She also discusses her one rule for auditioning and whether she gets nervous when starting a new project.
Collider: I loved this show. I love anytime I have no idea how it’s going to end or what’s going to happen next.
ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE: Oh, good. I’m glad.
What were you told about this show? How much did they tell you? What did they describe it as because it seems like it’s a hard show to describe?
HENSTRIDGE: Yeah, you’re so right. Try doing two days of press tours to describe it. It has a bit of everything, but at its heart it’s a suspenseful thriller. And along the way, it asks a lot of really big questions about the truth, what is the truth, how it can be constructed and who by, the role social media plays in that, how surveillance impacts on our lives and personal rights, socioeconomic status and how that impacts your life and whether it’s fair. There’s a lot that goes into it. There are massive topics in there, but we also get to see these very ordinary people and how their lives get completely turned upside down because they#re accused of a kidnapping, and then they’re tasked with clearing their name, and how that really affects their lives, and how it could possibly destroy it. We get to see that all play out in the course of eight days, so there’s a lot going on.
In terms of how I heard about the show, I got to read the first two episodes and I got to read for the role of Tara. As soon as I saw who was involved, I was pretty hooked, with it being Apple TV+ and Keshet who brought us Homeland and False Flag, the Israeli series that Suspicion is based on. And then, there was Rob Williams, the writer, and Chris Long, who was gonna direct it. I couldn’t say no. And then, I read the first two scripts and I couldn’t put it down. A few days later, I was in England, and we were off.
By the time you get to the end of the season, it feels like a very different show once you know everything, so did you get any hints about what happened after those first wo scripts? Did you have to find out the rest as you got each script, or did you know where it would all end up?
HENSTRIDGE: We learned what we needed to know when we needed to know it because we shot out of order. We came up with a whole new protocol of how to film during the pandemic and that meant that we shot quite a lot out of order, and so we did get a few scripts earlier than we may have otherwise gotten them, which was very fun. But we didn’t find out. I didn’t know what was happening in the final episode until about halfway through filming. I was shocked.
Yeah, I would imagine. When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended, did you actively want to seek out another TV series, or were you not that specific when you were looking for possible projects? Were you just open to everything, or did you want to find another show like this where you could work with another ensemble.
HENSTRIDGE: I wasn’t overly specific in the format, I guess. For me, it always comes down to the script and the character, and that could be a rom-com or a thriller. I know it when I read it and what I need to be challenged in. And then also , it’s the job that says yes to you. I really wanted this job. I did the audition and honestly didn’t give it a second thought because it just felt like it was just a dream. And so, then when it did happen, it was a really out-of-body experience. And for me, it happened very quickly. I came in right at the end of the casting process, kind of accidentally. And then, it was very fast, and it felt very surreal.
I only audition for things that I love. That’s something I’ve always stuck to, whether work is coming on or it isn’t because it’s an investment of your life and your time. This was just such a wonderful show. I wanna say that I fought so hard for it, but I honestly just didn’t think there was any way I was gonna book it. I did my best, but I honestly didn’t give to too much thought. Maybe that’s what did it.
Are you the type of actor who gets nervous at the start of every project? Do you not get nervous? If you do, how do you get over those nerves?
HENSTRIDGE: Yeah, I do get nervous. I was super nervous for the first coupe of weeks of this because it felt very fast. And I think your mind can play tricks on you, with whether you deserve it or not, or whether they’ve made a mistake. You think they’re gonna tap you on your shoulder and say, “I’m so sorry, we thought you were somebody else.” You go through all that. But I enjoy nerves. I think it just shows that you really care about it, and it also gives you a lot of scope for personal growth. It’s a real sense of achievement when you get home, at the end of the day, and you go, “I did it. I can do this.”
Some of it is having a really supportive team around you. Ensemble pieces are really important to me and I love being part of an ensemble. As soon as we got in, and we all gelled very quickly, the times that we were filming in were really strenuous for everybody around the world, so to be able to be nervous was such a privilege because it meant that we were still doing what we loved at a time when that was really rare, to be able to keep working. So yeah, I definitely get nervous, but I also sadistically love the nerves.
You developed a very close relationship with your Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunners. What was it like to form that actor-showrunner relationship on this show? How did that collaboration evolve between you, the showrunner, and the directors? Was it a very different experience?
HENSTRIDGE: No, not really. I have such huge respect for them. They’re lovely and there was a real collaborative process We were all going through something extraordinary together. Their body of work is incredible and expansive, but nobody had ever shot under these circumstances. So, as a result, we got really close, really quickly. We were all way from our usual, I don’t wanna say crutches, but comforts for our usual way that we get rid of nerves. You’ll go home and be able to give your loved one a massive hug, and that will quell the nerves. None of us had those methods, so we sought comfort in each other, and that was a really bonding experience.
We just had such a wonderful time on set. It felt like we were all doing something that felt really cool and fun and important as well. We all really believe in the project. So yeah, it was great. And actually there were a lot of connections with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. One of my mentors on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that I shadowed a bunch was a director called Nina Lopez-Corrado, and she was Chris Long’s protégé, which was cool. There were a lot of connections. You think, “I’m not gonna know anyone.” And then, you realize the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. network goes wide.
On Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you were one of the heroes and good guys who often did things to save the world and help people. And on this show, as we learn what’s going on, your characters really are all painted as the villains, or at least the people responsible for this kidnapping. How different did it feel to play a character like Tara, who’s always trying to figure out what’s happening and having to react to these things being one to her, as opposed to someone like Jemma Simmons who was more actively involved in making things happen?
HENSTRIDGE: Gosh, that’s such a good question. I feel like Simmons was usually praised for being a good girl. And now, all of a sudden, I’m playing someone where maybe those lines are slightly burred. It was really fun. I really wanted to do her justice. I think we’ve achieved, in everybody, painting these characters that are not all good and they’re not all bad. I think people may draw their own conclusions as to how morally ambiguous they are, or how if they went too far or not far enough. We’ve all made decisions in life, and some of them, you might not want to be questioned on a global scale with millions of people seeing your face and going, “She did it,” or “He did it.” I enjoyed the ambiguity of it, and I think that we played with it on the set. We found it in the moment as well, which was nice.
The show is fun because it feels like you’re constantly wondering, could it be any one of these characters? Could it be all of them? Could it be some pairing of them? I love when you find something in the characters to root for, but also be suspicious of, at the same time. It’s definitely a lot of fun to watch.
HENSTRIDGE: Totally. And when we were filming it, we didn’t necessarily know everything about each other’s characters either. That was really fun to play with. We each had a secret.
Everything that happens on this show happens because f Katherine Newman, and yet you don’t really share scenes with her. Did it feel like Uma Thurman was off doing her own thing, practically on a whole different show, even though she was playing such a central figure to the story?
HENSTRIDGE: You know, it’s really interesting because, without giving too much away, there are intertwining plots. For my experience of it, it was extremely immersive with this other group of suspects, which is what Tara was going through. It was really useful that we were around each other all the time. Chemistry really helps when you get along with people because you’re sending a lot of time together, but also, so are your characters. They’re going through something extraordinary, at the same time. It also makes watching it amazing because there’s so much f it that I wasn’t around for. Then, you go, “Oh my gosh, wow. She played it like that.” Uma is iconic and is such a massive role model to me. I think she’s extraordinary in this. We always knew that she would be, but there’s something about seeing it that I’m transfixed, whenever she’s on-screen.
Along with the ensemble, we also get to see your character’s relationship with her daughter. What was that bond like to form? Did you guys get to spend any actual time together?
HENSTRIDGE: Yeah, we did. I got to hang out with her and her family. She’s such a brilliant actress, just a powerhouse of an actress. It was really special because we had a shutdown three weeks into filming. I got to see her growth. She’s at school, and it’s such a pivotal age anyway, and then to go through something like this and to watch her grow through that was just an amazing experience. I absolutely loved working with her, and she’s one to watch. She’s incredible in this.
Without spoilers, once you read the script for the final episode, and you learned the final reveals and learned about what would happen for your character, what was your reaction? What were the emotions you went through? How did you react to learning all of that?
HENSTRIDGE: Oh my gosh, I was shocked. I was so shocked. There’s a lot going on, and it’s complicated. It’s not so black and white. It’s not so cut and dried. Everybody potentially is gonna have a slightly different opinion on the end result. As an actor, it was just the mos amazing episode to shoot. There’s a particular scene that lasts a long time, that was one of the best things to have been involved in. Chris Long shot that episode, and it’s something I’ll take with me forever because it was just so dramatic. There were so many twists and turn, and so many amazing beats to play. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s a payoff that, by the time we get to that eighth episode, as a show, we’ve really earned. Those are always the most delicious moments.
Suspicion is available to stream at Apple TV+
Original article at Collider
This article has been reproduced for archive purposes.
