´óÏó´«Ã½ and HBO tackle crucial Five Days in a gripping investigation
Sarah Smart plays Sarah Wheeler
Recruitment consultant Sarah Wheeler accidentally becomes embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of young mother Leanne Wellings when she is woken one morning by a door-to-door police search.
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As she puts out the rubbish, she comes across Leanne's son, Ethan, who has himself been reported missing along with his sister, Rosie.
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As viewers first meet Sarah, she is moving into her new flat. She has a great job, is a high-flyer and, from the outside, looks like she has it all going for her.
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"She's very much a loner, but she has this dark secret which makes her very interesting," explains Sarah Smart, who plays the businesswoman who becomes drawn into the investigation.
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"She's quite guarded because of this secret, so it does take a while for people to get to know her."
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Sarah, who recently starred in the drama series Jane Hall, is relishing playing the role.
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"I'm a lady in this which is different for me because usually I play bus drivers and butch lesbians," laughs the 28-year-old actress.
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When Sarah discovers Ethan, she becomes strangely drawn to the youngster and they become good friends.
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"They go through a nice journey together," says Sarah. "They have a comforting relationship."
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Sarah also develops a friendship with Ethan's father, Matt Wellings (David Oyelowo), and offers her help to the family. However, she gets a little too involved for some people's liking.
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"Leanne's mum and dad don't like her at all because she suddenly becomes mixed up within their story and always seems to be at Matt's home," says Sarah.
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"Everyone is very suspicious of her, but viewers will soon realise why she is the way she is and, later in the series, they will discover her secret."
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As Sarah's relationship with Matt goes on, he begins to offload all of his woes upon her.
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"They use each other, basically," says Sarah. "He uses her as an outlet for his emotions which he can't share with his family, because of what they're going through, and she uses him for her emotional needs."
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The pair have a complicated relationship, she adds.
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"He is attractive and there is a chemistry between them and it's a complex one because it's about needing something that you can't have. It's not a love story."
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Although Sarah seems very together, she is actually quite a needy person, and feeds off the love and support she and the family have given each other.
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"That's what she is attracted to, the fact that they keep her so close," says Sarah. "She needs the family as much as they kind of need her – especially in Leanne's absence."
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Five Days is a ´óÏó´«Ã½ collaboration with the US channel HBO, which Sarah is very excited about. So what are her thoughts on trying to crack America?
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"I'm really enjoying what I'm doing at the moment, just doing nice, varied roles and working regularly," says Sarah.
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"I'm better known here, and it's nice and easy. So I'm not really fussed.
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"I would really like to do some films, though, and would love to do a British film."
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Sarah's other TV credits include Funland, Jane Hall and Sparkhouse but she is perhaps best known for playing Virginia Braithwaite in At Home With The Braithwaites – the story about a dysfunctional family whose lives were turned upside down by a lottery win.
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"I've been so lucky in my career," says Sarah. "I started off working when I was a kid, and happily made the transition from kid to girlfriend to daughter, and now I'm making this transition where I'm doing proper characters in their own right who have complicated adult lives – it's great."
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