The dialogue is pretty theatrical throughout Penny Dreadful, I think. There was no shouting! We were like, 'OK, should I take off my…' No, that's too much.
I rehearsed with Logan in his flat in London, I remember. I don't know, but you have to really believe with all your heart what's going on. How did you make it not ridiculous? The line between whether it became that or not must have been so delicate. It's difficult to get away from this character because it becomes part of you. I don't think I would have chosen to be part of this scary adventure if it was just about possession… It's terribly human. It is very dark, you know, but it's not just scary. It's funny, because I don't put this show into the gothic box. Why is that whole gothic Victorian era so fascinating to us now? She's a woman who's hungry to live now.ĭid you do lots of research into that kind of woman? Vanessa is a very strong woman for those times, were very repressed. I think lots of women are drawn to broken, damaged men. I remember taking a picture of the script and sending it to some of my friends, like, oh my God. She's talking about how Vanessa is drawn to damaged men, because ultimately she'd rather be alone… It struck me as very modern. I can't.ĭo you think Vanessa is a bit of a feminist hero? There's a scene in this new season where she's having what looks to be a sort of early psychotherapy session, with Patti Lupone playing her therapist.
