Despite decades of work on stage and screen, even Bad sisters When actress Anne-Marie Duff came out, she had never played a character like Grace Williams.
When Sharon Horgan's comedy-drama first introduces Grace, she's a gentle, tortured soul coping with an abusive marriage to the world's biggest scoundrel, John Paul (Claes Bang). The first season of the Apple TV+ series follows the Grace sisters — Eva (Horgan), Pippi (Sarah Greene), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), and Becca (Eve Hewson) — on their numerous attempts to kill JB. In the end, he is finally killed in an unexpected way, and Grace and her daughter Blanned (Size Queen) are freed from his suffocating clutches. However, in Season 2, this newfound peace proved short-lived.
Bad sisters Season 2, Episode 2 spoilers ahead.
Picking up two years after JP's death, Bad sistersThe sophomore season introduces viewers to a lighter version of Grace, who was happily married to her new lover Ian (Owen McDonnell) in the premiere. Once the vows are exchanged and the cake is cut, the carefully tied bow of season one begins to unravel and the past comes back to haunt the Garvey girls. Together the sisters can survive anything, but after Grace isolates herself from her support system, she meets her tragic death in a car accident at the end of episode two.
“I thought it was a great idea,” Duff told Decider over Zoom. “There's a very beautiful, yet very sad inevitability about Grace's death, because she's so bad at saving, right? During the first season, she's so isolated because of her terrible bullying of her husband. But during the second season, she isolates herself from her sisters who could save her. There's no way out Her only truly final departure.
In honor of the return of the hit series and the loss of “Very Good Bad Sister,” Duff spoke with Decider about the emotional ups and downs of filming her final scene, working with Owen McDonnell and Fiona Shaw, and what this role means to her, and to her. Excitement to watch as a fan moving forward.
Obviously we have to start with the devastating finale of Season 2, Episode 2, where Grace gets into a car accident and Planed and Eva learn she's dead. What were your thoughts when you learned of this heartbreaking development?
I learned before receiving the scripts, I wasn't in terrible shock or anything. I thought it was a great idea. I love it when the writers and show creators mix things up a little and there are surprises. And there's a very beautiful, but very sad inevitability about Grace's death, because she's so bad at saving, right? During the first season, she was very isolated due to her terrible bullying of her husband. But during the second season, she isolates herself from the sisters who could save her. Therefore, there is no way out for her except final departure, really.
There is no doubt that Grace's sisters will be absolutely devastated by her loss. But because this show is amazing and you've built incredibly strong relationships, I imagine it was hard for you to leave Season 2 as an actor as well. Was it emotional filming your final scene?
It was curious, because I shot this incident as my last scene, and that never happens during filming, right? It was the middle of the night and I was alone with a bunch of stunt actors, and I was absolutely terrified of making a technical mistake. I was feeling all the emotions you feel when you leave a show. I had a brilliant director whispering in my ear: “Don’t forget the truth about the character.” So last night was very powerful for me. I've never experienced anything like this before.
Before Grace's death, she shared some hot scenes with Angelica, a very annoying and terrifying character who we see more of as the season progresses. What was it like coming face to face with the great Fiona Shaw?
I mean, what a gift to all of us. We were so excited when she showed up. We were very happy. Fiona and I have known each other socially for a long time, but we had never worked together. So it was just heavenly. I love watching her, because her craft is so amazing. She is so fun, dedicated, curious, and part of the team. In a way I think that comes from being a real theater actor. She's definitely in the theater company on the show. So it was heaven.
You two are great together. We know that Season 2 starts two years after JB's death, so I think the sisters had a lot of great times that we didn't see, one of which was the early days of Grace's relationship with Ian. What was it like sharing those large-scale scenes with Owen McDonnell?
It was great working with Owen. It was a completely different dynamic working with Claes, which is also exciting as an actor. He's a gentleman and very curious, so you can believe how Grace will completely trust him and fall in love with him and not see any red flags.
From now on, should viewers trust Ian completely? He outright abandoned Grace in her time of need, which is a huge red flag in my book.
exactly. There are still a lot of secrets, even after Grace is gone, because Grace leaves without anyone knowing anything. So she is still holding on to all these secrets. But his story is very interesting [the season] It continues.
No one misses John Paul, but since you raised Claes Bang, did you feel his absence this season because he was an important partner for you in the first season?
Well, Claes is a strong character, so of course you will feel his absence. But I think I connected JP to him so much that I actually felt free. Filming the first season was difficult for me, because we spent eight to nine months of me playing those scenes with him all the time, and he would insist on calling me “mama” between takes. [Laughs] Yes. Oh it was great fun.
After season one, I told Sharon Horgan that I was shipping Grace and Roger, but season two's scenes with Michael Smiley have a darker tone. He and Angelica really feel like loose cannons this season. Has this romance ever crossed your mind before? After Grace's death, how worried are we for him?
I know. He suddenly became a Lothario after Grace died, right? I think once Roger aided and abetted her in this murder, there was no hope of them continuing any kind of normal relationship, because she coerced him into helping her. They didn't plan this together. She cornered him and it's truly an abuse of trust. So it's not surprising that he's mad at her, but he loves her. It's a complicated little dynamic, isn't it?
You've done such an amazing, award-winning job on this show. Looking back at the series and the warm reception leading up to season two, and watching people see themselves in Grace, what does this role mean to you?
It was a real gift for me. This is great writing but also, I've never played anything like this before. In the beginning, during the first season, she was very transparent, right? She's kind of this invisible woman trying desperately to fit into the world and keep it in a quiet, perfect place, and it's been exhausting; The pressure of keeping everything, depriving yourself. So, we'll move into what we think is a freer space in Season 2, but that's also a lie, which is why she testified so quickly. She tells Ian this part of her secret so quickly. These are all gifts for the actor. I have to play so many different things and it's so bloated, isn't it, Grace? With all feelings and thoughts. So I was very grateful to Sharon Horgan.
Before we wrap up, do you know who's in the trunk? Are you excited to watch the rest of the season as a fan?
Of course I know who's in the trunk. [Laughs] But I'm very excited, because I deliberately didn't read any of the scripts after I died, because I wanted to be able to watch it and discover everything for myself. It's more fun for me that way. And I get to see my sisters in unexpected moments. To be able to see them play different sides of their characters, I just loved it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of Bad sisters Season 2 premieres Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
