©Courtesy of Starz

Humanizing a sinister anti-hero who’s pushed to the edge after being ignored and dismissed throughout their lives can be an emotional journey for both a performer and their audience. That’s certainly the case for actress Ella Purnell‘s protagonist of Rhiannon Lewis in the new dark dramedy television show, Sweetpea.

The series is an adaptation of the 2017 book of the same name by CJ Skuse. The screen adaptation was created by Kirstie Swain, who also serves as one of the project’s screenwriters.

The dramedy’s current first season was directed by executive producer Ella Jones. The helmer and Purnell both also served as executive producers on the show.

Sweetpea follows Rhiannon (Purnell) as she recounts that she has countless people on her kill list, and one bad day lead her to finally crossing those names out. Until then, she suppresses her inner rage while navigating a world where she’s seemingly invisible by her colleagues, peers and even her family.

At her executive assistant job at a newspaper office, Rhiannon’s boss Norman (Jeremy Swift) degrades her by absent-mindedly calling her the titular nickname. When she finally musters up the courage to ask him about being promoted to an open position as a junior reporter, she learns that a new nepotistic hire, AJ (Calam Lynch), was just given the job.

Purnell generously took the time this weekend to talk about starring in, and serving as one of the executive producers on, Sweetpea during a Q&A at New York Comic Con. The Q&A followed a screening of the series’ pilot episode.

The British show premiered on October 10 on Starz in the United States and Canada. The season features six episodes, and the remaining four episodes will premiere every Friday until November 15.

 

Interview with Actress/Executive Producer Ella Purnell

 

Q: When the Sweetpea opportunity first came across your desk, what was it about it that made you think, I need to have this in my life right now as an artist who’s always evolving my craft?

Ella Purnell: It was two things; first of all, the way they pitched the project to me was, we want to tell a story about a female serial killer and it’s going to be a comedy. I was like, “Yes, I’m in!”

Then they also said, “We want to make the audience really confused and also conflict them; we want try to make them relate to Rhiannon and her emotions, motivations and actions.” That seemed really difficult, and therefore, I wanted to do it.

Also, having the opportunity to be an executive producer was amazing. It’s something I wanted to do for such a long time. I wanted to find something that I felt like I could do a good job on and contribute to; I wanted to help build the show. So they let me do it.

Q: That’s a big deal and should be celebrated. What’s something that you saw a producer do on a past show that you really appreciated, and now apply to your own work as a producer on Sweetpea?

EP: There are so many things. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with so many amazing people. I’d say, first and foremost, the most important lesson is to create a safe set. It’s so important to advocate for each other and look after your crew.

Also, this subject matter is heavy. There are a lot of big themes in this show…things get worse – and better in ways – in later episodes, after the first one.

So it was important that we have a safe set. We had free therapy and resources for anyone who needed it. So we had things on set available to help the crew.

It’s also different doing a British show. It’s my first time doing a British show in a really long time. So it’s been really nice to go back to working on a British show.

There’s a capping on the amount of hours we’re able to work. There are also a lot of rules and regulations around the stunts that we have to do. So taking all of that into account from a safety perspective was really beneficial.

Q: You have mentioned in the past that one of the most nerve-racking things about jumping into a new project is feeling like you land on stable ground. When you’re on a project like Sweetpea, how do you know when you’ve just found your character and are on stable ground?

EP: Funnily enough with this character, that moment kept coming and going. I still don’t feel as though I’m on stable ground. I think that may be because I’ve never understood a character so deeply. This project was so challenging for me, as this character is the hardest one I’ve ever played.

Rhiannon is the first character I’ve ever played who’s so morally complicated…I had to get inside the mind of a serial killer, but how do you begin to do that? How do you reckon that someone can do something like this?

I was lucky enough to be able to have come onto this project a year before we started filming. I was in the writer’s room, where I created the series’ outline and gave feedback on the scripts. So the whole way, I felt like I was working on the building blocks on creating this character.

Also, I think Ella Jones, who was our director, is my creative soulmate. She’s one of the coolest, smartest and fiercest people I’ve ever met. We’re so on the same page, and that rarely happens.

But when you sign onto any project as a producer, you may always have a different understanding of a character from the people who created that character. On this project, we were all so aligned.

It was so important to be able to tell this story the way we wanted to – we’re in Rhiannon’s head the whole way through. We should all feel what she’s thinking, even when she isn’t talking.

©Courtesy of Starz

Q: Since you want us to be in Rhiannon’s head and she’s the protagonist of the show, what was the key to making the audience connect with her, even when she’s doing bad things?

EP: That’s really hard. We did do a lot of planning, talking and rehearsals, all of which were really essential. But there were also a lot of things that we didn’t decide in advance.

So it kind of came together in the edit. This show probably could have come together in a million ways, and Ella really knew how to make those difficult decisions.

Q: Sweetpea features dark material, and you had to be in a heavy headspace. What did you do on the set to practice self-care?

EP: I feel like self-care is really important. So I made sure that I didn’t self-isolate, and instead talk to everyone else on the set. You can really get stuck in your own head on a project like this. I think speaking things out helps move emotions out of your body.

Q: Speaking about talking to the other people on set, how did you build your relationship with Nicôle Lecky, who plays Julia? Are there any elements about Rhiannon that you wouldn’t have been able to build without Nicôle?

EP: Nicôle is an amazing writer. She created a show called Mood, which she wrote, starred in and composed all the music for. She won a BAFTA for it.

So it was amazing to be able to speak to her while we were making Sweetpea. I spoke to her about finding the balance of being a writer and producer on the show. She’s such a well-rounded person. So getting to learn from her was amazing.

I got to do chemistry reads with the rest of the cast before we shot the series, which is something we never really get to do as actors. The minute Nicôle walked in, she had this air about her that she’s important. I can’t really describe her energy, but in a good way; I just knew the moment she walked in that she was Julia.

Nicôle brought such a humanity to Julia. The only reason why you get to explore the theme that Rhiannon is an unreliable, biased narrator is because of Julia. Through their interactions, you see that maybe Rhiannon’s version of events, as well as her moral code that all people are just good or bad, are challenged.

Q: Is there anything you accomplished with Sweatpea that you’ll always look back on and think, I’m so proud that I did that?

Ella Purnell: There are a lot of things, really. I’m really proud of myself for putting myself so far out of my comfort zone. I wasn’t concerned about vanity…I was also proud of the emotional release that we have in so many of the scenes, which was really scary for me. So putting myself out of my comfort zone is something I’m really proud of on this show.

©Courtesy of Starz