Fargo: Carrie Coon on Season 3, Gloria Burgle, & Comedy

In March, a handful of journalists and I were invited up to Calgary, Alberta to visit the set of Fargo Year 3 where we were able to chat with the main cast and the show’s producers. One of the most fascinating elements we learned about was Season 3’s theme, which focuses on interactions specifically relating to particles that don’t interact, and therefore, don’t exist. Gloria Burgle, played by the exceptional Carrie Coon, feels at times like she’s not really there. Set Decorator Darlene Lewis explained it as: “Automatic doors don’t work for her, dryers don’t work, she can’t get automatic soap dispensers to work. 'Do you see me here? I exist! I’m here!' She’s a particle that’s not quite connecting all the time.”

What's interesting though is that Gloria ends up being a particle that connects this crime story together in a way nobody notices -- at first. Speaking to that sense of alienation, executive producer Warren Littlefield also told us that, “we’re surrounded by technology and devices that are supposed to create communication and community, and in fact, perhaps they don’t. So that’s another overlay, and that very much gets embodied in Gloria’s character.”

Coon spoke with us about Gloria, who is this season’s staid police presence (played by Alison Tolman in Season 1 and Patrick Wilson in Season 2), although when comparing the seasons' female leads, “Gloria doesn’t have Peggy’s baggage and is a little edgier than Molly,” (says producer Kim Todd). It’s also not insignificant to note that Gloria’s police station is located inside of the town’s library, where a children’s reading area is adjacent to what becomes a murder investigation. Gloria is a woman caught between two worlds, and Coon talked in-depth about that, as well as some practical things like surviving those freezing Canadian winters:

QUESTION: Where is Gloria when we meet her to start the season?

CARRIE COON: She’s fresh off a divorce, she’s got a 12 year old son, and she’s negotiating what it means to be a single mom, and also facing potential demotion in her job. Her small police department is being absorbed by the county and she’s been the chief, but now she’s maybe not the chief anymore, which is kinda getting sorted who we meet her. And her husband has left her, and she’s going to have to put herself back out there in the world, but the world has changed. So, where we find Gloria is she’s in a community but it’s changing around her so quickly. She’s surrounded by all of this technology, and community doesn’t operate the same way it used to. She’s feeling more disconnected than ever, where everyone else seems to be relishing this new form or connection, which is through the cell phone network, and she doesn’t understand.

Since media plays such a big role this season, can you talk about how Gloria’s relationship with it?

COON: One of the brilliant things Noah [Hawley] has done is he’s put cell phones in everyone’s hands around her, so you’re surrounded by these really bright cell phones everywhere Gloria goes. And there are many moments in the series that she notices everyone is looking down, and no one is communicating with her anymore. And I have to say, I relate very strongly to this, having been a real hold out when it comes to cell phones. […] I can relate to how alienating this technology can be, and the erosion of community happening as a result. It’s a small town, and she likes living in a small town, but she’s feeling invisible.

fargo-season-3-images-mary-elizabeth-winstead — Image via FX

What are some of the challenges of shooting in such a cold climate?

COON: On occasion your lips will go numb which makes speaking very challenging, but I so much prefer it to the heat. We shot The Leftovers in Austin for one and a half seasons, and it was 115 degrees down there. And to me that’s so much harder on your brain than being cold. Cold I can handle, because you can always put more body warmers on, another layer of silks, another coat. It’s the crew here that I feel bad for, because all of the men’s beards have icicles hanging off of them, I mean it’s that kind of cold!

Does being at war with the climate like that inform your performance in any way?

COON: There are many things about preparing for Gloria that are outside-in. Some characters I feel you prepare inside-out, you kinda work out the mental space, and then the physical life follows. But for something like Fargo where there’s a uniform and dialect, that feels very outside-in. and when you put on this huge police belt that’s so heavy — I call it a “hip chafer” — and your oatmeal-avalanche of an outfit, and your big old puffy coat, it certainly informs the way you move, and of course giant boots which are living rooms for your feet. It’s a very particular way of moving through the world. So yes, I have found the cold, in that respect, does impact it, and of course you’re always dealing with gloves and hats and a great juggling going on, but coming from [Chicago] it’s a kind of juggling I’ve been doing my whole life.

There is a lot of darkness to shows like The Leftovers and Fargo, what about that do you think appeals to modern TV viewers?

COON: I think both shows are asking a question about how and why we make meaning as human beings. Unfortunately, that question is often stimulated in darker times as opposed to lighter ones. In lighter ones we’re not always as willing or able to engage in that question. It’s the dark times that brings that question around to us. It’s trying circumstances that force us to consider what we value, and that’s what both shows are doing. They’re asking questions of “why are we here?” And in the face of seemingly random events, how do we create meaning and purpose for ourselves? I love both shows for their ambiguity, because what they really ultimate reveal is more what the viewer believes than what the show is doing, and I really appreciate shows that are making viewers ask those questions of themselves, and engage in that examination for themselves, and hopefully revealing to them what they believe.

fargo-season-3-images-carrie-coon-1 — Image via FX

Fargo also has some humor as well, are you happy to finally be able to play with some comedy?

COON: It’s so funny, my family has always questioned why I end up playing these sad, depressed, crazy people, so I certainly do not move through my family and the world that way! They are always asking me when am I doing a comedy, so I think my family will be very gratified to see that there is some physical humor. And Gloria does have a sense of humor — but very dry — which is something I seem to be attracted to, and so I’m really excited about the possibility of some of that humor coming out. Hollywood doesn’t have a lot of imagination, so any time you can show another facet of what you’re doing it can certainly help your career, and I’m looking forward into moving hopefully a little more into that comedy world just for fun, to hang out with a new crowd!

Fargo Season 3 premieres Wednesday, April 19th on FX. For more of our recent coverage, check out these links below: