The hit series "Chernobyl" delighted the world and showed that the audience can be attracted by great historical tragedies transferred to the small screen, but also that difficult stories based on historical events can achieve great success.
Encouraged by the large numbers when it comes to the viewership of "Chernobyl", the National Geographic channel filmed the mini-series "The Hot Zone", also based on true events, which will have six episodes, all based on the bestseller by Richard Preston in which describes the terrifying arrival of Ebola on American soil.
One of the main roles is played by the Golden Globe and Emmy winner Juliana Margulis.
She portrays the character of Nancy Jacks, a veterinarian and scientist who works at the Institute of Infectious Diseases, and who in 1989 will be placed at the head of the Ebola virus research team.
"When I got this role, I had no idea that about 40 monkeys are imported into the United States every year to be used for laboratory tests and similar purposes. In 1989, the zair virus was discovered. There are many different types of Ebola, but in 1989 it was this type that caused the most fear and Richard based his book on it," Margulis told Channel 24.
“The zaire species has a nine out of ten mortality rate. I have learned so much about all this that I will never sleep peacefully again", said this actress.
"I'm not saying that I became paranoid, but after working on the topic of infectious diseases, I learned a few things. One of them is that from now on I always carry dry hand washing gel with me in my bag. When you talk to specialists in this field, they tell you to observe people and pay attention to how many times a day they touch their face.
Michael Smith, who trained me, revealed to me that people who work in infectious disease research never touch their faces, but they also never get sick. Now every time I scratch my eye I'm aware that I'm doing it," explained Margulis.
According to her, this will most likely happen with the viewers as well.
“I hope that everyone who watches the series will become a little anxious, because it all happened and these things will continue to happen. I think it's important to have that fear that keeps us alert. Our task was not to create panic among people, but to make them wonder what they can do to help. What can all of us as individuals, inhabitants of the world, do to ensure that Ebola is investigated to the extent necessary to stop it," she said.
"So my answer is ambiguous - I would like this series to scare people, but I would also like it to empower them and help them better understand what is happening in the world. Knowledge is power. I hope this series will shine a light on just that," added the actress.
The series and the book were named after the term "hot zone", which refers to the place where agents of biological hazards such as Ebola, AIDS and similar deadly diseases are studied.
The action of the series begins in Kenya, in 1980, where a doctor there, during a routine examination of a patient, encounters unknown symptoms of a disease that will soon threaten all of humanity.
The story moves nine years into the future, to a research center in Virginia, and follows a colony of primates infected with this disease. The research center is located only 30 kilometers from the capital of America, and this is also the first moment in which we meet the lieutenant colonel at the Institute of Medical Research of the US Army, Nancy Jacks.
Her instinct and experience tell her that she is looking at something much bigger and more dangerous than a simple infection, and despite the skepticism of her colleagues and with the support of her husband, Lt. Col. Jerry Jacks, a US Army vet, and her mentor Dr. Wade Carter, she tries to get to the truth.
With her persistence, scientific research reveals a terrible truth about the situation that forces the military to take the initiative to prevent the epidemic.
The series then moves to the XNUMXs and follows the two doctors who initially tracked, researched and tried to stop the Ebola epidemic in Africa. The question is whether their experience can help stop this disease or the answer lies elsewhere.
In addition to Margulies, the cast of this tense series is additionally strengthened by a number of international casts consisting of Noah Emmerich, Topher Grace, Liam Cunningham, James Darcy and Meryl Streep's daughter - Grace Gummer.
As in the case of "Chernobyl", it was more than important to create an extremely authentic environment, and Margulis points out how this helped.
"It was hard to believe that it was a film set at all. Everything was incredibly authentic. And that helps, because I'm very far from being a scientist or a veterinarian, so an authentic set helps me immerse myself in such a demanding role," she admitted.
Some of the scenes were shot in South Africa, with the star cast there, but Margulis didn't get a chance to visit those locations.
“Unfortunately, I didn't. My character never goes to Africa, so I didn't even get a chance to meet the rest of the crew that filmed there. However, I look forward to the opportunity to meet them in the near future," she said.
One of the important details is certainly the protective suits with which the actress had big problems
"I got to know my dark side while working on the series precisely because of the protective suits. Those suits are so unbearably uncomfortable. They are not made for women. There are two different types of suits - the 'Racal' suit that we wear when we go into the house in Reston where we had to euthanize over 400 monkeys, and then there are the rubber 'Chemchurian' suits that we have to wear in biohazard level 4 labs and they weigh almost 30 kilograms", revealed the actress, adding that Ebola is not the only topic in the series.
“Nancy, as a colonel in the army, faces sexism, and at the same time she was fortunate to be somewhat untouchable, firstly because she was incredibly good at her job, but also because her husband was a colonel and a vet. People respected them immensely," continues Margulis and looks at another important component of her character - motherhood.
"I strongly identified with the character, because the fact is that she is a mother and has a successful career. It is difficult for both parents. You can't give one hundred percent all the time, every day. But you can try to give 75 percent one time or another, and on weekends, when you are devoted to the family, to give yourself completely. This is how most parents act," she claims.
When asked what was the biggest challenge of portraying Nancy, she says:
"The fact that I was trained by Michael Smith, aka Nancy's cousin, who is one of the best infectious disease specialists in America. I learned a lot from him, because he was in Sierra Leone in 2015 when the Ebola epidemic broke out and 11 thousand people died. The biggest challenge was therefore during those six hours of filming, trying not to forget to use scientific vocabulary.
Also, the protective suits were very heavy and when they locked me inside, I would hear my voice completely differently, and at the same time, I didn't even see my partner to whom I was speaking," she described.
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