Sam Nivola | The Perfect Couple UK Premiere | Netflix's new binge-watch Murder Mystery

Congratulations on the series. How did you get involved in this? And did you have to go through all the auditions and the traditional route? Yeah, I just did, I did, you know, one. I did an audition, and I don't think I did a callback. I think about a week later, they told me I got the job. Simple and did it. And did you know that Nicole was in at that point? I did, yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, that's sort of part of the reason why I audition, you know? I mean, she's so cool and and everyone else in it is so cool. And you get to film with one of the best casts in one of the greatest locations. How much fun was that? You know, being part of a big murder mystery as well. Oh, it was amazing. I mean, that's another reason, you know, I've never done anything like that. Everything I've done, I mean, I'm only 20, so I haven't done very much, but everything I've done has been quite serious. And, like lot, you know, drama. And it was so fun that just to like a really fun murder whodunit, it was great. I've been looking forward to doing something like this for years and being part of such a big ensemble cast. How much fun is it getting the chemistry right between everybody? Because all the parts have to work, and that seems to seems to come off really well. Yeah. How conscious where you of that? Thank you. I yeah, I, I was pretty conscious of it because we were doing a lot of improvization, and I think, I think the fact that we were all living so close to each other and we'd hang out on the weekends, and we all got to know each other really well, made that a lot easier. The chemistry, I think, was easy because we were all really good friends and, we were able to sort of play like that in the scenes because of that. And we're all fascinated by the lifestyle of the rich and shameless. How much fun is it kind of poking holes in that bubble? Oh, it's great. I mean, it's it's in the same reason why people love this genre of making fun of rich people. That's why it's fun to be in it. It's it's because you want to be like these people. Some sick part of you wants to to have all that money and live that lifestyle. And then you also absolutely fucking hate it because it's they're all disgusting. And in fact, you know, in these extremes, murdering each other. So but yeah, it's it's it's real. It's it's fun, but it's also sort of upsetting. It gets under your skin at a certain point. The, the, this kind of person, it's kind of character. And just lastly question for you, this is a Netflix series seen everywhere. How are you feeling about having your face across the world? I don't know, I have no idea. We'll see you in a few days. Excellent. Well congratulations again. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Ladies and gentlemen, you are watching. Hey, you guys. Yeah, you guys are you guys? I That's what they all say. You guys. Hey, guys. Wow. congratulations on the show. How great is it to have such a fantastic cast work together in such amazing locations? How great is that? That's really great. So you better not fuck it up. That's how great it is. It's like. Yes. Amazing cast. Amazing location. And now it's on me not to mess it up. And to make sure you don't mess it up. You obviously have to surround yourself with people who you you trust. How did you go about that process of choosing who you wanted to do? A crew like DP and who? I pretty much knew who I wanted, but I think the the not fucking it up is also it's also trusting the process a little. But it's, it's also kind of, you know, we have these amazing actors and they are pretty good at improvising. They're pretty good at all that. And then allowing for that to happen is a. Lie. You kind of you kind of go, whoa, this is fun. I'm going to I'm just going to stay in this, in this, in this moment with them. And there was a lot of that. I know what made me do realize you've got it right. Is it on set as the magic comes together or is on screen is you look at rush is what it's on set. I mean, at some point the sound engineer was like, can you please not laugh so much in the takes? Because, you're actually ruining the takes. So and just lastly, just about the chemistry of your fantastic cast, all of the pieces seem to work so well together. How how to satisfying is that coming? You know, seeing that happen, and seeing them get on so. Well, it's only now that I'm allowing myself to enjoy a little bit because we literally mixed like very recently we mixed episode six. So there is that kind of constant questioning of like, do I, do I need to do this? This is right. It doesn't it doesn't stop. It kind of goes on. But I think tonight I will actually enjoy it. Well, I hope you do enjoy yourself this evening. Fantastic series and thank you so much, congratulate on the show. We've been hearing how much fun it was to be on set and, how that carries over into the darkly toxic family atmosphere. I guess you build up a level of trust between the cast, just kicking back and having fun. Does that mean you can push out a bit more when you. When you're all together and acting? Yes. For sure. To some degree, I think, it helps a lot to, to have a feeling of, you know, camaraderie. So there is space to play. And also, most importantly, to be able to trust each other, you know, because, on a scale of production such as this, you know, you want to be able to hone it all in and and be able to feel like it's another day of work and, and focus on the substance of the scene, focus on trying to find truth in that given moment. And, when you have a warmth and a camaraderie with, you know, your colleagues, it only makes it that much easier to be able to achieve that. We were gathering. There's a fair amount of improvization goes on. How much fun was that, and how much do you think has made it into the final show? Well, I guess you got that from Jack Reynor . So it was it was a little more for some people, than the others. You know, I think all of us were assigned very individual characters, and, and each of them had a unique voice. And in my case, and I, if I may say so, for everything in Eve Hewson's case as well, it was important to keep it grounded and and to walk a thin line. You know, there is a whole lot of drama in the show. Despite the humor, despite the entertainment. And, I think that's what makes it tonally unpredictable. And, and so I think there was a whole lot of enjoyment every day of work, like, you never knew what to expect. And all of it was in Susanna's head. And it's Susanna's party. So what you see eventually is her overlaying vision. And what is it that you're going to take away as the most satisfying thing so far? Because obviously the series is coming out shortly. What what's the most satisfying thing for you from this whole experience? I think, the work experience, just being able to work in an environment that is so radically different from what I've been exposed to before, but at the same time, being able to find comfort in the fact that across the world, what we do is the same thing. We we all storytellers, we're all creators and creative beings, and we're all trying to get, to the truth of the moment and the crux of the biscuit, so to say. And, there's, there's a great joy in being able to bring two worlds together. And I'm so glad that I had this opportunity. I think it's a rare one, and I'll cherish it as, as I move forward in my career. Congratulations again on the show. Thank you so much for speaking to us. Thank you. Pleasure congratulations on the show. How much funding was it being part of a cast that seems to have been so. Had so much fun off screen, but is it been so darkly toxic on the screen? Yeah, I know, very dark and toxic, but, that actually we all get along so I don't know, it was just like acting, but it didn't really feel like work. I was like, we were all just hanging out at summer camp or something. And of course, in one of the best locations in the world, as well. So how much fun was that being in some of those enormous houses? Enormous houses. Really big, really beautiful houses. But it was also off season, so it was really cold. And there were, there was only like one bar and like one restaurant we could go to. So we had to become resourceful. And, how did you become involved in this in the first place? Did you, actually go through the audition process or. And how long was that? No, I, I got sent the scripts and, I met with Suzanne and we spoke about the part and just sort of got a general vibe for each other. And then I read the first three, and I was like, oh, no, I have, I have to do this show. And I sent her like a very passionate letter, and she gave in the park. And, how long was it from that from then to actually setting foot on set? I think about six weeks. Yeah. And it was about a year long. She. No, no, it was three months. Oh, okay. It took us a year to complete it because the strikes. So we kept having to go back and shoot it again and go back and shoot it again and try to get everybody's schedules together. It was kind of. And for you, what are you going to take away from? This has been the most satisfying thing. Oh, just working with your friends. So much fun. Yeah. Yeah. Well, congratulations on the show. And thank you so much for speaking to us. Congratulations on the show. We've been hearing just how well the cast all got on together and how much fun he had. Does that carry on to screen, where you feel a certain freedom to be darkly toxic with each other? Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. It really helps. It really helps when you get to know each other a little bit. You have a little bit more of a license, you know, and it gives you I guess it gives you a certain amount of trust as well. Totally, totally. Yeah, absolutely. And, how was it working? Because there is such a large ensemble cast and all the pieces have to work together so well, which they do. Do you feel that that's the pressure, or did did you set the scene in such a way that actually became quite a pleasure. You know, it's always a total pleasure. It was a pleasure all the time. And Susanne Bier, honestly, she's just one of the most extraordinary directors I've ever worked with. And her way of working, the trust that she puts into her actors. But at the same time, the requirement to be 100% switched on and on the top of your game all the time, and it brings the best at you. It gives you confidence that she trusts you in that way, and it makes you want to work hard because you know what's expected. And that's a really pleasurable way to work. I love Susanna, I would work with her again on anything at any time. And what do you think the enduring appeal of the good old murder mystery is? Because there's been quite a few over the years, and they always seem to keep coming back and, great casts and great stories that never seemed to grow old, did it? I think people like to watch something that's a bit sordid and this is sordid, you know. That's what it is. And we were just hearing that there might be a blooper reel around, or some of the things that didn't quite make the call. Do you think I heard that well enough to see that? Yeah. So is there anything in particular that you think might make it? I'm not. Honestly, I'm not sure. I can't even remember. The whole thing is a bit of a fever dream. It was like Twin Peaks for me. So, We'll see. Hope there's nothing embarrassing in there. Oh, congratulations on the show again. Thank you so much for speaking to us. Congratulations on the series. How is it taking a book like this and then turning it into a series and, getting what you consider to be the best out of it. How does that work? It's a tall order when you sow love and respect the author, which I did. Before this ever came my way. I was a big fan of her books. So my top goal was to get it right and to have her love the series, which thank God she does. And then, you know, to have this incredible director and this cast, which I still don't really believe is in this show. They just elevated the material in ways I could never have expected. So I'm really glad that the world is finally going to get a chance to see what I've personally been working on for five years, if you can believe it, I started adapting it. The book came out in 2018, so yeah, that's pretty much the duration of the book being out. Yeah, so I had read it, just as, you know, a fan, and then started adapting it a year later and had a crew of writers. And it's been it's, it's had it's, you know, it's been a long time gestating. So is the series as we have it pretty much as you imagined it the first, the first time or was it evolved? Can you believe it? It is close, but I never thought it would actually get this close because I'm not sure. A lot of sort of first time showrunners dream that Nicole Kidman and Liv Schreiber are going to be. Or if you or Billy Howle or Jack Ryan. You don't, you don't. I don't dream that big. I don't dare to. So the fact that it actually is what I had hoped it would be is, pretty hard to believe. I still don't, you know, I'm still pinching myself. And you have a fantastic cast. And the chemistry between them all is very important because all of the pieces need to work. It's like watching a super group in the in motion. How how difficult was that to put together? But also how satisfying was it to see that come out when you have actors of this caliber? I think at some point you just have to step aside and let them do what they do. And that's what happened here. They became this family. The chemistry between Lee, Evan, Nicole is shockingly compelling. Because you have to believe that they're this married couple been together a long time, but that still have a lot of fire between them, and they really achieve that. I mean, I want to be them. Is that wrong? The characters? Yeah. So, yeah, I just I still can't believe my luck with this cast. I really can't. And also the locations and fantastic locations which set the scene perfectly. Was that difficult to find, or did you have those things in mind when you read the book? The book evokes the location so well. She, Ellen Hildebrand, is a master of writing food, textures, smells, colors. She really does transport you. I always say her books are like a vacation on the page. And if you can't afford a plane ticket, just read one of her books. It's really true. So it was very important to us to get that right, to get where you can almost smell that sand and that sunblock and, you know, feel the beautiful textures of those clothes and taste that incredible food at the rehearsal dinner. And so we had an amazing team, a production designer, Sarah Knowles, an incredible costumer and a salon to Susannah Beer had worked with before the mise en scene is an absolute dream and I always say I wanted to eat the whole set. I wanted to take every piece of, you know, set dressing home with me. I didn't. I did it for the work, but I wanted to. Lastly, for you, I assume you have plans coming next year. You'll find was touring tomorrow. What would be your ideal show to work on? Well, Nicole and I are talking about something that we're going to do together, so that's a dream come true. And Ellen Hildebrand and I are actually talking about it. Another thing we're going to do together, I can't really say what either. Those things are yet. I absolutely love writing murder mysteries and families. So family dynamics, conflict. And even earnest family bonds are something I love to explore just quickly. There seems to be a fabulous community of women creators coming around, of directors and writers and actors and things like that. Do you see that as being the case? Because in a way that it wasn't maybe ten or certainly 20 years ago. I can speak to that in the context of this show, in that there was not a conscious, concerted effort to have a mostly female, staff of producers or creators. It happened naturally because every single person who came on and happened to be the right person for that job, it started from the top down with Gail Berman, who sent me the book, and then Susanna Behar, who reacted well to the material, who then called Nicole, who also reacted well to the material. So there are many ways in which it is a female story. But it wasn't some conscious effort that was named at the beginning that, you know, we're only hiring women. It just happened. So I think that actually speaks to the progress. That's very it was organic. Exactly. Thank you for speaking to us. Thank you for having. congratulations on the show. Thank you. Firstly, let's talk about how it was trying to get that fantastic dysfunctional chemistry right between yourself and Nicole Kidman. I mean, you know that Susanne Bier, as she set the tone early on. Very dark, very funny, very inappropriate. And we kind of took it from there. There was a lot of improvising on the improvising as well. Is that is one of those situations that brings you close quickly. And there's two ways people can go with it. They can they can either kind of run and gun for themselves, or they can open up and make room for each other. And this was a group of actors who really made room for each other. And when that happens, it usually goes well. And, off screen I got, Well, being together as a group was fantastic, and you had a lot of fun. But then to bring that on screen is a very large and very toxic ensemble. How do you make that switch so quickly? And how much fun is it to work with an ensemble cast like this? It's amazingly fun. You just rely on a really, really good editor. As you know, one day all of the footage will come out. Hopefully that day will come after we've all passed away, but there's some extraordinary material in the can and, filming in those wonderful locations as well. What's it like being part of the world of the rich and the shameless? Just for a little while and poking a few holes in it? Oh, it's really fun. It's really fun because, of course, you get to be rich and shameless for a little while. But I thought it's just to bring about a very timely and a very funny story to me. I don't know, it's not that funny. It's a murder mystery, but I find it funny. Just this idea of the entitled people, American aristocracy. And we've all become so obsessed with money and celebrity and. You know, superficial things. And, it's nice little black comedy about rich people. It's good. Fantastic. And, just lastly is obviously you've done a lot of producing yourself. Is this the kind of thing that you would like to have produced, or were you just happy to be, you know, be in front of the camera for. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's the right. And I wasn't sure in the beginning I was really nervous about it. But after talking to Susanna, and working with this cast, I was like, oh, this is just could be special. It could be, you know, when you get inside something and you do it with humor and and it also has this, emotional infrastructure that's important. There's something important about that idea that we're all obsessed with. I think there's a reason why we love these kinds of shows. Because we know in our guts there's something wrong with it. We know in our guts it can't be true. We know in our guts there's nothing perfect. And so these these stories are like cautionary tales. Congratulations on the show again. Thank you so much for speaking to us. Hi Scotland! Us. I love Scott, I have Scottish blood. Oh, well. Oh, that's very nice. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. On a brilliant series. Tell us quickly in the Nicole, what makes it perfect? There is no perfect. That's the truth, right? I think when you're aiming to be perfect, that's when you get in trouble, when you go with the flow. And that's. And as Greer says, I don't want to be the perfect couple. They're sort of getting classified as that, but, but as you see the curtain growing back here, like, oh my gosh. So hopefully people, you know, find it entertaining and exciting and kind of addictive. I hope