In Season 2 of the Starz series Sweetbitter, Tess (Ella Purnell) isn’t new anymore, and her curiosity and hunger for knowledge pushes her to recognize her own power, but also teaches her that there are sometimes consequences for exerting that power. And while Tess has no real family support to speak of, the backwaiters, servers, bartenders, dishwashers and even the general manager at the fine dining restaurant in New York City where she works have become the family that she’s been missing.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, British actress Ella Purnell talked about where Tess goes next on her journey, deviating from the book (by Stephanie Danler) that the series is adapted from, that the theme of Season 2 is power, not knowing the full arc for her character ahead of time, how relevant the issues with these characters are, and whether she thinks Tess is being selfish in the decision that she makes, at the end of the season. She also talked about heading off to New Mexico to shoot Zack Snyder’s zombie movie Army of the Dead, in which she plays Dave Bautista’s daughter, and what drew her to that project, filming the period piece Belgravia, and the type of films she’d like to do next.
Collider: If the first season of this show was the prologue or introduction to this new life for your character, how would you describe the second season? How do you view it, as far as what she goes through?
ELLA PURNELL: In Season 1, she was new and desperately trying to fit in, and find her feet and look like she knows what she’s doing. It was very much that she was observing. She was quite quiet. Life happened to her. In Season 2, we were faced with the question of, “Okay, so we’ve done that. She’s got the stripes. Now, what happens after being new?” Season 1 was pretty close to the books, but Season 2 definitely deviates.
Since you are deviating from the book, how much of the journey were you told, before you started shooting the season? Did you know exactly what her arc would be, ahead of time?
PURNELL: No, I had no idea. I sat down and spoke to [Stuart Zicherman] and [Stephanie Danler], a little bit, about the themes of this season and what this season was gonna be about. I like torturing myself and only knowing what my characters going to do, the day I get the script. It’s much more exciting when I have no idea what’ gonna happen. For Season 2, when we were faced with that question of, “What happens after being new?,” we went ahead and opened up such a huge plethora of experience. The stakes are no longer, is she gonna get the job? The stakes are no longer about the restaurant. The stakes become more integral to her character. The stakes become more about Tess. Is she gonna make it, and is she gonna become the person that she wants to become? The theme is power, and we see that with all the characters.
Where Season 1 is just from Tess’s perspective, Season 2 is definitely is much more of an ensemble piece. We get to know the backgrounds and the history and the intricate details of all of the characters lives, as well as Tess. The thing that I think is actually universally relatable is that figuring out who you are is one thing, but figuring out how to ask for what you want, what you deserve, and what you like is another. What’s really hard, especially for young women, but for all women, actually, is that we have to make ourselves smaller. We’re so used to having to be agreeable, having to be liked, and having to be diplomatic, in the way that we speak and present ourselves, so that we don’t get described as difficult, or emotional, or demanding, or gutsy, or all of these words that we don’t really use for men, so we make ourselves smaller. There comes a point in everyone’s life where you go, “You know what? I work just as hard, and I’m really good at my job, and I do deserve that pay raise. I do deserve that promotion, and that’s what I want, and actually, I deserve it.” You have to accept that. It’s a difficult thing to do, to give yourself permission to occupy space and come into your power. That’s something that Tess is figuring out. She’s not necessarily likable when she’s figuring this out, but she’s definitely growing.
And women so often feel the need to apologize, all the time, even if they did nothing wrong, that you start to look at them as if they’re in the wrong, if they’re not apologizing for something that they probably shouldn’t be apologizing for, in the first place.
PURNELL: Right, exactly, and we have to fix that. There’s a great storyline with Howard (Paul Sparks), where we deal with the issue of abuse of power in the workplace, which is on everybody’s mind right now. You realize how there are double standards for a character like mine and for a character like Howard. As Tess is coming into her power, she’s also noticing everyone else’s power, or supposed power, and she’s questioning it. We had that little scene about it, in Season 1, where Howard had this relationship with Becky, who was on the staff, and then he just transfers her. That’s a privilege that, or I’d call it an abuse of power, that men have, and that we see more commonly in men than we see in women. I’m not saying that this is a feminist season. I don’t think that’s something that we really deal with. But it’s interesting that we explore that, in this piece, which is set in either 2006 or 2008. It’s based more than ten years ago, and we’re still dealing with those themes and issues today. It’s completely transcended over time and just as relevant. I find that really super interesting. Actually, all of the themes that we deal with are super relevant. We deal with Sasha (Daniyar) and his immigration status and mental health. Will (Evan Jonigkeit) grapples with these feelings of loss of identity and his morality. Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald) has her past that haunts her. Tess and Simone end up with this huge, crazy wall between them. It’s interesting how they almost become equals and level out, and then as Tess watches this woman that she idolizes, break down and then betray her, she deconstructs the idea of that in her head. The fall of this great, powerful woman is pretty intense. And Heather (Jasmine Mathews) is the only woman of color working in the front of house, so there’s all these things about race that come up. The world is much bigger than just little old Tess, and she starts to become a bit more self-aware, which is a big step in growing up.
Without specific spoilers, Tess makes a decision, at the end of this season, that will affect more than just her. Did you have discussions about why she makes the decision that she makes? Did you feel she was being selfish, or does she think she’s doing it for the greater good?
PURNELL: This is a difficult one for me because you become extremely attached to your character, or extremely protective of your character. One of the main things that actors always say is, “Don’t judge your character,” and I don’t fully agree with that. I think that you can judge your character because, ultimately, it’s a separate person. I think we should judge them, but we should judge them subjectively. Otherwise, we can’t make the distinction between yourself and your character, which is the opposite of acting. I found this one quite hard because, when I first read it, I didn’t actually agree with what she did. But by the end of the discussions and of the scene, I could absolutely understand it. It’s a really interesting decision that she makes. It’s not about Jake, it’s about Simone, and I think it’s more about Simone than it’s about Tess. I don’t know if it’s the right decision, and I don’t think that Tess knows if it’s the right decision, but I really stand by what she does. Tess is really good at her job. She hasn’t been working there forever. She is still figuring it out and finding her feet, but she knows enough about everybody who works there to be able to recognize what’s going on.
Earlier this year, it was announced that you’d be joining Zack Snyder’s zombie movie, Army of the Dead. Is that something that you’re still hoping to do?
PURNELL: Yeah, it actually starts shooting next week (the week of July 15th). This year’s definitely been fun. I went from Sweetbitter to a period drama in London, called Belgravia. That’s an six-part series for iTV, by the same guy that did Downton Abbey (Julian Fellowes). That was really fun, with a lot of corsets and petticoats, and things like that. And then, I’m onto a zombie film, which is the total opposite. It’s fun. I enjoy the chance to do different things. I just wrapped on Belgravia, I’m currently in LA, and I’m going to Albuquerque tomorrow (July 13th), actually, to shoot this movie. It’s gonna be fun. I’m excited.
Are you typically a fan of the zombie genre? Is the tone and gore level of that something that you typically would watch, or does it freak you out?
PURNELL: It doesn’t freak me out. I have three brothers, and they do all kinds of disgusting things. It’s not a genre that I watch as much as other genres. I love comedies, and I love dramas. What I’m really interested in is the emotional horror of the movie, which is between my character and her father, who’s played by Dave Bautista. That’s the thing that really drew me. Also, I met with Zack and he’s a fantastic person. We got on really well, and I love creating things with people. I’m going to put it out there and say that it’s not your typical zombie film. It’s funny, interesting, dramatic, and very action-based. It’s exciting to be able to play with other genres that I’ve never done before. I’ve never done an action movie, and I’d never done a period drama. It’s fun for me to actually have the contrast between the two.
Is there something else on the list of things that you haven’t done, that you’d really love to do?
PURNELL: I think the next that I wanna do is sink my teeth into a proper drama, and then a comedy, or maybe something musical. I don’t know. I just want to keep exploring.
Sweetbitter airs on Sunday nights on Starz.