Andrea Riseborough (as Agnes, left) with Kate Winslet in “The Regime.” —PHOTOS COURTESY OF HBO/HBO GO
One of “The Regime’s” strongest traits is the impeccable cast its creative team had managed to gather. Each of its lead and supporting actors helps bring to life the dreary atmosphere and quirky shenanigans characterizing the fictional life of Chancellor Elena Vernham (Kate Winslet), leader of a crumbling authoritarian regime in Europe.
After all, with a story this complex and controversial, the six-part series—which wraps up its darkly comedic tale on HBO and HBO Go on Monday—certainly requires a dramatis personae brought to life by actors who are as competent as they are charismatic.
Inquirer Entertainment spoke to Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton and Guillaume Gallienne in separate roundtable interviews about their experiences on the set of “The Regime.” The Cesar Award-winning Guillaume (“Me, Myself and Mum”) portrays Elena’s ever-loyal husband Nicholas, while the Tony- and Emmy-nominated Martha (“The Good Wife,” “Raising Hope”) plays Judith Holt, a US senator seeking to protect her country’s interest in cobalt mining. We were particularly thrilled to speak with Andrea, cast in the show as Elena’s all-around assistant Agnes. As expected, the 42-year-old actress delivers an exceptional turn, easily vanishing into her character’s fears, insecurities and maternal concerns.
Last year, Andrea earned a much-deserved but unfairly controversial Oscar nomination for her pitch-perfect portrayal of an alcoholic single mother in the 2022 film “To Leslie.” There was speculation that the campaign surrounding the British actress’ nomination might have violated the Academy’s rules against lobbying.
But Andrea’s army of star-studded admirers was unflappable. They included Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton, Jennifer Aniston, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Amy Adams, Mira Sorvino, Laura Dern, Liam Neeson and—surprise—Kate Winslet! Thankfully, upon investigation, Academy president Janet Yang announced that the Academy “felt that Andrea had earned her nomination fair and square.”
Here are excerpts from our Q&A with Andrea, Martha and Guillaume:
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH
I loved “To Leslie,” so it’s a thrill to see you bring Agnes to life like a veritable vanishing act. It’s hard to believe that Leslie and Agnes are played by the same actress. In what way did you relate to this timid, vulnerable character?
That’s intuitive and perceptive of you to mention “vanishing” because, in a sense, Agnes moves through the story like a ghost … she sort of represents the people, the proletariat, in many ways. She’s ever an onlooker.
Yes, she’s complicit because she’s part of Elena’s “machine.” But she’s also impossibly trapped because she has a child to think of. She has a different agenda. When I thought about who she might be, because she wasn’t necessarily in the script, I suggested her voice, physicality and everything else—those weren’t in the script. That was something that I had said to [showrunner] Will Tracy.
But there’s something about Agnes [that’s patterned after] my grandmother, who was a cleaner, among other things—she worked in factories, as well. It’s the way that my grandma, who cleaned other people’s houses, took ownership of each place, in a sense. It gave her the illusion of having some control over her life, rather than a pawn just being moved around by the powers that be.
There are many absurd scenes in the show merging serious situations with comedic elements. Wasn’t it hard to find that perfect balance between humor and drama?
No, because it’s not something you’re constantly thinking about. In Will’s creation, that beautiful balance is constructed already—that’s the blueprint. It becomes very apparent when you realize how high the stakes are because there’s a child involved. So, when you imagine yourself in that situation, what’s possible or impossible becomes very clear to you.
It’s almost like a very small voice inside of you. It gives you a warning telling you what’s too much or too little. Internally, Agnes has been training like a ninja for this. Having been around Elena for such a long time, she’s used to the symbiosis between her and Elena coparenting a child. Agnes is always thinking about how best to protect him in this situation.
Martha Plimpton as US senator Judith Holt in “The Regime.”
MARTHA PLIMPTON
“The Regime” takes place in a fictional place, but your character represents a real country, the United States in this case. Do you see this show as a criticism of the US foreign policy and how Americans are being represented in global politics?
It’s fair to say that pretty much any political situation is worth criticizing on some level (laughs). It was important to me that this doesn’t feel like a cliché. But I think there’s no way to engage in politics without getting something wrong … you’ll somehow end up doing something a little unethical, saying one thing and doing something else.
So, I think the show itself is an indictment of power, and the way that power is wielded varies depending on your ideology. But it’s also a critique on the concept of charisma and how power is utilized.
There’s a scene that shows how the senator’s steely confidence quickly turns to palpable fear—and it’s played out quite compellingly. Did you have a peg in mind as you were creating her?
The good thing is that I didn’t have to create her fully out of a whole cloth because of the very specific way she was written. But I did base her physicality on some politicians, particularly Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House in the US, who to me has been a model for being a very effective and powerful politician.
I don’t think Pelosi would ever get herself in that dicey situation—she’s far too smart [to get trapped like that]. She may be a petite woman, but Nancy walks with real gravitas, taking each step deliberately. That’s how I thought Senator Holt’s physicality would be, although when she gets into that situation, it definitely throws her off. She realizes she’s not quite as steady on her feet as she thought she was.
Guillaume Gallienne as Nicholas Vernham in “The Regime.”
GUILLAUME GALLIENNE
Given Elena’s relationship with her bodyguard Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts), was there ever real love between Elena and Nicholas? Or is it just a one-sided relationship?
Of course there’s love between them … I’m sure there is. I mean it’s always more interesting when you start from something true, because then, you can build on something more complex and understand the duality of her love for Nicky or how he stays with her despite their bizarre love triangle with Zubak. It’s just that Elena’s so f*cked up.
Nicky likes being her rock. He’s a bit of a masochist, but at the same time, he’s really the only one who isn’t scared of her. He’s got that power over her—and she knows it! She knows he can speak the truth.
On a lighter note, if you could give Nicholas unsolicited advice, what would you say to him? I’d tell him to shut up (laughs).