Kim Fields had a UK fan base even before her role in the British sitcom “Living the Dream,” premiering Tuesday on streaming service BritBox.
“Both of my [former] series, ‘The Facts of Life’ and ‘Living Single,’ are in worldwide syndication, so I’ve got some audience over there,” says Fields, 49. “But with ‘Living the Dream’ they’re seeing the ‘new’ Kim and not seeing me as a child on ‘Facts of Life’ or in my 20s on ‘Living Single.’
“To have some new fans in Scotland or in London and to interact with the fan base over there through social media was fantastic,” Fields says. “And very exciting.”
The six-episode “Living the Dream,” which originally aired on Sky One in the UK, tells the fish-out-of-water story of the British Pembertons — dad Mel (Philip Glenister), mom Jen (Lesley Sharp) and high schoolers Tina (Rosie Day) and Freddie (Brenock O’Connor) — who move to Kissimmee, Fla., after Mel buys an RV park sight unseen. The park, and its residents (notably fey Aiden, played by Leslie Jordan, and scary, beer-guzzling behemoth Troy, played by Kevin Nash), are a far cry from how they were portrayed in the RV park’s promotional brochure.
Fields plays Rhoda, the Pembertons’ brassy, exuberant next-door-neighbor, whose top priority is helping the British expats adapt to their new life in America. She’s married to an aging hippie, Casper (Randy Havens, “Stranger Things”), who’s uncomfortably touchy-feely.
“Rhoda’s certainly larger-than-life, but she also takes an enormous amount of pride and duty in being the first point of entry for these new neighbors,” Fields says. “She takes a great deal of pride and responsibility in how she approaches them. I was able to take that . . . to another level from the standpoint, for some people watching this overseas, of my character being an early glimpse into an American woman. And when you add in the comedy — ‘I have a civic duty to take you to a great spa, to inform you how young love unfolds here in America’ — it’s a very broad stroke.”
The series was shot in Georgia, with Savannah standing in for Kissimmee, so it was up to Fields and her American co-stars to make the British cast and crew feel at home.
“Working with Lesley [Sharp] was great,” Fields says. “She and I had a great time as women from two different cultures. Honestly, being able to be part of a series that can strike some very strong chords with audience members and how to relate to other cultures . . . it’s not about tolerance, it’s about education and acceptance and inclusion.
“So having those kind of undercurrents was very important to me as an artist and also as a woman. As a mom of two sons, I want to be able to make sure we’re all global citizens.”
“Living the Dream” Series premiere Tuesday, streaming on Britbox
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