The streaming app Tubi is on the hunt to make a name for themselves in the realm of queer thrillers, and their upcoming original, Dead Hot, is proof that they’re on the right track.
Written, created, and produced by Charlotte Coben (The Stranger, Stay Close) and produced by Quay Street Productions through ITV studios, the plot follows two twenty-somethings named Elliot (Bilal Hasna) and Jess (Vivian Oparah) who are best friends bonded over their united grief over their loss of Peter (Olisa Odele), who mysteriously disappeared five years ago.
Set in modern-day Liverpool, Elliot and Jess spiral into a hedonistic life full of partying and grief as they work through their loss and hold on to a small hope that one day they’ll get some answers.
Things spice up even more when Elliot meets Will (Marcus Hodson) and thinks he can put the past behind him — just in time for Jess to receive a mysterious message from someone claiming to be Peter. This sets forth a thrilling motion of events that has Elliot trying to find out if he’s simply romantically cursed or being targeted by something a little more sinister.
PRIDE has an exclusive look at the final trailer, and we sat down with Hasna to chat about his role and what people can expect. Check out his interview and trailer below, and mark your calendars for March 27, when all 6 episodes of the show are set to be released exclusively on Tubi.
Tubi
PRIDE: What initially attracted you to the role of Elliot and how is it similar and different from roles you’ve done in the past?
Bilal Hasna: I think what drew me in was his relationship with Jess. Against the backdrop of this camp, hyper-pop world existed these two characters whose relationship — riddled with a trauma-bonded co-dependency — felt very real. Elliot is similar in some ways to previous characters I've played; he can be quite self-involved like Kash from Extraordinary, but Eliot's narcissism is rooted in trauma. He also yearns for love whilst feeling inadequate of receiving it, like Layla in Layla.”
Tubi
How did you end up getting involved in this project?
I got the audition through in my inbox, did the self-tape, had a recall and a chemistry read session and then got offered the part!
Tubi
You’ve done (and written) one-man stage plays and also acted in films — which do you prefer? And what was the experience like doing a TV series as opposed to a movie like Layla? You got your start in TV, didn’t you?
My heart has always been in TV, because its' how my family and I bonded growing up. Whether it was Eastenders during the week or X Factor on a Saturday night, the TV was a place we'd consistently commune around. As an actor, I haven't found much between filming TV and film. People say you are allowed more time when making films, but since Layla was a location-heavy independent film, it felt quite similar. I guess the main difference I've found is that the shoot-time is shorter with films. With Layla it was only seven weeks, whereas Dead Hot was about 15 or 16. So films are more of a sprint whereas TV shows are more of a marathon. With a film, you also know the whole story before you start filming whereas with TV you often don't. On Dead Hot we didn't know how the plot ended and if Peter was dead or who killed him until halfway through filming, which was exciting!
Tubi
What are you most excited for people to see in the show? What do you hope they take away from it the most?
To me the show is about grief, rendered through the camp kaleidoscope of Charlotte's brilliantly wacky world. I hope the audience feels that!
