Josie Totah & Mia Threapleton Believe in a Happy Ending for Their ‘Buccaneers’

Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for The Buccaneers finale.

The Big Picture

• In The Buccaneers finale, Mabel and Honoria decide that they’re going to try being in a relationship despite the societal objections that might prevent them from embracing one.
• Mia Threapleton and Josie Totah originally auditioned for different roles on the show, but their chemistry as Mabel and Honoria made them the perfect match.
• The rain kiss between Mabel and Honoria may have looked romantic, but filming it was uncomfortable and cold.

What an ending to the finale of The Buccaneers! Perhaps we should have expected that we’d have some questions afterward, since Edith Wharton‘s original novel (from which the Apple TV+ series is adapted) was never finished, likely leaving readers as desperate for more as television audiences after that episode.

While it may have seemed as if Nan (Kristine Frøseth) had finally picked Guy (Matthew Broome), leading to the two of them finally physically culminating their love, it turns out that she had a more selfless decision ahead of her — one that involved marrying Theo (Guy Remmers) in order to ensure her sister Jinny’s (Imogen Waterhouse) protection from her abusive husband James (Barney Fishwick). It’s a decision that the Dowager Duchess (Amelia Bullmore) can acknowledge as one befitting a woman who deserves to marry into the house of Tintagel, but a choice that Nan’s mother Patti (Christina Hendricks) can’t wrap her head around.

The rest of the titular Buccaneers don’t necessarily fare any better — although we’re currently rooting very hard for Mabel (Josie Totah) and Honoria (Mia Threapleton) to make it work, as well as some justice for Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag) heading into a potential Season 2. And what about the future of Conchita’s (Alisha Boe) marriage to Richard (Josh Dylan)?

Ahead of the finale’s premiere, Collider had the opportunity to catch up with several cast members from The Buccaneers, including Totah and Threapleton. Over the course of the interview, which you can read below, the duo discusses which character they each originally auditioned for before being cast, their experience filming several of Mabel and Honoria’s most memorable scenes — that rain kiss was not as romantic as it looked — what they want for this relationship heading into a potential Season 2, and more.

COLLIDER: I love the relationship between your characters in the show. It’s such a sweet balm in the midst of everything, which isn’t to say that it doesn’t have its own drama and angst. Josie, the way that Mabel identifies, her interest in women, is something that is shown as being a significant part of her character journey. What felt important to emphasize about her — not just in terms of her queerness, but the struggle that she has in keeping that part of herself a secret?

JOSIE TOTAH: Mabel is a bit of a free spirit and she sort of has a childlike essence to her, which I really wanted to be the forefront of her character — instead of other characters that I feel like are quite stiffened or jaded by their environment. And ultimately, with her queerness, something that is a very big part of her is quite contradictory, because it’s kind of the only thing that happens to be constraining her from living out her truth and from being completely free. Going on that journey, where she ultimately hopefully comes to find her truth and feel confident in that, it was a very beautiful one to get to portray on-screen. I had a lot of fun.

Mia Threapleton and Josie Totah Originally Auditioned for Different Characters

Mia, this is not your first period drama, and this show stands out in a lot of ways, not just in terms of the music and the clash of cultures. What drew you to this role in particular? What made it stand out from the other projects that you’ve worked on in the past?

MIA THREAPLETON: So it was presented to me, my agent sent it through as an audition, and interestingly, I was originally auditioning for Mabel. Then I sent off my tapes to the casting director, who then sent them on to the higher-up production team, who then came back and said, “Actually, hang on a second. Can we please get her to read for Honoria?” I didn’t mind at all that I was being asked to read for a different character. That didn’t matter to me because it was still part of this really fun, what seemed to be just a brilliant story about wonderful friendships and the bonds that people have just as humans, and I love that about it so much.

I did my second audition and it was on Zoom with Katherine [Jakeways], the writer, Beth [Willis], the producer, and Susanna [White], the director, and the energy just felt so good. I was just so happy, and it was one of those Zoom calls where it could have gone on for hours and hours and hours, and we would have talked about stuff that definitely wasn’t connected in any way to the show. But it felt like such an amazing work environment, and I really wanted to be a part of something that was that big and looked like that much fun and looked like just a brilliant, fun story to tell. And I knew that it was going to be a great time working with everybody and working with Josie, and it was, and I was right, and I’m really happy about it.

I feel like that begs a similar question: Josie, did you audition for any other roles besides Mabel?

TOTAH: I auditioned for Nan, funny enough, at first, and then they sent over the script for Mabel and I just did a Zoom similar to Mia — on Valentine’s Day, weirdly enough. I was really excited by the storyline and, obviously, her being queer and in that time period was very intriguing, and all around, I was just very excited for it.

There’s such an initial draw to this relationship, and the characters feel that pull to each other. I’m thinking of the scene early on where they’re hiding in the closet, and you just feel the chemistry is there. Why do you feel like these women are drawn to each other — not just as confidants, but as romantic partners?

THREAPLETON: I love that scene, as well, actually in the closet. That was the scene that I ended up auditioning with, as well, which is so special. It’s a brilliant scene.

TOTAH: We’re so different.

THREAPLETON: We are so different, and I think that it’s, like, opposites attract.

TOTAH: You needed someone to crack you open, and I needed someone to crack down on me.

THREAPLETON: [Laughs] I mean, I definitely think that Mabel is a catalyst, as is with all the Americans, really, but definitely with Mabel, for Honoria to really feel okay with being curious about who she is as a person, but also about, “Are there other ways of living my life? Do I have to be sitting down all the time reading books and drinking tea? Is that really a way for me to live?” And then the Americans come along, and they’re all so vibrant and vivacious, and then Mabel comes along and that’s a whole different load of new feelings. That’s a lot for Honoria as a character, which is so special. It’s a special thing.

For Mabel, is it because she’s coming overseas thinking, “Well, I’m probably going to have to find a husband,” and then has this surprise in sort of the last place she probably expected?

TOTAH: I don’t think that she thought that she actually was going to find a husband when she came to England. She probably assumed that she was going to be doing a little bit of what she was doing back home, which was kind of messing around. That’s why her initial introduction to Honoria wasn’t as scary for her, because she’s been around the block. She’s had a few experiences with other people back home. It’s when it gets emotional, when it gets serious, that she actually gets scared and is like, “Holy crap. What do I do? This is a lot.”

That Rain Kiss Wasn’t as Romantic In Real Life as It Looks Onscreen

I wanted to ask the two of you about the kiss in the rain because it’s so iconic. You think period drama, you might have a rain kiss at some point, and what makes this so special is it’s two women, it feels joyful and giddy, and an important realization at the same time. I’m guessing the reality of filming it wasn’t as sweeping and lovely as it looked on-screen?

THREAPLETON: No. No, it wasn’t.

TOTAH: It wasn’t. It was actually so uncomfortable.

THREAPLETON: Firstly, the rain was freezing. It was the middle of November. It was really cold, also.

TOTAH: Also, I asked them, “What setting is the rain going to be on?” And they told me, “On.” Apparently, it is really hard for rain to show up on camera, [and] no one ever told me that, and so they have to just pour buckets of water onto you, and so we just had sort of a hurricane on us.

THREAPLETON: By the wall, standing on steps.

TOTAH: But, I mean, we were geeked at it. We were having quite a fun time.

THREAPLETON: We were having a great time. It was cold but it was fun.

TOTAH: Water kept filling my mouth, but it was fun, and I’m glad that it exists.

THREAPLETON: Yeah, me too.

Josie Totah and Mia Threapleton Just Want Mabel and Honoria to Be Happy

In the finale, there’s such a nice, lovely scene of Mabel and Honoria choosing each other, especially in contrast to the drama and the wedding. Now that these two have chosen each other, do you feel like a happy ending is possible, and what would your wish be for Season 2 with them?

TOTAH: It’s possible. Knowing our show, it might not be the most…

THREAPLETON: I think we could get there, I just don’t think it’s going to be as straightforward as we would like it.

TOTAH: Yeah, exactly. But I do think they have potential for that. They communicate better than any of the other couples, I feel like. Do you know what I mean? They’re pretty ahead of the curve.

THREAPLETON: It would be nice, but I just want them to be happy. I want them to be able to be themselves as much as they possibly can without too many hindrances, which, considering the time period, is not likely, but we are hopeful.

The Buccaneers is available to stream on Apple TV+.

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