After the shocking ending of the first season, the drama series Liar returned to Sundance TV to further explore the effects of the sexual assault that Laura Nielson (Joanne Froggatt) experienced at the hands of Andrew Earlham (Ioan Gruffudd), who was later murdered. As the secrets and lies slowly unraveled to reveal that he’d actually assaulted 19 women, everyone became a suspect, especially Laura, who is forced to relive events that she’d rather finally move on from.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, British actress Joanne Froggatt talked about how this series was originally envisioned to be a 12-episode story, that she feels there’s a definite and satisfying conclusion, what it was like to return and delve deeper into this character, how incredible it’s been to get all of the feedback from viewers and real survivors who have watched the series, and when and how she found out who actually committed the murder and her reaction to that. She also talked about how incredible it was to have such huge success with the Downton Abbey movie and that it would be nice to get to do another one, as well as what she’s looking to do with her production company and the genres that she’d love to work in.

Collider: When you did the first season of this, did you know that you’d be returning for a second season? Was that always a possibility?

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Image via SundanceTV

JOANNE FROGGATT: It was always the hope. Jack and Harry Williams, our writers and producers, always wished to tell this story over 12 episodes, but they didn’t know if we’d be commissioned to do the second season. They only ever planned for it to be two seasons, and no more. They ideally wanted to tell the story over 12 episodes, so the finale of Season 1 had to be something that concluded Season 1, but also left it open to wanting to know what happens next. They did a really terrific job at navigating that. We’re all really thrilled that the show was popular, and that we were able to come back and finish the story, in the way it was intended. There’s a definite conclusion to [Season] 2 that’s very satisfying, in my opinion.

How do you normally feel about big cliffhanger endings like that? If you had been watching the show instead of being in the show, how would you have reacted, if that was where the show got left?

FROGGATT: I would have been thinking, “Oh, my goodness, that means they’re gonna do a Season 2, so I can find out what happens.” It was very much the plan and the hope to do two seasons. If the plan was only to do one season and it ended that way, I think that would’ve been a frustrating ending. But I think we have a very satisfying conclusion to the final part of Season 2.

How did it feel to return to this character and see where she’s at now and how she’s still being affected by what happened to her? Is there a different feeling to exploring a character, once you’ve already established who she is and you can just dig even deeper into her?

FROGGATT: Yeah. With Laura, for the first season, the story with a build from a place of normality for her, in the normal day to day, before this life-changing thing happens to her. The first season was tracking her journey from just the normal day to her world falling apart, and how that escalates and how she deals with that. And in Season 2, she’s very much already in that space. Her world has already fallen apart, and she’s still in a place of real anger, obviously and understandably, and frustration, and a need to find and gain justice for what’s happened to her. In Season 2, that’s just magnified even more because, very early on, Laura finds out that Andrew is dead. That’s no secret. And somehow, he still seems to be adversely affecting her life, from beyond the grave, and there’s even more anger and frustration in her. She’s just definitely wanting to find justice and freedom again, and some peace in her life.

He certainly seems like the worst kind of horror movie villain that you just can’t get to stay out of your life.

FROGGATT: Yeah, absolutely. Even from beyond the grave.

What’s it been like to hear so much feedback about the series, whether it’s viewers who felt strongly about the twists and turns in the story, or real survivors who saw the truth and what your character went through?

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Image via SundanceTV

FROGGATT: It’s always incredible to get feedback, especially when it’s positive, which we prefer. But what’s really important is that people are engaging with the story and the show, which is what we hope for, on so many levels. Whether it’s somebody who is a survivor of sexual assault and is watching the show, knowing some of the emotions that Laura going through for real, or whether it’s somebody that has never been through that situation and is watching it as a thriller and a piece of entertainment, but is also getting drawn into the psychology of the characters and the twists and turns of the story, that’s the sort of drama that I like to watch. I love to watch drama that is incredibly entertaining, really just draws you in, and has something to say. It doesn’t have to hit you over the head with the meaning of what it’s trying to do. The most interesting kind of drama, for me, is something that has got something to say, but at the same time, is a piece of entertainment. I just take so much more from shows, films, and plays that are like that. I like things that make you think.

It wasn’t all that shocking that Andrew got murdered because he does have a very long list of victims and enemies. When you found out that the story would be going there, did you immediately want to know who did it? Did they tell you who did, or did you have to wait to find out?

FROGGATT: Ioan [Gruffudd] and I both asked, straight away, when we found out that his character died in Season 1. We were both like, “Who’s done it?” Jack and Harry said, “We haven’t decided yet.” And we were like, “Oh, okay.” They said, “We think we know, but we might change our minds. So, they obviously had this plan in their heads, but they weren’t 100% sure if they were gonna stick to it. I know the conclusion now, but I don’t know whether that plan was the original one, or another one.

When you did find out what the actual plan would turn out to be, what was your reaction to learning how it all played out?

FROGGATT: Well, I found out by reading an early draft of all six episodes of Season 2. I was just reading through the scripts, and I got near the end of the final episode and started thinking, “Oh, okay. That person then.” I wasn’t sure. And then, there’s another twist, and another twist. I was like, “Oh, my goodness. Wow! I wasn’t expecting that.” It totally shocked and surprised me. It was brilliant. I thought, “Wow, if I’m completely shocked, then I imagine most of our audience will be, as well.

With Andrew dead, we have to learn about what happened by jumping back in time throughout the season. How was it to revisit that relationship and to work with Ioan Gruffudd again?

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Image via SundanceTV

FROGGATT: It was great ‘cause Ioan and I love working together. Part of the success of the show is seeing these characters come up against each other, so Jack and Harry wanted to find a way that we could still have that and still have those stand-offs, through flashbacks. It was just great to get the opportunity to work together again, in those roles. Ioan and I just worked really well together. It was such an easy relationship, off-camera. We were on the same page, straight away, and it’s just so lucky when that happens, so it was great. We just got excited about doing our scenes together. It was nice to check in because we were doing a lot of stuff separately, as well. It was just great to be back, really.

I love the dynamic between Laura and DI Renton (Katherine Kelly), as something of an adversary. What do you feel that character and that actress brought to the series, this time around?

FROGGATT: Katherine Kelly is a fantastic actor, and we loved doing our scenes together. Scenes where there’s a protagonist and an antagonist, and you’re butting heads, are often the most fun to do. It’s just great. They’re cathartic. It was great to plan out that journey of those characters. Because the story is told in flashback and present time, for drama purposes, Laura really needs to have an antagonist, in the present day, as well as in the past, which is Andrew. That’s why we flashback, for the last three weeks while he’s been on the run, before he was murdered. Otherwise, if there’s nothing for Laura to push against in the present day, in terms of drama, it would feel a bit flat. It was really important to find that tension in the present-day scenes, as well, which Katherine brought so brilliantly. I just loved the character that she created, in DI Renton. I remember the first scene we did together, I was like, “Oh, my goodness, DI Renton is a piece of work. I love her! She’s brilliant.” We were so lucky, it was such an easy thing with everybody. We were really, really fortunate that we had a team of great people.

As a TV series, Downton Abbey was so successful, which allowed you to do a movie, but that still didn’t guarantee that audiences would actually turn out to theaters to see the movie. How exciting was it to see the reaction to the Downton Abbey film and to see that people really did turn out to see it in a movie theater?

FROGGATT: It was incredible. I really don’t think any of us, including behind the scenes and in front of the camera, expected it to do as well as it did, at all, by any standard. We hoped that people would want to see it, and we hoped it would get an audience at the cinema, but none of us dreamed it would be as popular at the cinema as it was. It was incredible. It was so thrilling to see and hear of people who just got so much enjoyment out of it and who loved checking in with those characters again. I had some people tell me that they’d been to see the movie four times because they just loved it. It’s great. I’m so pleased that we achieved what we set out to do with the movie, which was to give all those fans of the show that bit of joy, and that sense of checking back in with all of their favorite characters, and that sense of nostalgia. That’s what it’s about. It’s about people enjoying it, and they did. I’m thrilled to have been a part of it.

Do you feel like that chapter is closed now, or do you hope that you’ll be able to do another movie, at some point?

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Image via PBS

FROGGATT: It would be nice. I know there’s definitely talk of a second movie, and it’s lovely that there’s talk of it ‘cause we wouldn’t even be thinking about it, if the first one hadn’t gone down as well as it had. As long as we can keep the same level of standards and make it something that the fans want to watch, then why not. But it depends on whether, logistically, it can come together or not. Everyone’s off doing different things. Not at the moment. Everyone’s got different jobs, here and there, but none of them are happening, at the moment. We’ll have to just wait and see, but it would be lovely to do a second one.

At this point in your life and career, what do you look for in a project and what gets you excited about the work? Do you have a personal wishlist, or is it more of an instinctual thing for you?

FROGGATT: Yeah, I don’t really have a wishlist. It’s definitely instinctual for me. It’s not changed, really, and I don’t think it’ll ever change. It’s purely about a good script. If I read a script and it excites me, and I think, “Oh, wow, this is great.,” and I think it’s something I want to watch, then I want to be a part of it. It’s really as simple as that, for me.

You also have your own production company, so what type of projects are you looking to do through that?

FROGGATT: To start with, definitely TV drama and mini-series. That’s what I’m known for best. That’s the starting point.

What was it that led to you starting a production company? Did you just want to get more involved in the development side of things and have more of a say in the type of characters that you play?

FROGGATT: Yeah. I’ve been an exec producer on a few TV shows that I’ve done, that I’ve played the lead in, and a movie, as well, because I helped to find the financing for it, and that was just a natural progression, really. And then, from that, I wanted to think of my own projects, coming up with an idea and being able to put it into practice. I really love the development process, which is basically thinking of an idea, and then, at the moment, finding a more experienced company to partner with, finding a writer, developing an idea, developing where the story’s going to go to, what the story’s going to be, how many episodes it will be, where we think we might be able to get seen, and all of those things, and then, ultimately, putting a team together. I really enjoy that side of creativity. It feels very much like a natural progression. I’ve been acting professionally for over 20 years now, so I just enjoy having that little bit more of a say in what I’m doing. I feel like I’ve learned my craft and I’ve earned my stripes. I can pick a good script, and I trust my instincts and my taste. That suits well for the producing side of things.

Is there a genre that you haven’t worked in yet, or that you feel like you haven’t worked much in, that you’d love to get to do?

FROGGATT: I’d like to do fantasy. I love all of those Fantastic Beasts movies and Harry Potter, and that sort of thing. That’s something I’ve not done a huge amount, so something like that would be fun to do. Anything, really. I like to do anything that’s just different from the last thing I’ve done. I haven’t done comedy for quite awhile, so I’d definitely like to do a bit more comedy. I’d actually love to do an action movie, as well. I’d love to do a baddie in an action movie. I’d love that. I love doing stunts and things at work, so that would be a fun thing to do.

Liar airs on Wednesday nights on Sundance TV.