“I wanna wrap them in bubble wrap and make sure they go the distance”
BY FAY BARRETT IMAGES BY PEACOCK
There’s a new fang-tastic (sorry/not sorry) vampire show in town complete with a gorgeous
sapphic storyline. Vampire Academy, a Peacock original series, is “a story of friendship,
romance and danger”. But it’s the relationship between characters Mia and Meredith that’s
sent our queer hearts into overdrive. #Mermia’s chemistry is so electric, it’s had us glued to
our screens waiting for them to finally have that kiss. DIVA sat down with actors Rhian
Blundell (Meredith) and Mia McKenna-Bruce (Mia) to find out more…
On how they would describe Mia and Meredith’s relationship
Mia: Purely about one another. They’re from entirely different worlds so there’s so much
that has the potential to get in the way. Their sole focus has to be on one another.
Rhian: When we meet Meredith and Mia, they’re from different classes within this world.
The draw to each other is they are both very brutal and to the point. There’s something
about the other they see as a bit of a challenge.
Mia: They don’t pander to each other. Meredith will call Mia out on how she’s being, and it
makes Mia check herself immediately. She’ll do the same to Meredith. They care about each
other more than they care about themselves.
How they built a beautiful, natural chemistry
Mia: I owe that to Rhi. She’s such a phenomenal actor. She’s just so there in every moment.
You forget you’re acting. It’s just so easy to bounce off. We both care about the characters
so much we want to make them as real as possible. Being able to sit there and trust each
other more than anything means we can really delve into that connection. We have such an
amazing connection with each other anyway. We spent most of our time outside filming
together.
Rhian: We both cared so damn much about doing these characters justice. Representation
in the media has come so far but it’s still pretty sparse to see two gay women in a show like
this. We wanted to do them justice. It was the love of the characters, having a safe space,
and humour between us at all times.
Fan reaction to the kiss and how they feel about that moment as actors
Mia: I just love it. It was a moment we were excited to do and share. The fact everyone still
wanted to see it is so exciting. I get butterflies every time.
Rhian: It means so much and I love it. But I never thought I would have to really watch my
own kissing technique! It’s the weirdest thing. I love that people love it but it’s very weird. I
watched it the once and thought, “This is a rabbit hole I don’t need to go down”.
Mia: That wasn’t the first kiss we filmed. We had one in episode five they cut. It was the kiss
that everyone was waiting for. We really wanted it to hit in the right way. So, episode six,
when it did happen was super organic and perfect timing.
What it’s been like working together
Mia: A dream. As soon as I got to Spain, I ran up to her and hugged her. She felt like home
to me instantly. We had this instant, really comfortable, safe connection which meant
filming together, we had the best time.
Rhian: When we met in Spain it was this absolutely gorgeous minute of being like, “Oh God,
it’s you”. She felt [like] a safe space straight away. And because we instantly had that it
meant we could throw ourselves into it and play. We could push the characters and the
moment.
Why sapphic storylines are so popular in vampire fiction
Rhian: I think there is an element to living your life in the dark. There is something about the
fact they live their lives under the cover of night. I think the queer community can relate to
[that]. But, god, they’re so cool and they have so much fun, power and danger with it.
On #Mermia’s relationship going forwards
Rhian: They are well and truly in the throes of a teenage romance and everything that
entails.
Mia: I just wanna wrap them in bubble wrap and make sure they go the distance. We get to
see more of them fighting for each other.
Vampire Academy is available now on Peacock, exclusively on Sky and NOW, with new episodes dropping weekly.
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