From co-creators Michelle Dean and Nick Antosca (Channel Zero), the first season of the true-crime anthology series The Act (available to stream on Hulu) tells the shocking story of Gypsy Blanchard (Joey King), a girl who’s desperate to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette). As the sweet, naive and lonely Gypsy becomes more and more aware of the outside world, her quest for independence turns dangerous, threatening to reveal a never-ending list of secrets that ultimately lead to the drastic act of murder.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, actress Chloë Sevigny (who plays the Blanchard’s neighbor Mel, a single mother who’s suspicious of what’s going on across the street) talked about her interest in this story, why she wanted to work with writer/executive producer Michelle Dean, how impressed she was by working with Patricia Arquette, creating a mother-daughter dynamic with AnnaSophia Robb, and how she approached finding her character. She also talked about what gets her interested in a project, branching out into producing and directing, and what people can expect from the upcoming Jim Jarmusch zombie movie The Dead Don’t Die.

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Image via Hulu

Collider:  This story is just crazy! Was this one of those projects where, when you read something like this, you just feel compelled to be a part of telling this story?

CHLOE SEVIGNY:  I had watched the documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest on HBO. My friend was like, “You have to watch this. It’s insane!” So, I watched it, and it was so insane that I watched it again. I watched it two times, straight in a row. They say truth is stranger than fiction. I’ve been in numerous shows and/or movies based on real events, and that’s often the case. There are so many details in the real story that you have to pick and choose because it’s just so outrageous. I think that’s why, time and time again, whether it’s true crime or biopics, or whatever it is, we’re constantly taking from life, even in original programming.

So, when this came your way, you knew what it was and that it was a true story?

SEVIGNY:  When this came my way, yes, I knew what it was. And when I heard that Michelle [Dean] was one of the main writers and producers, I became even more intrigued because while watching Mommy Dead and Dearest, I was fascinated with her, as a journalist. I find that kind of journalism, where you’re going somewhere and spending time there, so interesting. Not that I’m dismissive of other kinds, but I spend so much time listening to different podcasts, like In the Dark and Serial, and that kind of immersive journalism, where you’re putting your life on hold to delve into the story to bring it to the public. In the documentary, you could see her enthusiasm, but also how she seemed titillated by it while also being very respectful and empathetic, and the dichotomy of the story, where you love and hate both of them. There was her passion for the story, and her complete immersion and how comprehensive it was, because of the work that she had done, and I was like, “If she is gonna be a part of telling this story, then I’m in.” And then, there was Patricia [Arquette], and the other talent they had. There were also three female directors attached. Just knowing that a big concern for Nick, as a showrunner and producer, is having a lot of female directors and giving lots of opportunity to young filmmakers, it was the complete package.

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What was it like to work with Patricia Arquette on this, and to see the transformation that she went through?

SEVIGNY:  I’ve known her. We’ve worked together before, on a little indie movie called Electric Slide, and I’ve been to parties at her house. We have some mutual friends. I’ve always been captivated by her, as an actress, before I knew her, with her mannerisms and her warmth, in almost everything that she does. She just has a calmness. When you’re on set with her, she’s so relaxed in her performance. I get very nervous and I’m like, “There are high stakes. Oh, my god, what’s going on?!” You can tell that she’s very comfortable, as a person, and she brings a depth because of that. Because of her confidence, the way that she thinks about things and her sensitivity, and she’s a mother twice over. Just being around her and her warmth, everybody on set was in love with her. Then, you have Joey [King], who’s this little rock star. She’s just this ball of energy, humor and enthusiasm, and she’s a firecracker and an amazing actress. It was just awesome to be around both of them.

How was it to work with AnnaSophia Robb on the mother-daughter dynamic that you guys have?

SEVIGNY:  We found it challenging. Gypsy and Dee Dee are based on real people, and there’s so much there. There’s so much of that story they need to tell. We were obviously supposed to be a device for the storytelling. We were supposed to be the normal family. We’re also the observers and the audience. How do we help propel the story? What can we do, as actors and as characters, to show the opposite of what’s going on, in this house across the street? So, AnnaSophia and I spent a lot of time together, going over the scenes and bringing ideas to the writers and directors. We were like, “How can we make this more specific? How can we make this more real? How can we make this relationship really feel like something?” We also had to deal with a lot of exposition, which is not the easiest thing in the world to do. They think, “Oh, we can cast interesting actors, and they’ll make it interesting,” but we’re part of telling a bigger story, that we all thought was an important story to tell.

Because this sounds like a character that you had some freedom with, since they’re not based on one specific person, what did you want to bring to her?

SEVIGNY:  I did a lot of research myself. I watched both of the Making a Murderer seasons, and thought about the peripheral characters, like the sisters, the aunts, and the women in that kind of socio-economic situation and that kind of region. A lot of women live check-to-check, especially single mothers, so I just tried to immerse myself in that world, and how Mel would be, and why Mel has become hardened, in the way that she is. She has three children with three different fathers and no child support, and she’s doing it all on her own. She has a combative relationship with her daughter, but she’s trying her best, which is also really no-nonsense. I thought about a lot of those things, going into the character.

She tries with Dee Dee, a couple times, and even when she sees things going on that she doesn’t quite understand, she still tries.

SEVIGNY:  I think because she’s a little hardened, she’s also a little more suspicious. She’s just not sure if this woman is straight up, and she’s right.

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Image via Hulu

With this character, because you do get such a time span with her, were there things that you grew to appreciate about her, that you didn’t necessarily know were there, at the beginning? Did you feel like you had more of a sense of who she was, by the time that you got to the end of it?

SEVIGNY:  They gave us a lot of backstory, and I tried to create my own thinking about women in that region and in her circumstances. I would have like to have shown more and had more to do, but I knew the role that I was playing and what she was there for. It was more about exploring the mother-daughter dynamic and how that changed, and thinking about my relationship with my own mother and that wild ride, which is still a ride. I still miss her terribly, and then I see her and am annoyed by her, but then I’m nice to her again. It never really changes, in that way. Exploring with that with AnnaSophia was really nice.

We romanticize family until you have to spend time with them again, and then you remember why Thanksgiving dinner just never works.

SEVIGNY:  Martinis help!

At this point in your career, what gets you interested in and excited about a project?

SEVIGNY:  I did a small part in Russian Doll, but Natasha Lyonne is my best friend. I played her mother in a really emotional moment of the story, and she really wanted me to do that. Then, I made a film with Jim Jarmusch, who I’ve worked with twice before, over the summer. Often, it’s friend connections, or the story. This one was the story. I was like, “This story is so wild. What can we all learn from this?” Also, it reminded me of some of the tones or things that we were dealing with in Big Love, like with those young girls in the compounds. You think, “How does this happen in America, right now? These systems that are all put in place to protect, how are they not working? How is she falling through the cracks?” That was also interesting to me. How are we failing people, to such a degree?

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Image via Hulu

It seems that you’re getting more involved and having more of a say in projects. You were very involved in Lizzie and getting that together. Is that something that’s also gotten more important to you?

SEVIGNY:  Yeah. I’ve directed three short films now. I have my third, that I’m submitting to festivals now. I just want to have more of a voice, and to bring ideas to the table. I would love to get more involved in producing and directing, so we’ll see. Hopefully, there will be more.

How are you finding being a director?

SEVIGNY:  I love it. It’s better than the producing, I’ll tell you that much. Being pushy, in that way, for money, is really hard. But, I love the directing process. I love talking about my projects. I love being on set, and working with the actors and the crew. I love every aspect of that. I’m often told, as an actress, to focus on my own job because I get so involved in everything that’s going on around me, on the set. So it’s really freeing and fun to be able to have your own expression.

Are you looking to do features?

SEVIGNY:  I would like to do a feature. I’m trying to find the right material. I’m not rushing to get anything done. There have been lots of books that I could try, and I’m reading scripts. They’re all options. I have some ideas, but I’m not sure if I could write. I’ve written my shorts, but I the spark of inspiration is when and where that will come.

You mentioned the Jim Jarmusch movie that you did. What does a Jim Jarmusch zombie movie look like?

SEVIGNY:  His vampire picture was more dramatic and romantic. The Dead Don’t Die is more in the vain of a comedy. It’s Adam Driver and Bill Murray and myself, and a whole cast of characters. He refuses to say that it’s social commentary, but zombie pictures often are, and it’s pretty easy to ascertain what he would be speaking on. There’s an environmental catastrophe that sets this thing off.

How did you find the experience of working with Bill Murray?

SEVIGNY:  I worked with him on Broken Flowers. We had one scene together with Jessica Lange. He’s such a dream. I love him. He's a genius and a sweetheart. He’d walk around with this little mini boom box playing music. What he exudes and brings, every time he opens his mouth is magnetic. He is who he is for a reason. I’m in awe of people like him and Patricia, and even Natasha.

The Act is available to stream at Hulu on March 20th.