Derry-born actress Saoirse-Monica Jackson is set to star in a new Netflix series.
The Decameron is described as “a wine-soaked sex romp set in the Italian countryside”, a “soapy dark comedy” that examines the all-too-timely theme of class struggles in the season of a pandemic.
First published in Italy in the mid-14th century, Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron tells the story of a group of nobles and their servants sheltering in the grand Villa Santa outside Florence as the Black Death rages in 1348.
To pass the time, they take turns telling each other stories that range from witty to debauched.
The series has a similar premise, but with a twist right out of Lord of the Flies — as time goes on and social rules wear thin, the orgy of riches and liquor collapses into a struggle for survival.
As social rules wear thin, a scramble for survival ensues, brought to life by a cast of characters both cunning and outrageous.
Created by Kathleen Jordan, who was very loosely inspired by the 14-century story collection The Decameron, the eight-episode series is through Jenji Kohan’s Tilted Productions.
Jordan thought of Bocaccio’s The Decameron as “short little horny tales.”
So she took the collection as a framework.
But the germination of the project came from wanting to explore themes of class disparity.
“And when at times of crisis, the chasm between the haves and the have-nots grows wider and wider,” said Jordan. “Obviously, that’s something we’ve seen in the last few years, in particular with COVID.”
But it’s not all dour plague at Villa Santa. Jessica Plummer, who plays noble Filomena, compared the antics and silliness of the comedy series to a reality show. “Think, like, Love Island, but back in the day,” she said. “A lot of drama, a lot of sex, a lot of, yeah, craziness.”
Saoirse-Monica Jackson plays Misia, the co-dependent servant of Pampinea.
She adores her demanding master and derives much self-worth from pleasing her.
Ms Jackson made a name for herself playing Erin Quinn on the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls between 2018 and 2022.
Last year the actress confirmed she would love to see the show return in the next decade.
“Lisa based my character, Erin, on her younger self, and Erin aspires to be everything Lisa has become. Erin would love to write a hit TV show, get a doctorate and do all the amazing things Lisa has done.
“It felt bizarre when the show ended, because I was done with Erin, but Lisa is continuing her life.
“It would be interesting to revisit Erin down the line and see what she’s up to because your twenties are so chaotic.
“But that would really be down to Lisa. I’d love to work with her again.”
Ms Jackson also said she still struggled with fame, including the huge Derry Girls mural on the wall of Badger’s Bar and Restaurant.
She added: “Derry’s quite a small city and the mural’s not far from where I grew up.
“The pub that the mural is on is quite a special place to my family, so I’ve got a lot of memories associated with it, but when I go home I try to avoid walking past it.
“I’ve seen people queuing up to see it and take photos. It’s lovely to see the tourism coming back. For so long, people were apprehensive about going there, but the city has so much to offer, and I think that Derry Girls opened the doors to that.
Earlier this year the actress confirmed her engagement to Scottish DJ Denis Sulta.
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