Hyde and Seek actress Emma Hamilton traces her career roles and aspirations for the new year   

A dark underbelly of crime and murder sets the chaotic background for the 2016 Australian drama series Hyde and Seek starring Matthew Nable and Emma Hamilton in leading roles as Detective Gary Hyde and NZCIS agent Claire McKenzie. Premiering on Indian Television for the first time, the death of Hyde’s partner during an investigation forms the fulcrum that the entire eight-episode season hinges on as it sends Hyde (Nable) on a chase after the killers with a devil-may-care attitude and an equally mysterious partner, immigration agent McKenzie played by Hamilton. “Claire is quite a strong character. She has her own storyline and her own endings and a secret past of her own. Bringing her to life was a fantastic challenge for me as a performer," said Hamilton on taking on the complex role. 

A well-recognised name, both on stage and the screen, 34-year-old Emma Hamilton of The Tudors fame has had a go at a number of different roles over the years but admits that her critically-acclaimed title role as Hedda Gabler in Ibsen’s classic play of the same name has to be her favourite. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise with Hamilton being an alum of the prestigious Royal School of Dramatic Arts in London. “Theatre is very dear to my heart but I think theatre and film are very similar in lots of ways. They’re similar in that they’re both about finding the truth and connecting with an audience and bringing a story to life. All of that, so much the same. But the method of how you convey that differs in theatre and film. I respect and genuinely love the challenge of both mediums," she says.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2015 Australian Academy Awards, Emma Hamilton has made a name for herself in the industry working with directorial bigwigs such as her film debut in Ridley Scott’s war drama Into the Storm and cast in Oscar-winning director Terry George’s Whole Lotta Sole with Brenden Fraser. Looking forward to the new year with a few projects in the works, Emma confesses, “I’d like to work with more female directors. I’ve only had the pleasure to work with such directors only twice in my career. But I love the different energies and different perspectives that female directors bring and that’s something I’d definitely be interested in exploring." 

Catch Emma Hamilton in Hyde and Seek every Monday at 10 pm on AXN