Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman are a married couple whose troubled family life becomes all the more harrowing when faced with a mysterious threat in Carpet. Strahovski is a two-time Emmy and Golden Globe nominee who has found acclaim in everything from her breakout roles on NBC’s spy comedy Chuck and Showtime’s Dexter to Kiefer Sutherland’s 24: Live another day and Elizabeth Moss The maid’s storyAmong many others. Speedman similarly found his first breakout role on the small screen with JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves’ Felicity Before starring in the likes of the Underworld franchise, The strangers And, recently, as a regular series on Gray’s Anatomy.
Strahovski and Speedman star in Carpet As Maggie and James Chenoweth, a couple living on an isolated ranch in Georgia with their teenage daughter, Meryl, young son, Arlo, and James’ mother, Ellen, who is managing a terminal illness diagnosis. Maggie and James, whose marriage has been on the rocks for subtle issues, find their family in danger when Arlo goes missing in the nearby woods, only for a mysterious man in a gas mask to turn up shortly after his return, painting a Line around the farm and warn everyone in it not to cross, or trust anyone.
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Along with Strahovski and Speedman, the ensemble Carpet The cast includes Émilie Bierre as Meryl, Caleb Dolden as Arlo, The ranchS Kathy Baker as Allen, Blindspot Alum Chaske Spencer, Evils Boris McGiver and Marvel Cinematic Universe vet Rob Morgan. originates from Yellowstone Alum Ian McCulloch and executive produced by The Conjuring Universe creator James Wan, the show is a chilling continuation of the small town puzzle box formula that has become popular in recent years.
Before the premiere of the show, Screen Rant Interviewed Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman to discuss CarpetThey were drawn to McCulloch’s vision for the horror series, capturing the troubled family dynamics at the show’s heart, and praised the practical effects used to design the monstrous set pieces throughout the show.
Strahovski and Speedman are flourished by the character work at the heart of Carpet
“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s a really classy piece of writing…’”
Screen Rant: I’ve seen the first half of CarpetAnd it’s only gripping so far. Yvonne, I’ll start with you, and then Scott, what was it about the show and Ian’s vision for your characters that really sparked both your interest in being a part of it?
Ivan Strahovski: I remember thinking, “Wow, this is really a classic script for what we’re doing here. For horror, it has a lot of depth,” which is, I think, maybe surprising, and it’s surprisingly emotional. , as well. I remember sitting with Ian and talking to him about the project, and he also had such a big vision for it in terms of what he wanted to focus on, even though it’s a genre piece. So, yeah, I think it was a combination of ​​the script and the people involved, and especially Ian, that made me excited to be a part of it.
Scott Speedman: Yeah, to me, it’s very similar to Yvonne. I knew Ian’s writing from other things, and when I heard he was doing something in the horror space, I was very excited to read it, because I knew it would have his own unique style of writing. He writes a lot of interesting Western-type stuff, character-based stuff. So, I thought if there could be some meeting of the minds there, it could be something very unique to the horror space. And I was right, the scripts are great, and especially the drama of the family dynamic, where it started and where it went. I thought, “Wow, if we can get everything that’s on the page here on the screen, that’s going to work really well.”
The duo hope audiences will “Root for the relationship that broke up”
“…I thought maybe we could win them back in time.”
Since you mentioned the family dynamic, I really find the dynamic of your character so fascinating to watch, because there seems to be still an underlying love for each other there, even if, Scott, your character is perhaps more of the mistakes. Way. What was it like for you both to really find that dynamic with one another and make sure the audience felt for the characters, even if they were on rocky ground?
Scott Speedman: Yeah, for me, I don’t think there’s any way to control what the audience is going to do at this point in my career. I knew that Yvonne had worked so well from other things, like maid’s and other stuff like that, and I could really see how she would be a great partner in the scenes we had to do over. So, instinctively. I was just like, “If we can get together and do what I’m doing, and then definitely do what I think she’s going to be able to do, I think the scenes are going to be really dynamic.” And I think the audience will come along for the ride, whether it’s on the genre level, or the family dynamic level, where definitely my character is not in the best of lights. But hopefully, I thought maybe we can win them back over time.
Yvonne Strahovski: I love what we did with him, and I think it’s lovely to have such a thoughtful, amazing acting partner to get through those scenes, because they were quite challenging. Scott is incredibly thoughtful, and I think the combination of ​​a thoughtful showrunner and some thoughtful actors, we really nailed it in such a way where I think the audience will stay with us for this crazy ride. Because things are getting real weird [chuckles]And we really need them to stay on board with us, and we really need them to root for us, and root for this relationship that’s broken.
Strahovski and Speedman are “Blown away“Through the practical effects of the show
“… The craftsmanship of what these people did was amazing.”
Since we’re talking about the crazy, I’d love to hear what both of your reactions were when you saw what happens when someone walks on the other side of the line. Because even I, as a horror genre fan, was quite shocked by this visual.
Scott Speedman: I mean, for me, I was doing one of the first ones, I think, with a character in one of the earlier episodes. What was cool, and what was awesome was that it wasn’t looking at a tennis ball on a tripod or a green screen. Most of it was practical effects that were, you know, detailed later, so we really had something amazing to work with. At this point in my career, I’ve done so much that it doesn’t really do much to me. But I thought that the artistry of the whole thing was for me.
Whether it was grotesque or not, or scary or not, is not the most interesting part. I was more interested in, “Wow, the craftsmanship of what these people did was amazing.” And that we got to look at that was incredible. It’s always fun. At the end of the day, you kind of have to just jump off the cliff and go on that ride with the craziness that’s happening in front of you. And it was very easy to do with this prop.
Yvonne Strahovski: Yes, I think I came a little late to see this amazing, I will call it, sculpture, because it is a work of art. It’s an amazing sculpture, and my first reaction was, I was really blown away. We’ve been around the block, we’ve seen so many of these kinds of things, and it really took my breath away. I thought it was extraordinary, I can’t believe what they came for. Because I remember reading it, and the description of it in word form is, “Wow.”
But my first thought was, “How on earth are they going to make this? What’s the visual going to look like?” It was like such a challenge, and it was like such a challenge, because it’s hard to make it not look cheesy or just not kind of real, even though it’s a real fantastic element of the show. But they really pulled it off to the point where I was really blown away.
About Carpet
TEACUP follows a peculiar group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat to survive. Inspired by the New York Times bestselling novel Stinger by Robert McCammon.
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Source: Screen Rant Plus