Martin Henderson doesn’t hesitate when I ask him what drew him to the role of Rob on local comedy drama series Madam.
The NewZealand-born, US-based actor pauses just long enough to second-guess whether further explanation is coming, before explaining it’s more than just being a fan of the squeaky cheese, that he describes as, “the most ubiquitous piece of food that seems to be part of New Zealand cafe culture”.
It’s what he was eating for brunch at an Auckland cafe in early 2023 with Tom Hern, one of the show’s executive producers. It was there that Hern, “was like, ‘bro, let’s do something together’.”
“I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him as a creator and a storyteller,” Henderson – himself, a charming, friendly, endearing storyteller – says of Hern.
“We were chatting and he had two, new twin babies and looked really tired, but was really excited about this show… I was eating my haloumi and I was listening going, ‘mate, that sounds really cool’.
“That was it, really.”
Although working out timings with his own schedule got “complicated”.
The 49-year-old actor has lived in the US for more than three decades – where he’s played roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Off the Map and – since 2019 – Jack Sheridan in the hit Netflix series Virgin River.
Despite the time away, Henderson has an obvious Kiwi charm on the phone. He’s friendly, personable and throws in words like “bro” and “mate”. He was “thrilled” to work with his long-time friend Hern, “and be a part of something that is hopefully really fresh for New Zealand audiences”.
Madam, a show centered around Henderson’s on-screen wife, Mack (played by Australian acting legend Rachel Griffiths), tells the story of an American woman who opened an ethical brothel in small-town Aotearoa. There’s drama in the storytelling, but also plenty of a uniquely Kiwi comedy style. It’s an Aotearoa humour that Henderson “gets quite innately”.
And given that the roles he plays, especially in the US, are a, “little more straight and down the middle of the road … I think it was really fun to do that kind of material – and have a little fun with that aspect” .
When tackling the subject matter, Henderson says it’s also, “probably important that it does tickle people’s sense of humour, so it doesn’t feel seedy, or like it’s trying to pitch some moral compass on it all”.
The show plays host to a stellar acting ensemble, which also includes Danielle Cormack, Robbie Magasiva and Rima Te Wiata. Alongside the comedy is the tackling of real issues and serious moments. It was a balance between drama and comedy that Henderson says is both important and a bit “scary”.
“There has to be a dramatic underpinning to care about the characters enough that there’s enough at stake and enough pathos, as well as the giggles,” he says, adding that while it’s “tricky to do both”, the show “should work as both”.
“That was really tricky trying to find from a performance angle. Trying to make it funny, but also paying tribute that these are real people, [with] real lives and marriages [and livelihoods] at stake,” he says.
While the show centers on Griffiths’ attempts to open an ethical brothel, Henderson says, at heart, it’s also a family drama.
“You’re looking at people who are struggling financially, they’ve lost their way with their careers, their marriage and dissolved into functional parenting. Hopefully, it works on that drama level too, where you start rooting for these people and caring for them.”
As for what he hopes will get from the show, that will largely be up to people’s “perspectives on sex in general − and sex workers − and that industry”.
“It should make you care about the people, but, given the subject matter, it should pose the question to some people to consider their viewpoint on paid sex work,” he says, adding that he doesn’t believe the show is aimed to change anyone’s opinions, but may have people thinking, “I never considered what it might be like and what kind of person finds themselves in that kind of work and their reasons”.
