Despite living in seemingly content circumstances, people of all ages often have one thing in common – being driven by their underlying ambitions to achieve a happier life. Both the younger and older versions of the protagonists in the Irish-Australian romantic drama television series, ‘Mix Tape,’ are in such a situation. However, they don’t know exactly how to change their present circumstances, despite feeling as though they need to take some sort of drastic course of action.

The show is based on author Jane Sanderson’s 2020 novel of the same name. Lucy Gaffy directed, and Jo Spain wrote, the screen adaptation of ‘Mix Tape.’ The drama stars British performers Florence Hunt and Rory Walton-Smith, the latter of whom is making his television acting debut, as the teenage versions of the main characters.

‘Mix Tape’ chronicles how the younger versions of the protagonists, the shy Alison (Hunt) and the popular Daniel (Rory Walton-Smith), meet at a house party in Sheffield, England in 1989. While there, they bond over their love for music.

Otherwise, the two teens are completely different. Daniel has a happy, comfortable family life, with two loving parents and siblings who get along. Daniel is also ambitious about his future.

Meanwhile, Alison lives with her brother in a much more financially challenging existence, constantly aware of what she doesn’t have. She’s more actively looking forward to leaving her surroundings, which she keeps hidden from her new crush.

But as middle-aged adults 20 years later, life looks more differently for them than how’d they’d both imagined it would at 17. Daniel (Jim Sturgess) has remained in Sheffield, where he’s a freelance music journalist, and is living with a domestic partner.

Meanwhile, Alison (Teresa Palmer) moved around the world to Sydney, Australia with her husband and children. She has just published a well-received book.

Daniel has a desire to do more with his life, as he’s powerless to the strong hold the memory of Alison still has on him. He reaches out to her in the hope that they might be able to rekindle that spark.

While neither Daniel or Alison appear to be completely satisfied, they’re not screamingly anxious about changing their circumstances. Something is gnawing at each of them, though they don’t know how to define it nor what to do about it.

The first two episodes of ‘Mix Tape’s television adaptation had its World Premiere in the TV Spotlight Section of this month’s SXSW. In honor of the drama’s premiere, Hunt and Walton-Smith generously took the time the day after the project’s screening at the festival to sit down for an exclusive interview at the Stephen F. Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel to talk about starring on the series.

Film Factual (FF): Florence, you play Young Alison, and Rory, you portray Young Daniel, on the new romantic drama series, ‘Mix Tape.’ What was it about the characters, as well as the overall show, that convinced you both to take on your roles?

Florence Hunt (FH): I had just gotten an audition, as most things come through. So I read the script, and it was one of the most exciting scripts that I had read in ages.

I think the character and the music both really drew me to the show. That really excited me. My dad had gotten me into ’80s music before I had gotten the audition, so he was like, “Flo, you have to do this for me!” So I was really determined’ to do it.

So I did a couple rounds of auditions. I also did a couple of Zoom calls with the director, Lucy Gaffy, who’s the most incredible human on Earth.

We spoke about some of the topics, as there are some fairly difficult subjects in there for the Alison character. But I was very well supported – Lucy even had the Zoom call to check in on me before I even got the part. That was amazing!

We then did some chemistry reads. There were eight boys and four girls, and the reads took place over two days. We did every formation of girl and boy.

Rory and I were the very last formation. It just clicked between us, and we definitely felt it. So everything just fell into place, which was so exciting. I’m so grateful because it’s an incredible group of people. I’m so happy to have worked with Rory, as he’s amazing.

Rory Walton-Smith (RWS): My audition was kind of similar. The audition came in, and I quite liked the realness of the scene they sent. I felt like I connected to Dan in the scene. The first scene I auditioned was the library scene, which is quite a pivotal moment in the story.

I then got a recall and another audition, and then I got to read the script. Lucy Gaffy, the director, also sent a lovely vision board…

FH: Which I want to see! Please show me!

RWS: Yes! It’s like a treatment that has a lot of photos as references. I then read the entire script, and really liked the two characters together within the script. I just knew it was going to be something cool.

With the relationships and the characters, I felt connected to them – and Flow – straight away. I also liked Teresa and Jim playing the older versions of the characters.

FH: That was very exciting.

RWS: Yes, that was very exciting. I didn’t know that Jim was playing the older version of my character until I was cast. If I had known that before I was cast, my audition probably would have gone downhill because there would have been a lot more pressure.

But I love the story and the dynamic between the characters. I also loved the fact that our storyline takes place in the 1980s.

FH: Yes, it’s a cool genre.

RWS: It’s a completely different world and is very interesting to explore. So I really enjoyed this project.

FF: Speaking about working with Lucy Gaffy as the drama’s director, how did you approach building your portrayals of the protagonists with her during the production?

FH: She’s genuinely the nicest human being. She’s such an actor’s director. She cares so much about everyone on set.

I think when the person at the top is so lovely, it descends down into everyone else. So we had the best time on set because Lucy’s so chill. Even though we had such a short shooting period and it was quite intense, we were chill because Lucy’s so chill.

As to the point of my character of Alison, I was so well supported throughout the shoot. Lucy made sure that everything was completely cared for, which was incredible.

So it was incredible to work with her. She’s so talented and such a lovely human.

RWS: Yes, and she’s so generous. To be able to trust her so completely, and for her to be able to trust me, was amazing because this was my first acting job. We got along completely.

We had a nice Zoom call while she was filming in Australia. That completely broke down the walls of any nerves. She explained how things would go.

As Flo said, she’s an actor’s director. But she also has such an eye for the shots, so the show looks so beautiful. So she’s so talented, and it’s amazing that she was able to juggle all of these things.

FH: Her work with (the series’ cinematographer,) Marden (Dean) was so amazing. They did something really special.

RWS: Yes, I agree! They knew each other for a long time, so it was nice to see them collaborate together. So she’s such a powerhouse.

FF: Once you were both cast, what was your experience like working together to create the relationship between Young Alison and Young Daniel?

FH: It was amazing! This was Rory’s first job, and I can’t even express how crazy that is. I was learning from Rory the second he got on set. (Hunt turns to Walton-Smith.) You were so chill and talented that I cannot believe that this was your first job.

He deserves this so much. It was amazing to work with him. I think when your screen partner is so talented, it makes your job half as difficult.

RWS: Yes, we got on straight away during the chemistry reads. I thought it was obvious that if it wasn’t going to be the two of us together, it was going to be someone else because we got along so well.

Flo is so professional and knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s such a generous scene partner and is amazing to work with.

Like I said, we got on instantly, so we started hanging out immediately. We had a few days together at the hotel, so we went out together in Dublin before we started filming. Since that connection was there in real life, we hoped it translated onto the screen.

FH: It was a lot of fun.

RWS: Yes, it was a lot of fun.

FF: Jim Sturgess and Teresa Palmer play the older versions of your characters on the story’s screen adaptation. Were you able to speak and collaborate with the two of them at all during the shoot?

FH: We did get to film one scene with Jim in which we’re in a memory and we’re physically behind him. But that was our only crossover because our versions of the characters didn’t exist at the same time as their versions. (Hunt and Walton-Smith laugh.)

They had finished filming, or only had a couple of days left, when we were cast. So our scenes and acting were fairly separate.

But Lucy brought them together brilliantly. She directed us all in a way that made the story make sense for both characters. But we barely worked with Jim and Teresa.

RWS: Yes, there was only one day and it was so strange. I had just been cast, and Jim had been filming in Australia. So I was in my room preparing while he was filming.

Then Lucy showed me a scene that he did in Australia as the character I was working on. It was like a what the hell moment! I was like, “Okay, this is happening.”

Jim and I didn’t really get to chat much, but we did have one day. He’s just so lovely. We’re quite similar…so to be able to find someone you can connect with is amazing.

But yes, they were just finishing and they handed the baton on to Flo and me. Jim also gave me a sweet little card that he left in the trailer. It said “Dan’s yours now, and good luck.” That meant a lot to me.

FF: While filming a television show like this one, were you given the scrips for your episodes all at once? What was the process like of developing your characters’ arcs over your episodes?

FH: Yes, we received all four of the episodes…

RWS: …Just before the camera test.

FH: Yes, that way we were able to read them before the audition and really understand the characters. So we went in with that knowledge, which was very fortunate. Sometimes you don’t get that, and you have to pick it up as you go along.

So having all the material from the beginning was a blessing, really, as we were able to know where our characters were going. We were able to understand the characters to a greater depth that way than if we hadn’t gotten the full script in the beginning. I’m grateful for that.

RWS: I found it a bit tricky. Obviously, I read the scripts and knew what was going on, but I didn’t really feel like I wanted to go into Older Dan’s life too much.

It was quite odd to have that information because Younger Dan is living such a different life. He’s doing well in school and is really driven with his music. Then he falls for this girl.

So if I knew what was coming, it would make things so different for me. So I kind of held back. I knew what was coming, but I had to find the right balance…I had to just be free.

FF: You mentioned the music that’s featured on ‘Mix Tape’ earlier. With your scenes being set in Sheffield in 1989, in which Young Daniel and Young Alison meet at a house party and bond over their love for music, how did you delve into the drama’s musical aspect?

FH: It was so fun. Since our scenes are set in the ’80s, my character’s mom has the most incredible perm, which was the coolest thing ever. So obviously the costumes were incredible, as was the music.

It’s fortunate to step onto a set and have the world be created for you. That was very much channeled through the costumes, music, etc. So that was exciting.

The ’80s were such a cool era, and a massive culture change in music. So I would love to do more projects set in the ’80s!

RWS: Yes, it was such a different world! It was so exciting. I wasn’t huge into ’80s music before the show, but not because I didn’t like it; I just didn’t listen to it much.

When I was researching for roles, I found people on Reddit talking about their experiences listening to music in Sheffield at the time. It was such a different time, and it was so cool.

People were like, “Oh yes, we were there, listening to this band. Maybe that band didn’t make it, but this one did.” It was just great.

FH: Jamie, the dialect coach, sent us a video of an ’80s band. I can’t remember the name of the band…

RWS: Was it The Human League?

FH: Yes! It was an interview with them. They’re from Sheffield, so the video helped us with the accent…So it was really cool to watch that!

FF: What was your experience filming the series on location? How did that experience help you get into character?

RWS: It was so important for me.

FH: Loretta (Cosgrove) was the…

RWS: …Production designer.

FH: Yes, and she’s so amazing. Everything she did was so intricate in Alison’s apartment and Dan’s house. Even the food was from the ’80s, which was so cool. So they created an incredible world. I also worked with real-life pigeons.

RWS: You conquered that fear!

FH: I don’t like pigeons, but I didn’t tell Lucy because she was like, “You’re going to work with pigeons.” I was like, oh, great. (Hunt laughs.) But I eventually got over my fear, and it was really special.

RWS: Yes, to be in an environment where you feel like you belong is so special. Our scenes were all in Dublin near where I live.

I remember walking down the street with my Dad when we were filming, and there were these cars from the ’80s. I was like, I feel like I’m in the moment. They did such a good job of finding all these places that replicated Sheffield. Loretta also did graffiti on the buildings, which was amazing.

FF: ‘Mix Tape’ had its World Premiere at SXSW (the night before the interview). What does it mean to you both that the show screened here at the festival?

FH: It’s very exciting and a massive honor. It’s such an incredible festival, and I’m honored to be here.

We had the screening (yesterday). To see it through other people’s eyes was really special.

A man came up to me after the screening. He grew up in Manchester in the ’80s, so he said the show really touched him. That really touched me because that means we got it right.

RWS: Yes, the audience was so great. There was such a great turnout at the screening. I’m so happy that people took the time to see it. It meant the world to us, and we’re so grateful, that everyone came out to the screening.