Henry and Clare have a pretty complicated love story. Henry is a time traveler and the pair have fallen in love in the wrong order!
First coming into her life as a child who turns up in her favourite place in the woods, The Clearing, Clare has known for a long time who her future husband will be – a fact that comes as a surprise for him when she walks into his life in his 20s!
Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife is getting a brand new adaptation via a six-episode series and charts the love story Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem… time travel.
Adapted by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) and directed by David Nutter (Game Of Thrones), the series stars Rose Leslie (Game Of Thrones), Theo James (Archive), Desmin Borges (Utopia), and Natasha Lopez (Runner Runner), alongside Everleigh McDonell and Caitlin Shorey who play Clare at different stages of her young life.
We spoke to Caitlin Shorey who plays young Clare at the very point she realises her time-travelling ‘friend’ Henry might end up being more important to her when she grows up…
What can you tell us about The Time Traveler’s Wife?
It’s about a time traveller named Henry who falls in love with a girl named Clare but in the wrong order. So it’s basically a love story but with a lot of complications!
What were your thoughts on the series when you first read the script?
I thought it was really interesting. It was something that I had never really seen before. I really enjoyed the time travel aspect of it, and I really liked the way the dialogue was all written. It was really interesting…
What can you tell us about your character Clare?
She’s an artist. She’s very clever and strong-willed. But she comes from a little bit of a dysfunctional family.
What can you tell us about Clare at the age when you play her?
She’s still really smart and strong-willed and at the time when I play her, but it also seems like she’s kind of figuring out that maybe her and Henry are a little more than just friends in the future…
Most of your scenes are with Theo James who plays Henry. What was it like working with him?
Oh, it was super awesome! He was very nice and he made me super comfortable when I was on set. We talked about Harry Potter – that was the first thing we ever talked about and he does a very good Voldemort impression [haha]. So yeah, he was a super nice person and really enjoyable to be around.
Many of your scenes take place in The Clearing – where was that shot?
Actually, the entire Clearing was shot inside of a sound studio. Every single time I’d go there, there’d be new trees, so it might be summer or it might be winter. It’s like, you never really know what you’re gonna get!
What was the most challenging aspect when working on The Time Traveller’s Wife?
Probably the fact that I lost my mom about halfway through filming, which made it hard for me to focus on filming and doing my best. But the entire cast and [director] David Nutter made it so easy for me to stay focused and stay grounded whenever I maybe wasn’t feeling my greatest or maybe a little sad.
[Caitlin has supported Inheritance of Hope since 2018, when her mother was diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer. In June 2021, she sang to her mom for the last time at a virtual cabaret and promised her she would continue raising money and awareness so IoH can help support many more families. Find out more about the service here].
What do you want for audiences to take away from the series?
I think just for people who read the book to get excited about the series being more like the book. And maybe people who haven’t read the book to get them interested in the storyline and maybe gain some new fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife.
You’ll soon be starring in the new Stephen King adaption of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone for Netflix. What can you tell us about that?
I can’t say much but I play young Margie, who is a very very great friend and is always very supportive. Honestly, I think it’s just exciting to be in anything Stephen King related! I think that’s really big!
The Time Traveler’s Wife debuts on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW 16 May. Main image credit: Jonathan Pushnik
