Why Anna Paquin is moving into PR

Anna Paquin stars in and produces Flack. Photo / supplied

Naughty local celebrities might want to take note of Kiwi superstar Anna Paquin's new dramedy Flack, which premieres this month on TVNZ OnDemand.

The former True Blood star plays Robyn, an unsympathetic London PR hack who puts out fires for her famous clients and juggles an equally complicated love life. The script is said to have winks and nods to real-life scandals.

Robyn has lines like: "It's the lies that make a relationship work, not the truth."

Paquin has relished playing a character who is by no means perfect, nor are her clients who create scandals and make diva-like demands.

Flack is the first US-UK co-commission for both Pop and UKTV, the latter's first scripted drama for its flagship channel, W. Paquin did a shout-out this week for both channels and TVNZ. The show will premiere on all three on February 21.

Paquin knew the world of PR would be interesting viewing.

"A lot of these situations are exotic for viewers. Flack is a peek behind the curtain at a fascinating world a lot of people don't know about," she tells Spy.

"It's unique. I can't think of another show that has gone into this area of celebrity and fame. I also can't think of another show that's so brutally honest and confrontational and funny, all at the same time. It's a character-driven drama that you'll connect to emotionally. It ticks all the boxes."

Paquin is co-producing the series through her production company CASM, which she runs with husband of nine years Stephen Moyer. The pair attended the Critics' Choice Awards in Hollywood last month under the banner of their new show.

"I love being involved in all the details of any job, even if I'm not the executive producer," she says. "It turns out I've been back-seat executive producing all along. I find it very gratifying to be part of the building process on a production. That appeals to every part of my job. It's a function of having grown up on set. It's in my DNA."

This year Paquin will also feature in Soho's The Affair and have a starring role alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in The Irishman, directed by the great Martin Scorsese. The biographical crime film sees Paquin reunited with Harvey Keitel, her co-star in The Piano, for which she won an Oscar.