Jeffrey Walker On Working With The World's Best Actresses On 'Lambs Of God'

The only constant is change, one of those wise old Greek philosophers (Heraclitus) once said, and he made a pretty good point. The mutability of life, and how positively, negatively, passively or aggressively people react to it, is a fascinating thing, especially when placed in the context of drama. And it’s a vital part of the upcoming four-part Foxtel miniseries Lambs Of God, screening in its entirety this month at the Sydney Film Festival before airing on the pay TV platform in July.

Based on the novel by Marele Day, the story of faith, love and redemption centres on three nuns, played by Ann Dowd of The Handmaid’s Tale, Essie Davis of The Babadook and Jessica Barden of The End Of The F**king World, living an isolated existence in a dilapidated monastery off the coast of England. Their humble and idyllic life is disrupted by the arrival of a young priest (Sam Reid, Bloom), dispatched by the church to assess the property for its upcoming sale, who is astonished by his discovery of these forgotten women. What ensues will leave no one involved – either on the island or the mainland – unchanged or unscathed.

“It’s a feminine story in a feminine voice, and a contemporary story about women within the church who have lived for millennia under a patriarchal faith – it’s a microcosm of a greater pushback, and a wonderful exploration of all that,” says its director, Jeffrey Walker, whose diverse credits range from Rake and Jack Irish to Modern Family. 

“It encompasses so many different elements and has nods to so many genres without belonging to any one of them – thriller, dark comedy, romance. It’s its own piece, and reading it I didn’t know what was going to happen from scene to scene. It leapt off the page as something that would be a challenge, and it lived up to that expectation.”

Jeffrey Walker

Having said that, one is naturally curious what a male director such as Walker could bring to the table when it came to a story so rich in the “divine feminine”, as the producers of Lambs Of God phrase it. Walker readily agrees that it’s a topic well worth discussing, and he’s quick to sing the praises of screenwriter Sarah Lambert, with whom he worked very closely to bring the story’s ideas and themes to life.

“I’ve been drawn to the most challenging, interesting option on offer every time I choose work, and there is nothing like this show,” he says with a laugh. “I was sent [the scripts of] episodes one and two and loved them – I thought Sarah had written one of the great yarns of all time. It was so beautifully written – gripping and immersive – and I pitched very hard to be their choice. 

“Then, early in pre-production, Sarah and I spent three days talking about every single theme and element in the story – it was so carefully and delicately plotted and I could see that it was so important to her, that these characters have the opportunity to reclaim their voices and their stories. 

“It’s been a long journey for her beyond even the physical making of the show – she saw the growing groundswell of questioning and changing in society and wanted to be part of the movement as a storyteller. Fundamentally, though, it’s just a great, thrilling, unpredictable story, one that has subtext and theme that is very contemporary. From my point of view, it makes it all so rich.”

Walker is just as effusive in his appreciation of his actors, exclaiming, “Yes!” when given the chance to talk about the casting process and the chemistry between his three accomplished leads. 

“These three actors are all world-class, all leads in great productions and the lightning in a bottle you hope to catch when casting certainly comes to mind,” he says. “When you have a great script, you attract the attention of great actors. What you’re talking about, that chemistry, was a huge factor – these characters are people who have spent so long together, and there has to be a dependency and a co-existence – that’s so, so important. They’re all super talented but they’re all wonderful, sensitive people aware of each other’s processes. We were so grateful to have this calibre of cast.”

In terms of what he hopes viewers take away from Lambs Of God, Walker doesn’t hesitate: “My starting point is that I want it to be provocative and entertaining always,” he says. “In a bigger picture sense though, I hope that viewers are kept enthralled and on their edge of their seat and so curious about what happens next – I think you’re definitely going to want to keep watching.”