Editor’s Note: The following story incorporates some spoilers for “Poker Face” Season 2, Episode 6.
Season 2, Episode 6 is not your typical episode of “Poker Face.” Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) has been working as lunch woman at an area elementary college, the place she meets the terrifying Stephanie (Eva Jade Halford), a scholar whose ambition compels her to humiliate certainly one of her friends and not directly kill the category pet.
It’s a demanding function even on paper, and one dropped at life fantastically by the 12-year-old Halford (the episode premiered on her birthday), who goes toe to toe with Lyonne, Margo Martindale, and Adrienne C. Moore all through the episode. It’s sufficient to shake a seasoned professional — however Halford is already on her option to being simply that, having simply wrapped “The Last Day” with Alicia Vikander, Victoria Pedretti, and Wagner Moura, from first-time characteristic director Rachel Rose. As a toddler, she’s used to getting forged for flashback scenes (she performs the younger Vikander) however had a sense that “Poker Face” was greater than that from the primary auditions.
“My mom was like, ‘I think a flashback scene, because you tend to get those auditions,’ and then I was reading it and was like, ‘That’s probably not a flashback scene…’”
The scenes pointed towards the heavy lifting required of her within the episode; talking boldly to adults, intimidating classmates, and a few gentle blackmail. Stephanie is hardly reformed by the results of her actions, and the ending means that that is one miscreant Charlie might need to be careful for sooner or later.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
IndieWire: Tell me about how you bought this half.
Eva Jade Halford: I obtained an audition from, I feel, my supervisor, and I did the audition, after which I despatched it in and was like, “I’ll probably not get that because it’s kind of a big part.” My mother was like, “Yeah, maybe not, but little small things first.” Then I obtained a callback, and I used to be tremendous excited as a result of they stated they actually favored me, and I used to be like, “Ooh, yay!” It was tremendous enjoyable, and I obtained excited as a result of once I was about to go away, [director Adam Arkin] stated, “See you soon. You’ll be hearing from us.” So I used to be like, “OMG, I might get this part.” When I obtained the e-mail that I obtained within the half, I obtained tremendous excited and was leaping in every single place.
I wager! Do you bear in mind what scene you learn?
I learn scene the place I’m on the slide, and she or he’s simply on the finish of the slide ready for me. I learn the scene the place I’m backstage with Elijah, and he finds out that the projector has his child image, and I feel I additionally did the bathroom scene.
Oh wow, three massive ones. What did you consider the character while you first learn even these scenes, or the entire episode as soon as you bought the half?
When I obtained the script, I used to be tremendous excited, so I used to be studying by way of it loads of instances. I used to be like, “OK, diva, she’s super baddie! Yes, blackmail your principal!”
So was it exhausting to play somebody like her?
I imply, not essentially, as a result of my sister says I act like Stephanie on a regular basis. So it wasn’t actually exhausting, nevertheless it was actually enjoyable.
Yeah, it’s enjoyable to play the baddie. The first a part of this episode, once we don’t precisely know what’s occurring, it’s important to do loads of appearing with simply your face, which is admittedly exhausting for even some seasoned execs. What was some stuff that you just did to try to present Stephanie’s feelings and assist us get to know the character earlier than she actually says quite a bit?
Well, I’m a really emotional individual myself, so I like to make use of my facial expressions and furrow my eyebrows a bit, or twitch my eye or flare my nostrils, or make sudden little actions with my face which you could simply inform is like, “Oh she’s pissed,” or “Oh she’s happy,” or like, “Oh she’s planning to murder a gerbil.”
What was your favourite scene to shoot?
My favourite scene — though it was the toughest, it was positively the funnest — was positively the toilet scene.
What was particularly enjoyable and tough about it?
It was enjoyable as a result of I obtained to hang around with Natasha and Margo. [The crew] had been eradicating partitions and eradicating the ceiling to get all of the completely different photographs and I believed it was actually cool as a result of it was on the soundstage. It was actually fascinating — having to take away the partitions after which establishing the digital camera once more, after which inserting again the partitions and eradicating a unique wall and inserting the digital camera there and getting completely different angles. I believed it was actually cool. Something tough about it was most likely the singing, as a result of once I skip off and I’m singing, they didn’t give me any tunes; they solely gave me lyrics. They didn’t give me a melody or something. I sort of simply needed to improv it once I was singing, so it no two takes for a similar.
Oh, that’s enjoyable. You talked about working with Natasha and with Margo, so what did you be taught from them and the opposite execs on this shoot?
It was actually fascinating to look at the method and the way they do issues. I didn’t actually develop any habits from them, however for instance — Adam was tremendous specific with each single take that he would simply need it to be simply good. I feel he had a imaginative and prescient, and I feel he positively made it come to life.
This is such a juicy function to do, what do you need to do subsequent?
I simply completed this characteristic movie with Alicia Vikander, and it was actually enjoyable. And I’m hoping to do possibly a present on Broadway, or one other massive present the place I’m a much bigger half as a substitute of like slightly child half, as a result of I feel it’d be tremendous thrilling.
If you met Stephanie in actual life, what would you say to her?
I feel I might see her, and she or he’d be like, “Who are you?” And I’d be like, “I’m you.” And then she’d be like, “Oh, that’s pretty cool.” And then I’d be like, “Do you want to go get some stars?” She’d be like, “Yeah.” And then we’d simply skip off into the sundown.
New episodes of “Poker Face” premiere Thursdays on Peacock.
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