DIVA sat down with the stars of this beloved series to find out more about its second season
BY GEORGIA SWEET, IMAGE BY BLACK CAMEL PICTURES/BBC SCOTLAND/GRAEME HUNTER
Who else has missed the sapphic Scottish show Float? Well, you’re in luck because in March you can look forward to the release of the second series! Float will be back on BBC iPlayer as well as being shown at the Glasgow Short Film Festival on the 4 March. And the award-winning show is certainly back with a bang.
The second series continues to follow Jade and Collette in their pursuit of love, 18 months on from series one. Jade has moved back to Glasgow while she attends a court-ordered anger management programme. The question is can the young women rekindle their spark and overcome their challenges, turning their feelings into something more?
As this was my first interview with a cast, I was nervous. But Hannah Jarrett-Scott (Jade) and Jessica Hardwick (Collette) put me at ease right away. I think it’s safe to say that viewers should strap in to be whisked away by the relatable love story these two characters have given us.
So with that being said I was more than ready to jump in and find out how they felt about the series and why it’s such an important show for the queer community.
The first season was heavily centred around the lesbian love story, with that being the main LGBTQIA storyline. What can LGBTQIA audiences look forward to in season two?
Hannah: Most notable for LGBTQIA viewers is the introduction of the role of Theo who is trans and non-binary. They are played by the amazing Isla Campbell. This is their first on-screen job after graduating. They play the role of Jade’s sidekick throughout the new series.
What do you think about the way Float represents the LGBTQIA community?
Hannah: It represents the LGBTQIA community in a way that’s very focused on love and there’s not much trauma surrounding the circumstances of them getting together. Obviously Jade has her own stuff going on but it’s ultimately a love story. It’s nice for it to be represented like that for young queer people because it’s scary coming out when you’re young, especially in a small town.
Jessica: I can only speak from my part but the small town is really where the claustrophobia came from. People are making their own narrative about you before you have maybe decided it for yourself.
Why do you think it is important for a queer drama to be set in a rural area?
Jessica: In the second series you get a feel for where they’ve grown up, which explains a bit more about why people’s awareness of things is a bit more closed off. It’s quite beautiful for them to explore it together. With their mums, certainly, from my character’s point of view, it’s something she’s trying to figure out. But also, her mum maybe doesn’t necessarily have the language to be able to help with that. I think watching the struggle that they have is much truer to rural surroundings compared to city life where people can talk more freely about these things.
This series doesn’t just focus on LGBTQIA-specific topics. It also addresses important issues such as reproductive rights, anger management and the effects of alcohol. What do you think about the way it explored these topics?
Hannah: It is a joy as an actor to have so many topics, with lots of different circumstances to play. I think the alcohol for me is really important. It’s such a huge part of our culture, our attachment to drink, especially in Scotland and I think my teenage years were heavily associated with alcohol. It can be messy.
Jessica: Life is messy isn’t it? It makes it even more real and cements it into a place that is not perfect and everybody has their flaws and their vices to figure stuff out.
After winning multiple industry awards for the first season, what are your hopes for this season?
Hannah: I want it to reach as many people as it did before. We were really blown away by the amount of people that watched the first season. It would be great to build on the success from last year as we really did not expect it.
Jessica: Like Hannah, I just want the people who need to see it to be able to watch it, that’s the most important thing.
With you both being from Scotland, what was it like filming in an area you knew?
Jessica: I am really proud of being part of a drama that is based in a different part of Scotland. I found it quite easy to slip into the role and I could picture where this would have all been set due to growing up in a rural area of Scotland myself.
Hannah: A lot of the crew was LGBTQIA and you could tell it affected them. It is really important when you’re doing this kind of series that the crew also reflects what you’re trying to show as well. It was made with a good group of diverse people.
How was it seeing the building from where your first season was filmed demolished?
Jessica: It was quite sad because of the memories of filming there. The people there now have a new leisure centre, but you can’t help but think about all those years of all those people, the teenage crushes that have happened. Now it’s all just gone.
Hannah: It helped with the emotions in the scene as we had actually seen it happen
What do you hope viewers take from the show?
Jessica: I hope that it makes people see that anything is possible and that as long as you are able to talk about how you are feeling and what is going on in your life, it will be okay.
Hannah: I want people to watch it and feel like they can follow their hearts and their true selves no matter where they’re from. You should be able to live authentically as yourself.
What do you hope the future of queer storytelling looks like?
Hannah: I think I want more stories of joy and happiness, it is not necessarily represented as much. When I was growing up every single representation of LGBTQIA life was really stressful and yes, it is but I had so much buzz about falling in love with a girl. I was like oh my god I feel alive.
What advice would you give to aspiring young actors?
Jessica: I think just go for it, you get one life. If you love it then try it. You’re going to make great friends and go on great adventures.
Hannah: Don’t be afraid of being yourself and using your own personality as your main skill set.
So my suggestion is to get yourself cosy and bring yourself a box of tissues. You’re about to go on a wild roller coaster of emotions as you watch these incredible characters fumble through life just like the rest of us.
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