While this year may already seem just like 2020, there is one reason why that is actually a good thing, we are spoiled for choice with things to watch on streaming platforms.
From Disney+ announcing they will double the content on the platform in the next two months to Netflix releasing a teaser trailer featuring Leonardo Di Caprio and Meryl Streep, we are soon to be spoilt for choice in ways to wind down our days.
This week on the show we talk to the stars of The White Tiger and Fate: The Winx Saga which was filmed in Wicklow early last year.
Kicking off with Fate: The Winx saga, it follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.
From the creator of the Vampire Diaries Brian Young, the show takes many influences from the beloved Italian cartoon on which it is based but also isn’t afraid to mature the conversations for the characters and give them real teenage voices.
The show was filmed at Kilruddery House in Bray, Co. Wicklow and Fáilte Ireland should give Young a giant hug when we are all allowed to again because it looks absolutely stunning throughout.
While catching up with the cast they weren’t shy to admit how much they fell in love with their surroundings.
Abigail Cowen who fans will know from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina couldn’t get enough of it. She said: "Your country's amazing. It's literally the most beautiful place I've ever been."
Hannah van der Westhuysen spoke about the pressures of taking on characters which people already know and love. Her character Stella takes is much crueller in this series and that was something which she couldn’t help but worry about.
She said: "She is so much meaner in our versions than, than the originals. And I just really wanted the fans to have an open mind about that and I, and I think they have. But I couldn’t help but be nervous."
All six episodes of Fate: The Winx Saga are streaming on Netflix now but if a series just seems like too much commitment, that’s ok, The White Tiger starring the outstanding Adarsh Gourav and Priyanka Chopra Jonas will only take up two hours of your life.
Set in modern India, the character of Balram Halwai narrates his epic and darkly humorous rise from poor villager to successful entrepreneur. Adapted from the 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, the film has been billed as an anti-slumdog millionaire, delivering grit, velocity and humour throughout.
Speaking about the depth of the script Chopra Jonas told me it was a lot to deal with but rewarding in the end.
"The complexities of those characters took a lot of discussions and a lot of lamenting and a lot of."
She added: "Our director really gave us a lot of freedom to explore what our characters would be and what they would do and the world and the story. We could sort of pick each other's brains about how we were going to approach the character. And that was really joyous."
Chopra Jonas can also be seen in Netflix’s collaboration with Robert Rodriguez We Can Be Heroes and is very keen to continue working with the streaming giant.
"I just think that streaming is the future. And I mean, if it's not the future, it's the present. We've seen that with last year. I don't think streaming is going anywhere. It was never going to go anywhere."
The White Tiger is streaming on Netflix now.
Join me this weekend for all that and more on 2FM from 3pm - 5pm, Saturday and Sunday.
