Throng

Saturday 24 May, 8.35pm

Eighteen-year-old Anna Foster (played by Hollywood darling Mandy Moore) just wants to live the American dream: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

At the very least, she wants the freedom to live like any other teenager. But as the only child of the President of the United States, every detail of Anna's life is constantly monitored by the media, the public and her very protective parents - backed up by a battalion of Secret Service agents dedicated to safeguard her from danger, including the perils of first dates.
"Anna Foster hasn't had any breathing room in her life or any time alone," says Moore with genuine understanding of her character's frustration. "At 18, she's at a transitional stage in her life, a time when every girl starts to look toward her future as a woman and craves some independence and freedom. She wants to be trusted to make her own decisions. It's what all kids have to go through at a certain stage."

Exacerbating Anna's situation is that fact that, as the daughter of a president serving his second term, she's done all her growing up in the public eye, her every move monitored not only by her parents, but also by their security staff. It's not every father who can track his daughter's movements by stealth helicopter or have her dates strip-searched at the front door - and President James Foster (Mark Harmon), with the best intentions in the world, will do exactly that and more if it means protecting his only child from whatever evils lurk out in the world, real or imagined. "Anna feels that the time has come for her to take a stand," says Moore. "She's lived her life in a bubble for 18 years and now it's going to pop."

While on a diplomatic trip to Europe with her parents, Anna gets a promise from her father for a rare evening out alone, unescorted by the usual security detail. But when over-protective Dad has a last-minute change of heart and reneges, Anna decides it's time to take matters into her own hands. Ditching the agents, she's on the run. In her wild escape, Anna meets charming Brit Ben Calder (Matthew Goode), who helps her stay incognito in Europe.

Revelling in her newfound independence, Anna decides to take Europe by storm, accompanied by Ben and always a step ahead of her zealous bodyguards. As her impromptu European adventure takes her further away from a life of protocol and draws her closer to her dashing young travelling companion, she dreads the day she has to tell Ben who she really is and go back home. But Ben has a secret of his own.

Moore, who makes her romantic comedy debut in Chasing Liberty, recognises the parallels between her own life and that of her character, but feels that Anna's situation is not unique to celebrities or children of public figures. She says finding yourself, struggling with independence is universal: "When I got involved in the project I decided against doing a lot of research about presidential families because I believe Anna is no different than any other 18-year-old girl. She is who she is, and being the daughter of the president is just part of her circumstances - it's external. What's important to her is what is happening inside."

Watch Chasing Liberty, tonight on TV2 at 8.35pm.