A NiceGirls Interview with Roxanne McKee

Roxanne McKee is currently kicking ass in the all new season of Strike Back on Cinemax. You may remember her as Claire Riesen from Dominion. A role the NiceGirls mourned when the show was cancelled. So when we were offered a chance to speak with her regarding her Strike Back role we took it.

First off, Dominion was a favorite of ours at NiceGirlsTV. When it wasn’t renewed there was a flurry of heartbroken emails between our correspondence. Loved your character!
Oh my gosh! You’re so lovely to say. Dominion will always remain close to my heart, all of actors on the show are on a WhatsApp group, with one of the producers, and we speak every day. We are the tightest knit family, I’m so grateful to have been a part of it.

I know it’s 2018, but it is still rare to have a woman lead in a military show. What can you tell us about your character?
It is rare, but that’s typical of the military landscape, so not completely unjustified. However, the times they are a changin’! My character is Natalie Reynolds, she’s a stone-cold interrogator on the outside, but she’s filled with self-doubt over a situation which saw her accidentally cover up a terrible lie for her father. She follows rules, and does very little to engage on a personal level, she’s suspicious and capable. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly and yet she has a soft spot for the innocents. She constantly wrestles with what feels right, over codes of conduct. She’s an adroit shot, handy with a knife, and both mentally and physically agile. She’ll utilize all she has in her repertoire to get the goal.

How did you prepare for such a physical role?
I trained with my trainer in LA, first. I ended up being able to squat more than my body weight, it was no mean feat, the eating was the toughest. So much protein, I felt like an animal. We then did six weeks of weapons training at KASOTC – The King of Jordan’s military base. We were repelling head first off 200ft buildings, clearing houses with live fire, and doing drills every day. In the mornings we would do HIIT training, then climbing the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It was intense and wonderful! The skills we’ve learned are there for life (I hope) and I’m so grateful to have had this opportunity.

You’ve done shows with a big scope before (i.e. Game of Thrones) but I have always been impressed with Strike Back’s global feel. Where was your favorite location to film?
All the locations were astounding, the Jordanian desert was epic. One day I sat quietly watching a shepherd herd his sheep across this vast expanse of sand, it was breathtaking and serene and yet filled with energy. Budapest was filled with gothic looking architecture, it was dreamlike at nights, running through the streets. I’d pop my headphones in and let myself get lost in the dark streets, then I’d wander down to the Danube to stretch. It was really calming.
My favourite place, was Croatia, Rovinj to be exact, I spent most of my time there in the water, diving. I wondered round the Venetian alleyways and ate way too much locally made ice cream, it was idyllic. If you can go, go, and watch the sunset from the harbour.

Did you watch any of the previous Strike Back seasons?
I had watched Strike Back, when I read for the role, I started watching. I can honestly say Philip Winchester is as lovely on and off screen, and Sully was funny, helpful, and kind.

STRIKE BACK airs Fridays at 10pm on Cinemax