Chris, clearly Paul is in a distinct head house from after we first met him in season 1. How did you put together to get into the mindset of Paul once more, given every little thing that occurred in season 1 and within the lead as much as what he goes via in season 2?
Chalk: I feel as soon as we began to get to know [the new “Perry Mason” showrunners Jack Amiel and Michael Begler] and get their concepts of the season coming in, that is what ready me to take care of what was coming to Paul. I had my concepts — and additional time to consider it due to the pandemic earlier than we got here again — of what I assumed I wished Paul to undergo. Including that to Jack and Michael’s imaginative and prescient positively took steps as a result of we’re all simply attending to know one another and getting to listen to one another’s voices. I am making an attempt to squeeze my concept, they’re squeezing their concept. So as soon as it grew to become clear that all of us agreed that Paul can be fully shattered, then it was a win it doesn’t matter what they introduced. And they’d at all times be way more devastating than I might assume.
Actually, my prep work was season 1 as a result of I do know Paul very properly, and so I used to be simply excited to not repeat, “Black man hates racism.” We bought it. And that is no disrespect — we bought to set the world up. However that second season was like, what else? The place does he break and what’s he prepared to lose to realize?
Juliet, one of many issues I really like about your portrayal of Della is that she’s so poised and collectively, however we get to see her feelings effervescent beneath the floor in varied scenes. Once you’re enjoying these scenes, how did you painting your character otherwise relying on who she was speaking to?
Rylance: Della’s a kind of folks that has constructed her life on being the one who’s collectively and holding every little thing collectively and caretaking quite a bit, and coping with tough folks and being the smart one. I feel what’s great about this season is that every one of these points of her are there, however clearly there is a purpose why somebody takes on that function, actually because they do not actually really feel that certain about what they’re doing or what’s driving them at dwelling. I really like this season that Della is looking for a brand new manner. She’s been that particular person for therefore lengthy, however she’s making an attempt to interrupt out of that mould and in addition coping with a house state of affairs that is probably not going wherever and meets this new particular person and actually falls in love.
So it is this unusual, weak Della this season of making an attempt to vary and be heard and get clear about what she desires to say. I feel that is a extremely fabulous factor to play this yr. Previous Della hasn’t actually labored for her, and but she does not actually know the right way to make that change.