From show co-creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason and executive producer J.J. Abrams, the Hulu psychological-horror series Castle Rock is an original story set in the Stephen King multi-verse that mines his best-loved works and plays with themes of darkness and light, all while set in this small Maine town that is full of strange occurrences, mysteries and all manner of sin. Castle Rock is a place with a history that is clearly unsettling, and as its mysteries start to unravel, audiences will want to follow all of the twists and turns to its sure to be creepy conclusion. The series stars André Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Sissy Spacek, Bill Skarsgård, Jane Levy and Scott Glenn.
During this phone interview with Collider, actress Melanie Lynskey (who plays Castle Rock real estate agent Molly Strand) talked about what drew her to Castle Rock, how validating it is to have Stephen King’s approval, what she found most intriguing about her character, working with the talented André Holland, the seasonal anthology aspect of the storytelling, how Molly’s affliction will affect her, and how surprised she was with all of the season’s twists and turns.
Collider: I’ve watched the first four episodes, and even though I’m still not sure exactly what’s going on yet, I’m very much enjoying the show and I’m excited to see where it all ends up.
MELANIE LYNSKEY: That’s good to hear.
As a Stephen King fan, I love that this is inspired by his works, but it’s not a direct adaptation because then you have no idea where it’s going to end up.
LYNSKEY: That was one of the aspects that drew me to it as well. I’m also a Stephen King fan, and there is always that thing when you love a book and you’re like, “Please get it right!” There’s Carrie, there’s The Shining, and there’s IT. There are a lot of great Stephen King movies, but when they don’t get it right, that’s really unfortunate.
Yeah, for sure. When this came your way, how was it presented to you? How much were you actually told about what this would be?
LYNSKEY: I had quite a long Skype meeting with [show creators] Dusty [Thomason] and Sam [Shaw] about it because I read the pilot and Molly is not in the pilot very much. So, we had a meeting to talk about where the character was going to go and where the show itself was going to go, and they were very quick to put aside the Stephen King thing. They said that it was a big inspiration for them, and that they love and respect him, but that they would not be doing a straight-up adaptation, and explained that they have their own story and vision. It was very comforting, so I had to sign on.
Was it very validating to have Stephen King essentially give his thumbs up to the show?
LYNSKEY: Oh, yes! I read that he had seen it and approved of it. I don’t think I realized how tense I was about it until I read that and was like, “Oh, thank god! Okay.”
What was it about this show, this story, and this character that most excited you about being a part of it?
LYNSKEY: I found her very intriguing. She’s in this awful town where all of these terrible things just happened and she’s really desperate to make it better. It’s this strange thing where she’s stuck in this cycle and can’t really get out. She could just go somewhere else and start over, but she is refusing to, and I wanted to investigate that and some of her coping mechanisms a little bit. I found it really interesting. I was like, “Oh, this person is repressing a lot. She’s really not dealing with things in the best way.” Playing all of that sounded really interesting. Also, André Holland was doing it before I signed on, so that was a big plus.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between your characters. I think it’s one of the more interesting elements of the show.
LYNSKEY: Aw, that’s so sweet. I feel like André is in a different league, to me. I saw Moonlight and I was like, “Oh, that guy is going to get an Oscar nomination. He is amazing!” And I was a fan of The Knick. He’s just a movie star waiting to happen. He’s so great!
This really is such a great cast from such interesting and varied backgrounds.
LYNSKEY: That’s so true! And Bill [Skarsgård] was a great surprise. I hadn’t seen him in anything and he has so much depth. He’s such an interesting actor and just a sweet old soul. It was really lovely.
Did you know, from the beginning, that this would be an anthology series that would tell a complete story, and then follow different characters in different seasons?
LYNSKEY: I did because we had to do a deal and it was one season. We all knew, and there were times when we were like, “Aw, how sad! I wish we could keep doing it.” There were times when it was so hard and cold and we were all like, “Whew, one season is about all I can take!”
Especially with your character, it seems like things get emotionally intense for her a lot, so it seems that could get very exhausting.
LYNSKEY: Yeah, there was so much emotion. We started filming in Massachusetts in July, and it was great and beautiful. Then, we were filming until the end of January and we were sitting there like, “I cannot go into the woods again. I just can’t! I’m so cold!”
What’s it like to be a real estate agent in a town that no one wants to live in or move to?
LYNSKEY: That was one of the really fascinating things to me. I was like, “Why would you choose this job?” She has this plan for Castle Rock. I feel like she went to Portland once and she was like, “This is what Castle Rock could be!” She had this vision of this sweet little town with coffee shops and great restaurants. I don’t quite know why she’s so committed to improving the town. It’s not like she’s a real estate agent because there’s nothing else to do. She really believes in revitalizing the town in this way that is so funny to me. She just really doesn’t want to give up. That’s an interesting thing.
We learned pretty quickly that Molly has a connection to Henry Deaver. How would you describe their dynamic and how she feels about him being back in town?
LYNSKEY: The way I played it, or tried to feel it while we were doing the scene, was almost like somebody who’s a just recovered alcoholic going into a bar, or something. Whenever she’s around him, that’s how she feels. There’s such a physical longing and connection. It’s this very strange thing that’s really difficult for her to deal with. She doesn’t trust herself and she feels so caught up in the connection that she forgets herself a little bit, which is quite terrifying for her.
Molly and her sister seem to have an interesting relationship. What do you enjoy about that dynamic and getting to play with that with Allison Tolman?
LYNSKEY: I love that! First of all, Allison Tolman is so brilliant and so funny. It was just fun. I feel like Molly kind of does a pretty good job of holding it together and telling herself, “You’re doing great! You’re gonna be fine!” Then somebody comes and shines a huge flashlight on her and it’s like, “You’re a mess, and I can see it!” She feels so naked and exposed, in those moments and it’s heartbreaking. Allison does such a good job of being hilarious and condescending, but also with a lot of heart and love.
I love the story about how she congratulated you for the role on Twitter, and then here she is, playing your sister, after saying that she was available to play your sister. What was it like to have all of that happen?
LYNSKEY: It was so funny ‘cause she was obviously just making a joke. We get mistaken for each other sometimes, and we always have joked about it. But then, Sam [Shaw] called me and was like, “Would it be weird, if we just offer it to her?” I was like, “I think that’s hilarious!” I’m obviously a fan of hers. I just can’t believe it worked out. It was so crazy! Thank goodness for Twitter!
We also see that there’s something of a friendship between Molly and Jackie (Jane Levy), but how well do they really know each other? Does Jackie know what’s really going on with Molly?
LYNSKEY: That was a funny one because I don’t know if Jane and I initially thought we would have a lot to do with each other. Jane and I did a movie together (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), a couple of years ago, so we were already close. We’re actually friends, in real life. I think that they wrote a couple of little scenes with us and they were like, “Oh, this works really well,” so they added more stuff for Molly and Jackie, but I don’t think Jackie really does know her. I think she’s fascinated because she likes anything weird and just wants to figure out what’s going on. She’s like the little town historian and detective. I just love Jane so much.
Your character is a woman with a very specific affliction that she tries to suppress. What’s it like for her to deal with that? Does that become more and more of an issue for her?
LYNSKEY: Yeah, it’s like the world’s most annoying superpower. It’s just something where she hasn’t learned to use it for good. She hasn’t learned to use it. She’s just dealing with it. She’s going around with this thing happening to her, at all times, and part of her journey in the show is her learning better ways to deal with that.
We also get to see that she took a pretty bold action when she was younger. How much would you say that has shaped who she is now, and how will that continue to affect her and haunt her?
LYNSKEY: It’s so hard to talk about without being spoilery. It’s obviously one of the biggest things, and also one of the reasons she has developed a set of coping mechanisms. She understands that, if she lets this thing get into her too much, it can take her over. She’s just walking around terrified that she’s capable of anything and she has to just constantly muffle things to make sure she doesn’t do anything that she regrets.
And we all know that when you ignore something and keep trying to suppress it, it’s just going to keep coming back to haunt you.
LYNSKEY: Yeah. That’s a big part of every aspect of her life, definitely.
As we start to figure out what’s going on in this town, how shocking or surprising, or both, would you say it will be for audiences?
LYNSKEY: Oh, gosh! I was very surprised. There are so many little twists and turns. The wonderful thing about this show, and the thing that I found really exceptional about it, is that there are a lot of episodes that are their own thing. I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but Sissy [Spacek] has one episode, which is almost all just Sissy, and it’s so fascinating, the things that are uncovered. Also, you get to see one of the world’s greatest actresses for an hour. There are things like that. There is one episode that’s very gory. It really allowed our directors to come in and put their own spin on it. I think the show goes in some really interesting directions.
Castle Rock is available to stream at Hulu on July 25th.
