‘The Beauty’ Star Jessica Alexander on Becoming Rebecca Hall’s Jordan & the Show’s True Message

[Warning: The following post contains spoilers for The Beauty Episode 5, “Beautiful Billionaires.”]

Whereas the billionaires have been away getting remodeled — with hysterically tragic outcomes — in a single a part of the plot in The Magnificence Episode 5, the remainder of this week’s installment noticed Jordan, now portrayed by Jessica Alexander, reuniting with Cooper (Evan Peters) to elucidate what’s occurred in her post-transformation absence.

For Alexander, studying that she could be embodying the “Magnificence” model of a personality portrayed by Rebecca Corridor was “surreal.” The actress revealed to TV Insider that she’s lengthy been a fan of Corridor’s work, significantly in indie movies like Resurrection, and was delighted to share a task together with her, regardless of how uncommon it was.

Alexander was additionally heartened that the characters gave a wink to Corridor’s personal magnificence, too, when Cooper mentioned that she was already excellent earlier than she received the virus: “Principally, nobody you see on this present must have performed that, least of all Rebecca Corridor,” Alexander mentioned of the change. “So yeah, it felt actually necessary, not even simply a lot for Rebecca. I doubt Rebecca wants any affirmation in that sense in any respect. However I believe extra simply to the messaging of the character and her journey, and acknowledging that you recognize you don’t essentially at all times respect how you’re feeling about your self, till one thing large adjustments and places all of it into perspective for you.”

After Jordan returned to Cooper with hopes of rekindling the romance and skilled partnership, they headed out to seek out solutions about what occurred to her, with a brand new sense of urgency on account of what they learn about what occurs to the contaminated.

Learn on for our full interview with Jessica Alexander as she breaks down the important thing moments in The Magnificence Episode 5.

What was it like for you once you heard you have been going to get to play the suped-up model of this wonderful actress?

Jessica Alexander: I do know. It truthfully was, yeah, fairly surreal. After I auditioned for it, I really didn’t know that was the state of affairs of the function. I didn’t actually have a great deal of context, truthfully, as a result of clearly, Ryan stuff is so high secret that once you’re going up for it. You’re not at all times certain, I suppose, precisely what you’re going as much as do. However once I realized it was Rebecca and that she’d be handing the character on to me, I used to be simply completely gobsmacked.

I like her a lot, and I believe she’s such an exceptional actress. I’ve seen her in loads of movies, particularly among the smaller, extra impartial tasks that I’ve watched. I actually love Resurrection — an incredible movie. She delivers such an unimaginable efficiency in it, and I’ve been saying as effectively, particularly, somebody who is clearly a British actress, who’s made it actually over within the States, and such an excellent profession, it was simply superior for me to work together with her in some capability, regardless that we didn’t actually cross over very a lot. However yeah, slightly little bit of stress, however she’s very good.

I appreciated the scene with Evan, the place you guys speak about how she was excellent earlier than. How necessary was that for you — since as you mentioned, you’re a fan — simply having that little bit in there to acknowledge her magnificence, too?

Yeah, completely. Properly, I imply, I believe that’s the complicated factor about The Magnificence as an idea generally, which is mainly, nobody you see on this present must have performed that, least of all Rebecca Corridor.

So yeah, it felt actually necessary, not even simply a lot for Rebecca. I doubt Rebecca wants any affirmation in that sense in any respect. However I believe extra simply to the messaging of the character and her journey, and acknowledging that you just don’t essentially at all times respect how you’re feeling about your self till one thing large adjustments and places all of it into perspective for you. So I believe simply that message alone was necessary to have in there. She’s not only a shallow character who’s simply actually pleased that she appears to be like 20 years youthful now. It’s a conflicting expertise for her.

Did you’re employed together with her in any respect to develop the character, or did you form of go in numerous instructions with your individual interpretation as soon as it turned yours? 

We didn’t work collectively to develop it in any respect. Weirdly, we truthfully didn’t even discuss [about that]. We met, we spoke about it, however we didn’t actually converse in regards to the character a lot. I really assume Rebecca and I introduced loads of ourselves and our pure demeanor to the roles… I don’t know if it’s simply because we’re each English. I simply know that’s what Evan would at all times say, like, “You’re simply so English,” anytime I mentioned something…

I believe we simply genuinely have actually pure similarities. I get on very well together with her. I by no means felt prefer it was somebody that’s a stranger or that I’ve simply met. Even once I noticed her on the premiere the opposite day, it was so good to meet up with her. And I really feel like she actually cares about my journey into all of this, and she or he sees that I’m youthful and new to this entire scene and new to the business within the States. And I really feel like she perhaps has provided a little bit of kindness and safety, generosity of time and demeanor, and in form of making you’re feeling comfy in these areas.

I believe we’re simply actually comparable. I didn’t actually put together a lot in any respect in phrases to match her, no. [But] even our smiles, it’s bizarre! We have now the same, barely gummy smile, the form of our smile, all kinds of issues that I’ve over time really seen like, “That’s how we actually look, fairly comparable.”

What about with Evan? Clearly, within the first couple of episodes, they’d established this working dynamic and the friendship and the romantic facet of it as effectively. How was it so that you can form of soar into that?

Evan and I didn’t have a great deal of time to get to know one another, truthfully, earlier than we began taking pictures…. Lots of our opening stuff, we actually did shoot fairly chronologically — my first days on set have been taking pictures Episode 5, and these characters are form of assembly one another once more for the primary time. So, as a result of there was form of a scarcity of familiarity between us, I really assume it form of labored for these people who are actually rapidly, have been in love with each other, primarily, however couldn’t say it. And now they undoubtedly can’t say it as a result of they’re assembly another time. It simply received actually f***ing bizarre.

However Evan’s only a actually unimaginable individual. Actually, he’s so open and beneficiant as an actor, and he’s simply very easy to get on with and very easy to develop that chemistry with and make it as genuine and truthful and grounded as attainable as a result of the world of The Magnificence is fairly excessive and insane, and there’s a lot of enjoyable in there…. The human coronary heart of the story [is] Cooper and Jordan — for me, anyway, that was the guts of, clearly, my expertise on the present.

Together with your character, you additionally get the genuine Ryan Murphy expertise in that once we first meet you, you’re coated in goo. Are you able to speak about simply trusting him after which having that form of be your entry — this goopy transformation factor? 

Yeah, I’d heard quite a bit in regards to the goo and the blood and the sacks. There was loads of discuss in regards to the sacks, and once I lastly received in it, it was overwhelmingly heat and fairly sweaty, and you may’t actually hear something inside it. And it’s trusting Ryan, it’s trusting Alexis [Martin Woodall], who directed the episode, and it’s trusting all the ladies which might be round me, slathering my primarily bare physique in goo and blood. And it was simply going for it, mainly.

So it was enjoyable, and I’d had a little bit of time to form of heat up into taking pictures in New York. So I did know folks slightly bit higher. That may have been perhaps a bit extra of an excessive first day. However I’m form of up for something relating to stuff like that. It’s excessive, and it’s enjoyable and clearly only a bit psychological, so it’s fairly exhilarating. However, yeah, it was nice… I wouldn’t do it once more. [Laughs.]

There’s a scene the place your character has simply gotten the Magnificence, and also you’re strolling round getting all these compliments, however then there’s this tenderness to the place you might have the revelation that perhaps there’s slightly little bit of hollowness to that adoration. Are you able to speak about simply enjoying to that small arc in such a short while and squeezing a lot into that scene?

Yeah, I imply, you’re proper. It’s form of a giant arc. The scene is form of contextualizing what it’s she’s been by way of. And I believe it’s additionally form of left to the viewers’s creativeness, really, what she actually might need been by way of whereas she was away, as a result of she’s been lacking fairly a while. And I believe each lady can relate to the truth that if you end up perhaps feeling assured or embodying a sure a sure kind of vitality, otherwise you’re carrying that gown that you just love, and also you’re occurring an evening out with the ladies, no matter it’s, the journey from house to wherever it’s you’re going can generally really feel slightly intimidating, and perhaps you’re attracting consideration that you just don’t need, merely for current. And that’s, I believe, Jordan’s expertise.

At first, she’s having fun with this new physique that she’s in, after which she’s additionally realizing it’s a blessing and a curse. And I believe current as a lady on this planet is a little bit of a blessing and a curse. Wouldn’t change it for the world, however let’s be actual. That’s form of what it’s like.

So I believe it was good to acknowledge that… And I believe it’s fascinating at this level within the present… by Episode 5, you’ve seen a couple of folks remodel, and most of them actually needed it, they usually got down to discover that for themselves, not pondering of the implications. Jordan’s character, that’s probably not her journey into it. She’s taken benefit of — a person sleeps together with her and doesn’t inform her that he has an STI, and so, yeah, it’s a conflicting expertise for her. I believe for me, in studying the scripts and understanding how I might come into the present, that was an fascinating angle for me. It’s pondering, “OK, we’re beginning to examine the concept that perhaps that is taking place to folks with out their permission, and it’s bringing on all these complicated penalties for them.” So, yeah. I went right into a little bit of a wormhole there. I take into consideration simply society and being a lady. I might go on about that for ages.

You’re so proper, although. I additionally needed to faucet into how that system of her altering adjustments the trajectory of the narrative generally. As a result of at first, once we first meet the 2, they’re discovering solutions, however they’re not tremendous locked into this investigation. However now that she has it, she not solely wants solutions, she wants an answer. So are you able to simply speak about how that adjustments their dynamic and the place the present’s going from right here?

Completely. I imply, I believe it simply raises the stakes massively. I imply, with each nice thriller or drama or horror of any sort, you want a very private throughline so as so that you can really feel such as you’re rooting for these characters. I believe there’s loads of characters to root for in our present, whether or not you’re form of rooting for the villain for some cause, otherwise you’re Cooper and Jordan, who’re good guys. However I believe it simply raised the stakes massively. And I’m fairly certain even Cooper in all probability says it at one level like this, “I simply received pissed.” It’s simply a type of issues.

On the core of the Jordan-Cooper story, it’s a love story, and I approached it prefer it’s a tragedy — a romantic tragedy — and I simply assume that brings such a pleasant layer to it.

Normally, what’s the message of this present, in your opinion?

It’s fascinating. I imply, loads of the overarching message is clearly asking the query, “How far would you go for magnificence?” However I really assume the present pushes the needle slightly bit additional than that. I believe it’s asking, “How have we received to this place, and why is nobody stopping it?” I believe that’s the principle factor. As a result of I believe everyone knows that folks would go actually far for magnificence. That’s not a brand new idea. That’s been round eternally. The Victorians have been doing loopy stuff to be stunning. Folks have at all times performed insane stuff within the identify of magnificence, it doesn’t matter what that’s. Magnificence requirements are shifting and altering each decade. I imply, as of late it’s like each week.

However I believe everybody simply asks, “Why is nobody stopping it? And why can we all maintain shopping for into it? And what are these penalties going to be like, not now — 30 years from now sooner or later?” As a result of the factor about the way in which our technology is doing magnificence is that we stay on this planet of social media. All the things’s about on the spot gratification. It’s like, “Put a needle in someplace, and by this time subsequent week you’re gonna look even higher.” And it’s like, “OK, however what about in 20 years’ time? What’s that gonna do to you? How’s it gonna have an effect on your well being?” … The uncomfortable side effects in our present are clearly ludicrous and excessive, and it’s tremendous sci-fi and elevated, high-concept to be. However I do assume there’s a really human and present query on the heart of it there, and I believe we’re all form of equally curious and in addition terrified to see the place magnificence goes on this planet as a result of it form of feels prefer it’s not going to decelerate. Appears like we’re going to finish up like now we have easy, little Botox-filled alien folks.

The Magnificence, Wednesdays, 9/8c, FX & Hulu