, it also has a certain claustrophobic quality that felt really important to the story.

Glasgow is a beautiful city, and I absolutely love Scotland, but because we're spending time in the world of social work, we were looking at a very particular side of the city. Visually, you'll definitely notice the contrast between the warmth of Sydney and the darker, wintry tones of Glasgow.

I was born in Scotland, so I'm pretty used to cold weather, but it was certainly a change going straight from the Sydney summer into long winter shoot days in Glasgow. The crew there were incredible, and I think those colder, darker textures really support the emotional side of the story.

What was it like working with the cast on Careless?

We had an incredible cast, including Robyn Malcolm, Solly McLeod, Katie Leung, Mabel Li, Richard Roxburgh, Thomas Weatherall, Anita Hegh, Natalie Morris and Alison Peebles. It became a really close-knit family, and that was incredibly important because the relationships within the Garton family needed to feel completely authentic.

Mabel Li brings so much to Hannah. As the daughter of a rock legend and the head of the parole board, she's a fascinating character, and I thought Mabel balanced those different sides of her beautifully.

As I mentioned earlier, Robyn has this incredible ability to be both deeply maternal and incredibly powerful. I was so excited to see her in this role, and I know she was drawn to the opportunity to play a woman in her sixties leading a story like this.

Richard Roxburgh had always been a dream collaborator for me. I've said many times that I'm a huge fan of Moulin Rouge!, so there were definitely moments where I had to pinch myself. He's an absolute gentleman.

Then there's Solly McLeod, who I think we were very lucky to get because he's about to have a huge year. Watching Solly, Robyn, Richard and Mabel work together was incredible. They're all such powerful actors and they constantly pushed one another in the best possible way. Every take felt fresh.

Thomas Weatherall is a beautiful actor and person. He plays a character with a genuinely good heart whodoesn't quite realise he's being taken advantage of, and I think audiences will really enjoy watching his journey unfold.

Working with Alison Peebles was also a real joy. She's theatre royalty in the UK, and I'd just seen her in Department Q. We had originally hoped to cast an actor living with MS in the role of Mike, but when that wasn't possible, it was really important to me that another character living with MS was represented in the series.

That's what I love about Morven. MS is part of her life, but it doesn't define her. She's brilliant at her job, she's at the top of her field, and we don't need to reduce her character to her condition. Katie Leung had just come from Bridgerton, and this role couldn't be more different. She's incredibly intelligent, gentle and really funny, and she brought a wonderful dark humour to Sheila that I think the series really benefits from.