British actress Charlotte Hope on playing SA’s first serial killer profiler in ‘Catch Me A Killer’

CHARLOTTE Hope has captivated viewers with her roles in “Game of Thrones” and “The Spanish Princess” and now she is at the helm of a South African production.

The British actress is the lead in “Catch Me A Killer”, which has been adapted from Micki Pistorius’s memoir of the same name. Pistorius is South Africa’s first serial killer profiler.

The first episode of the true crime show, which premiered on the streaming platform on Tuesday, has already received rave reviews.

Hope is not surprised by “Catch Me A Killer’s” positive response from viewers as she believes that this genre is a source of intrigue and fascination for viewers.

“The fact that these serial killers and victims were all real people, and the crimes took place in such recent history, is shocking to me in itself,” she explained to Independent Media Lifestyle.

“But this show goes further, it’s a ‘whydunit’ more than a ‘whodunit’.”

The 10-part series follows the newly qualified forensic psychologist as she tracks down South Africa’s most feared killers.

These include the likes of the infamous Cleveland Killer, who is also known as The Imperial Avenue Murderer, and was convicted in 2011 after being found guilty of murdering 11 women.

Convicted serial killer Stewart Wilken, who is also a subject of Showmax’s other true-crime series, “Boetie Boer: Inside The Mind Of A Monster” is also someone that Pistorius hunts down.

Critics have also rated it as a classic underdog story as Pistorius is the only female profiler in a predominantly male-dominated field.

During the time depicted in the series, much of the police force were deeply suspicious of the psychology concept, with many of them considering profiler’s who were trying to understand killers, as a waste of time and resources.

Hope, after starring in some of the biggest international shows, insisted that she jumped at the chance to work on “Catch Me A Killer.”

“My agent sent me the first two episodes and genuinely, they were the best scripts I’d read in a really long time.”

The show features a star-studded cast such as Steven Ward and newcomer Donna Cormack-Thomson as series regulars.

The supporting cast changes each episode but includes appearances from Lemogang Tsipa, Waldemar Schultz, Ivan Zimmermann, Frank Rautenbach, Carel Nel, Louw Venter, Albert Pretorius and Sean Cameron Michael.

Hope said that she thoroughly enjoyed working with the cast and that it was one of the highlights for her.

“I felt so fulfilled getting to go to work every day with this incredible crew and cast. It was both intellectually and emotionally stimulating in the best ways.”

Meanwhile, Hope said that she also enjoyed her time on the show with Amy Jephta, who is the head writer alongside South African Film and Television Award (Safta) winners Rene van Rooyen Brett Michael-Innes.

Saftas winner Van Rooyen and Tracey Larcombe share the director credits.

For “Catch Me A Killer”, she also got the chance to work closely with Pistorius herself, something she deeply cherished.

“I felt a huge sense of responsibility playing Micki and doing her justice and I was incredibly lucky to have a huge amount of help.

“Micki herself really guided me through it, both in understanding the academic side and also taking care of me when the darkness reached in.

“Our WhatsApp thread has a special place in my heart,” she added.

Hope admitted that playing a forensic psychologist was emotionally taxing.

“Your body experiences trauma even if it’s only pretend,” she explained.

She added: “Towards the end of the shoot, as Micki begins to unravel, I found it sometimes difficult to find enough distance from the material.

“But, at the same time, it would be a disservice to Micki if I did this job and didn’t go into the abyss, because that’s where she lived and I wanted to tell her story as honestly as possible.”

∎ “Catch Me A Killer” is streaming on Showmax. New episodes drop every Tuesday.