Jessica Brown Findlay: It’s just shockingly rare to read a female protagonist who is flawed, frustrating, brilliant, stubborn, annoying, as well as kind of magnificent in her own way. To have a female role like that, for me, and not have to be this perfect, brilliant thing, I loved it. The older I get, the more life feels a bit like that. It’s all these mad, brilliant, juxtaposing characteristics.

Do you feel in the scripts you’ve seen or participated in that, historically, male characters are allowed to be more flawed or dimensional? Does having a team of female creatives make a difference?

Brown Findlay: In the past, it felt like that. So often I read something and love it, and then it’s a male name above that description. And you’re like, “Dammit.” But in life, I don’t think there are those differences. We are all very complicated, and that should be able to exist within a character. Rather than shaving all those edges off. You can be sharp I think.

Morton: I suppose I have been incredibly lucky as Samantha Morton to have personally, very rarely felt—you know, I’ve read things and I wouldn’t know it was written by a man or a woman. I think I’ve never been the pretty kind of actress, the beautiful actress that gets those kind of parts. I tend to play the nitty-gritty, the meaty, the emotional. And so those parts are often, I find, very well written, and they’re kind of hard to come by. I think, in regards to Harlots, the reality is it was written by women, it has been produced by women, it has been directed by women, and we’re all women actors, so that's as truthful as we can be. But yeah, I talk to some actresses, and they’ve had a really tough time of it. They’ve had parts that have been written by men that are dreadful. They don’t feel truthful, and they're fighting on set, going: "But, I wouldn’t do this.” I just don’t feel I’ve had that experience.

I’ve spoken with some female directors and performers in the past who’ve said they felt the need to over compensate—behave more brusquely and forcefully than their male counterparts—in order to be taken seriously on set. Does that environment become demonstrably different when there are so many women on a project?

Brown Findlay: I mean, that definitely for me resonates as a truth. Having to sometimes go bigger and bolder in order to overcome. When you come into the room to be like, “I’m not that. Don’t put me in that box.” With this project, I felt there weren’t boxes for the first time. Instead of having to prove or having to be more of something or less of something, it just felt there weren’t boxes. The work took precedence over everything else, and it felt like a very equal world. I felt like I was able to be more vulnerable but also really bold and brave and not have to say sorry. Sorry is a learned thing that I have been incredibly guilty of.

Morton: I’ve been acting since I was a child, and though this was different in a way, I think I’ve been very blessed. The majority of the sets I’ve been on have been very inclusive and very empowering, and I’ve often chosen to work with people that sing from the same song sheet. If I’ve ever made a mistake and have found myself on a set that doesn’t feel that way, it very quickly doesn’t happen again. I think it must be so hard for certain women, though. That must be awful. I think maybe it’s down to who you are as a person as well, how you feel you have to compensate. I’ve always been very forthright, strong. I feel very focused in who Samantha is, and very constructive in how I feel I approach things. Maybe it’s age; maybe it’s wisdom. Or maybe I’ve just lucked out.