The Super Power Of Female Friendships

Superheroes are now dominating screens big and small to such a degree that costumed crime fighters previously regarded solely as fan favourites — the likes of Iron Man or Wolverine spring to mind — have become household names. And while the A-listers such as Batman and Spider-Man remain the stars of the genre, it's increasingly becoming the case that lesser known comic book characters are making their way into movies and television programs.

Case in point: Marvel Comics' Jessica Jones, an everyday teenager whose exposure to radioactive chemicals gave her enhanced strength and physical invulnerability. However, a traumatic run-in with a super villain who had the power to manipulate minds saw Jessica quit superheroics to instead help people as a private investigator.

"I was so seduced and impressed by her fierce intelligence and personal ethics."

Marvel and streaming video service Netflix have joined forces to bring a number of the comic book company's characters to television, and following the lead set by blind bruiser Daredevil earlier this year, Jessica Jones now comes to the screen in a 13-episode series premiering 20 November. 

Breaking Bad's Krysten Ritter brings the title character to life in a terrific performance full of streetwise panache and sardonic wit, as her Jessica goes up against Kilgrave (Doctor Who's David Tennant), a silk-smooth psychopath with unnatural powers of persuasion, to stop his reign of terror and lay her own personal demons to rest.

Jessica isn't going it alone — she has best friend Trish Walker, played by Australian actress Rachael Taylor, in her corner, and the bond between the two women is a super-power unto itself. "One of the reasons I wanted to do this show was the richness of the female friendship between Trish and Jessica, and when I met with [series creator] Melissa Rosenberg, I was so seduced and impressed by her fierce intelligence and personal ethics — she's really invested in seeing complicated, flawed female characters brought to the screen, and she does it really, really well," says Taylor.

"Melissa talked about how the relationship would be messy. It's not broad-stroke best friends forever; it has some history and some depth, which was very appealing to me. As human beings, we are not always supportive of our friends and we're not always healthy in our friendships — there's always a number of different dynamics going on at the one time. Melissa's writing really allows for a bunch of different dynamics to be present in one moment, and that's one of the reasons why I wanted to be part of this."

The other reason for Taylor's enthusiasm was Krysten Ritter.

"When I heard she was cast, I couldn't imagine any other actress embodying that warrior spirit and possessing the emotional range and gravitas and vulnerability that was needed for the character, and she also has this great, salty way of delivering a line," says Taylor. "Those three things together are very rare."

"This is a human drama about a woman who has gone through psychological abuse and has to dig really deep and find a kind of superhuman strength to confront her past, accept who she is and make things right."

Jessica Jones is more a noir tinged thriller and complex psychological drama than a traditional superhero adventure series, and the enduring friendship between Jessica and Trish is an intrinsic part of the set-up.

"There's a really rich history between them, and we learn a lot more about it as the series progresses," says Taylor. "They've known each other since they were 15 — their friendship harks back to how Jessica got her superpowers, and there's a real loyalty there based on trauma on both sides. The series is based on the comic book Alias, and for a while our show was called 'AKA Jessica Jones', as in 'also known as', and Melissa has taken this idea of aliases and made sure that every single character in the show has an alias, has an AKA — they appear one way but they also have this kind of shadow personality. Trish absolutely fits that mould. When we first meet her, she seems very in control in her work and her life, and as the series progresses we discover she has trauma and abuse in her own past, and she and Jessica connect on that level, going back to when they were kids."

It's tough stuff, but it's put together with intelligence and impact, for which Taylor gives credit not only to series creator Rosenberg and her collaborators but also corporate behemoths Marvel and Netflix. "Marvel does that really well — that focus on the man or woman behind the mask," she says. "This is a human drama about a woman who has gone through psychological abuse and has to dig really deep and find a kind of superhuman strength to confront her past, accept who she is and make things right.

"She has to wrestle with her demons, and that's more important than any overt display of superpowers. It's why I think it'll appeal to people who have read the comics — there are plenty of little Easter eggs for fans of the Marvel universe — but if you've never picked up a comic book in your life you'll appreciate it as a noir thriller and a deep and dark exploration of some murky psychological territory. Melissa is very interested in complicated female characters. She's determined, in fact, to move the needle in terms of how women are portrayed onscreen. So the tone of Jessica Jones felt bold from the get-go, and Marvel seemed determined to support her vision.

"Then there's the Netflix model, which has really impacted on the way writers and directors can make television, and as an actor I could feel it here. Shooting this felt like a movie in terms of the time and money that was spent, in terms of the look and tone that it has, and you can feel that bleeding onto the screen. So watch it like a movie if you want to, because that's how we made it."

So with all 13 episodes of Jessica Jones available from Friday 20 November, viewers shouldn't pace themselves?

"No way, it's a 13-hour movie," laughs Taylor. "Binge-watch it — I did!"