tv

'I went behind-the-scenes of the Stan Original Series Eden and it's like nothing we've ever seen before.'

In a multimillion-dollar house on the outskirts of Byron Bay, Cody Fern is balancing on one leg in a fencing outfit while a lit cigarette dangles out of the corner of his mouth.

A ringtone sounds, and Cody stares off into the distance of the sprawling hinterland property as he answers his phone.

"Motherf**kers," he yells.

"Call the police! Move it, now!"

Watch the full trailer for the Stan Original Series Eden below. Post continues after video.


Video via Stan.

The actor is playing Andy Dolan, a washed-up Hollywood star living in the fictional town of Eden who has just discovered a swarm of paparazzi outside his palatial coastal retreat.

Played by American Horror Story alum Cody Fern, Andy is just one of the unique figures that we meet in the Stan Original Series Eden.

Cody Fern and crew on the set of the Stan Original Series Eden. Image: Stan.

ADVERTISEMENT

The new eight-part mystery drama series takes place in Eden – an idyllic coastal Australian town with a dark underbelly. 

At the centre of Eden is Scout (Sophie Wilde), a high-achieving 20-year-old who returns home to the beach community after a year of studying abroad to discover that her best friend, Hedwig (BeBe Bettencourt), has indefinably changed. 

Later on, during a drug-fuelled night out, Scout confesses her romantic feelings for Hedwig. But after the night ends in a violent struggle, Scout blacks out. And when she eventually wakes up, Hedwig is gone.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the episodes that follow, the series moves backwards and forwards in time, reflecting on Hedwig's summer and following Scout's desperate search to find her missing friend as she uncovers dark secrets about Eden's tight-knit community.

The new Stan Original Series was shot in and around the picture-perfect landscapes of the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.

From multimillion-dollar houses with ocean views and elaborate wellness retreats to endless coastlines and rolling Hinterlands, the town of Eden certainly looks like an earthly paradise on screen.

But in Eden's beauty, there's an obvious paradox. After all, underneath that shiny exterior, there's a dark world hiding beneath this coastal paradise. 

Speaking to Mamamia on the set of the new seriescreator and head writer Vanessa Gazy explained that the birth of the show was inspired by her interest in human behaviour.

Director John Curran on the set of the Stan Original Series Eden with BeBe Bettencourt. Image: Stan.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We’ve got these two best friends, Hedwig and Scout, who are the heart and soul of the show," Gazy shared.

"Across eight episodes, we track the series of events that led to [Hedwig's] disappearance. It’s a mystery. But it’s a different, four-dimensional mystery," she continued.

"As the show progresses, we delve into different characters and their points of view. And in the process of revealing the secret lives [of each of these characters], we reveal a little bit more about what happened to Hedwig.

"It gives you so much scope to have an overarching mystery and to go into deep dives into each character. So much of the show is about the veneer [that people present to the world] and what’s really beneath it. And it’s sort of a metaphor for the whole town as a whole."

Penned by Gazy and an all-female writing team, the series delves into a number of character storylines while simultaneously shining a light on complex sexual power dynamics.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Almost each episode has some kind of sexual power dynamic, of all different kinds, across all different cross-sections of people," Gazy told Mamamia. 

"So I am really fascinated by that. I mean, not all of them are healthy, not all of them are good. But in shining a light on the way sex operates in our society, it’s doing something good for the world."

While much of Eden's power lies in its paradisiacal locations and landscapes, it was Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner, production designer Jo Ford and make-up designer Cassie Hanlon who truly created Eden's exotic world.

Sophie Wilde as Scout and BeBe Bettencourt as Hedwig in the Stan Original Series Eden. Image: Stan.

ADVERTISEMENT

During pre-production, the cast of the show were "hands-on" in the development of their costumes as well as their hair and make-up looks.

"It was a collaboration between the director and the actor to work out what they were feeling about the character," make-up artist Cassie Hanlon told Mamamia on set.

"I’ve done lots of creative looks and it’s been really fun and exciting for us. It’s creating a new world, which is quite different from anything we’ve seen before. There’s just something that’s different [about Eden] that you can’t quite put your finger on."

Hanlon explained that some of the looks in the series were based on a "heightened look at Byron Bay".

"The looks are pushed probably three or four times more than they normally would be," she said.

"There was a lot of beautiful colour and a lot of shimmer and glitter and flowy clothing."

Wandering around the set in-between takes at the multimillion-dollar Byron Bay property, it's clear that Eden is a multi-generational story.

ADVERTISEMENT

For rising star Sophie Wilde, who plays Scout in the series, working on the show has been "simultaneously terrifying and amazing".

Sophie Wilde as Scout in the Stan Original Series Eden. Image: Stan.

"It's been a dream come true. I love this character," Wilde told Mamamia on set.

"I think Scout's at a very interesting period in her life, where she's coming out of high school... and entering the adult world. I think that's often glamorised, that period. But I found it particularly tumultuous. And I think I kind of related to Scout in that way," she continued.

ADVERTISEMENT

"You're questioning a lot of things about your identity and the kind of person you want to be. I think you have a certain level of naivety where you think that things are going to remain the same and you’re always going to be friends with your high school friends and it's kind of a shock [when things do change]."

Alongside newcomers Wilde and Bettencourt, the Stan Original Series' diverse cast is made up of Aussie favourites such as Samuel Johnson and Leeanna Walsman as well as internationally successful actors Keiynan Lonsdale, Cody Fern, and Christopher James Baker.

For Western Australia-born actor Fern, it was his first role in Australia in years.

Cody Fern as Andy in the Stan Original Series Eden. Image: Stan.

ADVERTISEMENT

"The reason that I’ve resisted coming back for a long time is because I really think that it’s valuable to support local talent," Fern shared on set.

"You get sent a script and they’re like, 'We want you for this.' And I’m so grateful for that. But at the same time, there’s a part of me that goes, 'There’s somebody else who can take this right now within the country who can do an amazing job with this that you should find.' 

"And that’s happened with BeBe and Sophie and others on the production, which I think is extraordinary. Because it could have gone out to somebody that we’ve all seen before and that we all know, but it’s not as exciting as seeing somebody get on the horse for the first time or the second time or the third time."

Keiynan Lonsdale as Cam and BeBe Bettencourt as Hedwig in the Stan Original Series Eden. Image: Stan.

ADVERTISEMENT

For The Flash star Lonsdale, Eden was also a return to his roots in Australia.

"I was super excited to come back [to Australia]," he told Mamamia

"I have felt this yearning to be a part of Australian stories and Australian productions again."

The Stan Original Series Eden premieres June 11 only on Stan, with all episodes available at once.

Feature Image: Stan/Supplied.