There are a legion of ways to describe new Stan series Bloom.
It’s both dreamlike and fierce, shockingly sad and then at times even downright funny.
However, after watching the first few episodes of the six-part series and then sitting down to talk about its themes with stars Phoebe Tonkin and Ryan Corr, I now believe that Bloom is best described as an iceberg.
All because you may think you see all there is to see at first, yet it’s not until you peak below the surface that it’s full magnitude, power and depth really comes into focus.
According to the stars of Bloom, the secret behind the series is that it’s about so much more than just the chase for eternal youth, as the trailers may have led you to believe.
It’s also about love, rediscovering sexuality, the harshness of living in the world while ageing (especially as a woman) and how living with regrets can change you into a completely different person.
The premiere episode of Bloom kicks off one year after a devastating flood killed five locals in an idyllic country town in Australia.
Now, a mysterious new plant has appeared with the power to restore youth. It’s a gift powerful beyond wildest imaginings and a miracle some will kill to keep a secret.
In Bloom Phoebe Tonkin as Young Gwen (with the older version of the character played by Jacki Weaver) and Ryan Corr stars as Sam, two people who have their lives changed forever and a chance to fix their greatest regrets thanks to the mysterious plant.
“With this berry and this power of rejuvenation comes the compulsion to really do something, to right something that you regret not doing in your life,” Phoebe told Mamamia while talking about the character of Gwen.
“Everyone has things that they wish they could have done differently, and this particular compulsion that she has, without giving anything away, was very relatable to me. The thing that she regrets not doing is something that I would aspire to do in my life eventually.”
The idea of whether or not they would want the chance to go back and change their pasts is one that the cast of Bloom grappled with throughout the show, although Ryan and Phoebe both ultimately agreed that that path was a dangerous one to walk down.
“It was brought up a lot during the filming of the show and we became quite philosophical about that,” Ryan told Mamamia. “But wherever you are in the present is a result of all the trials and tribulations that have come before you and I’m not a person who wants to live with regrets.
“There are things I would like to go back and tell my younger self, now as a 30-year-old, but I don’t think I would go back and change anything.”
“You are the sum of all the mistakes and the choices that you’ve made,” agreed Phoebe. “That’s what shapes who you are.”
“And there is beauty in that, and beauty in the series,” concluded Ryan.
