Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for Dead Ringers.
Britne Oldford is no stranger to intense projects. One of her first roles was in American Horror Story: Asylum, and she currently stars as Fei Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy. Both projects were great preparation for her newest role in Dead Ringers, a show based on the 1988 David Cronenberg film that puts a female (and more overtly queer) twist on the story of ethically questionable twin gynecologists revolutionalizing the birthing industry. In the series, Oldford plays Genevieve opposite Rachel Weisz, who takes on two roles: Beverly and Elliot Mantle. Oldford’s character is an important figure in both of their lives, as she ends up becoming Beverly’s girlfriend…and Elliot’s mortal enemy.
I got a chance to speak with Oldford. During our interview, she discussed what she thinks the future holds for Genevieve, her favorite character look, how she defines “potent grandpa energy,” and more.
COLLIDER: Genevieve is sort of the voice of reason in a lot of ways. What was it like to play someone a bit more grounded in the midst of these very chaotic, colorful characters?
BRITNE OLDFORD: It was nice. And by nice, I mean, like, the British way. [in British accent] “Nice.” It’s very yummy to play a grounded, sensible, healthy character. I had just gotten off of Umbrella Academy and was playing not that in that one. It was a nice flip. But also — I've been thinking about this more recently — Genevieve must have some sort of chaos within her to elect to do that with them because that's crazy. But I don't judge — I just play the character.
When I was interviewing Rachel [Weisz], she said that one of the things that attracted Beverly to Genevieve was that she very much had her shit together. I'm curious, though: Do you think that Genevieve thinks that she has her shit together?
Oh, yeah. I think Genevieve absolutely thinks she has her shit together — significantly more so than Elliot, at least. But to me, Britne, I think everyone has everything pretty contained within their own existence and reality in that story. Everyone has their own — as with real life — perceptions and judgments about other people's handling of their own lives, which is interesting.
That's such a good point. I want to talk about the scene in the finale where a fan approaches the table when she's having dinner with Rebecca and Susan.
[Frowns]
I know — it made me so sad, too. Because she connects with her, but then she’s kind of forced to blow her off. How do you view that moment in terms of her character arc?
Oh, that's a good question. This is complex. Because you’re asking me myself as Britne, the actor — I need to get in my head that this is my opinion because I’m so protective of my characters. But being completely honest here for a second, she may not be aligning herself with…Okay, so the thing about Genevieve is she's always trying to do the right, most correct, highest good thing from her perspective. I always thought it was funny when we were filming it — I was like, there are lowkey gonna be people watching this who are rooting for Beverly and Elliot and not actually rooting for Beverly and Genevieve understanding that she is actually wholeheartedly disrupting this symbiotic thing that could actually do a lot of good regardless of how chaotic it is.
So what's interesting about that dinner scene, which was one of my favorite scenes to film — I mean, all Alice Birch dinner scenes forever and ever amen — was that she felt like she was unwittingly sort of going to the dark side in a way. But through the channel of truth and justice and good and ‘Elliot’s the problem’ and ‘I want this relationship with you.’ It's because she wants something that may or may not intrinsically actually be working and/or should work. But she wants it to so badly. Michael Chernus’ character, what he says after the gala when he's drunk to Beverly, of like, “Wow, you really just threw your sister under the bus — the most genius person.”
So when she encounters the sweet baby angel, I think Genevieve is doing her best to remain available because she does love what she does. She's a very generous, healthy, wonderful person — well, “healthy” — trying to interact with this lovely young woman. I am curious as to why she doesn't get up from the table and have her own moment. And I do think it's because she's been so sucked into the chaos around her that she's forgotten that she has a choice. Which, we've all been there.
I love your opinion on that because that scene broke my heart. Which is such a random thing to make me so sad.
Yeah, filming it made me so sad. I just was like, to the woman, “Are you okay? Are you okay? I love you. Oh my god.” But then that turning around and Genevieve saying “no” — she still has her power. She still has her strength.
She’s very torn. A bit of a lighter question: There's so much amazing fashion in the show. Your look at like the launch party is legendary. I'm curious if you have a favorite that you got to wear.
The launch party. Fun fact, I sprained my ankle really badly, maybe two weeks before we filmed that. It was like vintage Mohair velvet. Can't believe I fit in the thing. I had these Jimmy Choo shoes that I was gonna wear with it, and there was gonna be this head-to-toe moment, which we don't have because I sprained my ankle, and I was in a boot. But we managed it very well. Nobody knows. Well, now you do and now everyone does. I loved that look so much — that was my favorite. With the finger waves? That was insane.
I would like to shout out Sabana Majeed, who did my hair in the show and did all of the wigs. The finger wave that I was talking about was a wig — that was a cap that was like the exact shape of my head. It's insane. She's a magician, and none of my looks would have been possible without her magic.
Another sort of silly question, but Genevieve says Beverly's father has “potent grandpa energy,” which is a phrase that I have incorporated into my own vocabulary. What does potent grandpa energy mean to you if you had to explain it?
Potent grandpa energy, potent grandpa energy. Giving grandpa. How are we giving grandpa? I feel like giving grandpa is a bit of a curmudgeon tone in the voice but still so gentle and warm and cozy. You need the belly, obviously. Strangely large hands that feel warm. Like he's built a house. Maybe smells of tobacco but not smoking tobacco. It's just an impeccable cologne — that kind of vibe. He always just wants to put you on his knee and tell you how to wield an ax or make a birdhouse or garden.
I really love that. Thank you for that explainer because I can point to that when I start using it and tell people what it is right here from the source. I feel like I can't talk to you without talking about that mid-credit scene where Genevieve and “Beverly” are at the park by that stroller. What do you think is going through Genevieve's mind at that moment?
I think Genevieve, at that moment, is sleep-deprived. I think she’s just happy to have her person be somewhat emotionally available to them. I imagined that in the interim from the end of the episode to before that cut scene, a lot had transpired, and a lot of pain and anguish, and deep grief that’s still existing. She’s just trying to be very delicate toward “Beverly.”
Do you think she knows about the switch?
I wish she did. It would be so interesting if she did and she went along — because then that points to the actual truth in what happened in her arc: this sickness. She has no idea. There was no way that I could play that moment with her having awareness of the fact that it's actually Elliot.
Fast-forwarding like 10 years from now, where do you think Genevieve is? Do you think that this relationship is surviving?
[Vehemently shakes head]
No. Okay. [Laughs]
No! [Laughs] No. I forget what the timeline is in the show, like how much time has transpired, but let’s be really generous and call it a year and a half. Or maybe a bit longer by the time that we are in the post-credit. You really don't know somebody — in a friendship, relationship, whatever. And clearly, Genevieve has some difficulty with discernment, regardless of how good she is and how wholesome and how she just wants everything to be nice. Poor thing.
So yeah, I think that they are not together and there has been a contentious…or maybe there hasn't been a custody battle because maybe Elliot actually…[Gasps] Oh my god, who knows? Wow, I haven’t thought about this, so this is stream of consciousness, but maybe Elliot has been outed as Elliot and is in some psychiatric situation. Or maybe I've been assassinated. Maybe I’ve been disappeared away, or maybe we're just split up. Maybe Beverly isn't dead, and maybe she comes back, and then I'm super confused, and then I have a nervous breakdown, and then I can't function. I don’t know. But I really hope they're not together. I don't think that's a ‘stay together for the kids’ situation. Well, I don't believe in ‘stay together for the kids,’ but that’s super not a ‘stay together for the kids’ situation. Those poor babies.
I'm actually really curious too about Genevieve's future career because she has this longstanding TV show, and then she's going off to do a movie.
Oh, let’s think again, shall we? She has this Walking Dead-esque TV show, and it's a huge hit. I think she leaves maybe a couple of seasons in when it's sort of at its peak when she goes off to do this amazing, super avant-garde, “wink-wink — we actually have a lot of money” independent film. And it goes to like all of the award shows, and she's this festival darling because she fucking slays those carpets. I do think that she does end up having a really successful, really beautiful career doing whatever she wants. Because that's what I'd like, so I'm projecting a little bit. [Laughs] Even if that means having a longstanding situation in New York so I can sleep in my own bed.
Dead Ringers is available to stream on Prime Video.