Alexandra Burke refused to film distressing scene in gritty new drama Curfew
Actor told the series producer: ‘I don’t think I can do that with morals, and I don’t think that’s something that should be on TV’
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Alexandra Burke has revealed that she refused to film one particularly distressing sequence in the gritty new drama Curfew.
The new Paramount+ drama is set in a world governed by a new Women’s Safety Act, which requires men to wear electronic tags and remain at home between 7pm and 7am every night.
Burke, who made her screen acting debut last year, plays Helen, a high school teacher, while Sarah Parish plays a DI investigating the murder of a woman that took place during curfew hours.
Speaking to Radio Times, Burke revealed that she had signed onto the project without realising how dark some of the material was, and fought to have one of the most upsetting scenes cut from the series.
“I remember reading [the script] and then finding out, like, a certain thing about Helen, which I don’t want to say, but you find out that certain thing about her and I remember thinking to myself, ‘God, this is going to be the most challenging role I’ve ever done,’” she said.
"They gave me more detail about Helen [and] I was like, 'There's some things I don't think I can do’,” she continued. "So I had to speak to the producer, because I was like, 'I don't think I can do that with morals, and I don't think that's something that should be on TV.'”
Fortunately for Burke, the producer agreed with her argument, and removed the part in question from the project.
“They agreed, and they took something out,” she said. “I was like, ‘Thank you, because I don’t think I could act that. And you’ve already shot some scenes with me, hun, so the contract’s done!’”
In the interview, Burke also praised writer Joasia Goldyn for her openness to collaboration.
“It was just interesting that you could bring your thoughts to the table and be heard,” she said. “I didn't even know that's a thing that could happen.”
After finding fame as a singer and as the winner of the fifth series of ITV reality series The X Factor, Burke has gone on to act in projects such as the feature film Pretty Red Dress (2023) and a number of stage musicals.
Curfew is streaming now on Paramount+.
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