So we learn early on that Matt, played by Tom Bateman, is the West Side Ripper. What do you think it is about Tom that makes him such a good serial killer?
Oh gosh. For this particular show, you needed to find someone who was charming and attractive but also very menacing. So there has to be this likability in the actor and the character. … I don’t know how you felt, but you want him to get away with things. You want Nathan and Ava and Matt to get away with these things. What I found interesting when reading it was you start to really not want Priscilla’s character [Ruby] to win, which is just such a morally complex situation. I think Tom balances that line so perfectly. He’s a beautiful man to look at, and he is so charming and makes really cool choices. He’s such a thoughtful actor too. You can always see his wheels turning on set in how he’s going to tether that line.
Your character Tory is involved in some really funny scenes. What were some of your personal favorite moments?
There were so many. It’s really intimidating signing onto a show because you sign on pretty blind, especially in my case because I literally hadn’t even received a script. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, so I was like, “I hope that everyone likes me, and I hope I like them and that we become a family.” I would have to say that the first few days on set were really really fun for me because it dawned on me that I had hit the jackpot. I don’t know how they filmed the show because Kaley and Chris [Messina] were laughing all the time. And they would pick on you! They would literally pull pranks and do dumb stuff to you, and it was so fun to know that you were going on set to just play and have fun.
It’s a very fast scene, but the moment when the toilet overflows, I was covered in water just sitting in this bathroom waiting for [Kaley and Chris] to walk in, and when it was on my shot, they were messing with me the entire time. They were filming and recording me on their phones, making random things up and trying to get me to break, and I just had to ignore them and try to mop up this water. Also, the dinner scene, the party scene, that was an interesting time because we were filming all of those table scenes over the course of a week. We were getting a little stir-crazy because we were having to repeat the same things. It’s a huge table, and there is a lot of coverage that has to be done. … We all became a big family, and we were just being so goofy and unhinged that entire week. I think it definitely solidified a bond in the crew.
What’s your trick for not breaking?
I wish I had one. I don’t—I just crack. You kind of have to choose your breaks and be strategic about them. There are moments where you are like, “Okay, it’s crunch time. Get your shit together.” But it’s hard, honestly. I’m not super well-versed in the comedic world quite yet, which is why I love it. It feels very new and fresh to me. I’m still trying to get my footing, and watching Kaley and asking how do you not crack in these moments, it definitely feels like a learning lesson.
Earlier this year, you starred in Scream VI, and one of your upcoming projects is a film called Totally Killer. Do you have a thing for serial-killer storylines?
I really started noticing that pattern and was like, “This is weird.” I honestly just receive scripts, and if I like them, I audition for them, and if they like me, I do it. So there really was nothing strategic about that situation, but I do find myself in a big serial-killer world. It’s interesting, though, because I feel like every serial-killer project that I’ve done over the last year or so, they haven’t been very serious. I mean Scream is scary, but it’s also very satirical. And my character is funny for the most part. I love doing things that are very out of my comfort zone, a little bit feral, and wild, and maybe it just lights me up to get to go a little crazy. I feel really proud of all the projects, so I’ll keep doing them.
What was it like joining such an iconic horror franchise like Scream?
It was pretty surreal. I really wanted the job, obviously, and I went through a week of just waiting. Again, I had some type of internal thing where I was like, “I think this is my job, I really feel it.” I had to carry that trust throughout the filming process as well because it is such a beloved franchise, and it’s so precious to so many people, including myself. I didn’t want to disappoint anybody or mess anything up. Also, having been such a big fan of the fifth installment, I really trusted Radio Silence, which is Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin], Tyler [Gillett], and Chad [Villella]. They did such an amazing job on the last movie and honoring Wes but also doing a little bit more of a fresh take on things. Knowing that they trusted me with that role, it was like, “Okay, that’s all you can ask for.” And it really was just such an uplifting set. They were so open to collaboration, which is crazy to me given it’s such a big deal. You think you’d walk on set and they’d be like, “Don’t touch anything. Don’t change anything.” But that wasn’t the case at all. I think that’s why those movies really work because they hire really good people, and they are really great collaborators.
I’d love to pivot to fashion for a moment. I loved the Sandro shorts suit you wore for our photo shoot. How has your style evolved in recent years?
The last time I dipped my toes into the fashion world, I was much younger. I don’t think I really had a grasp of what I wanted in the fashion world. I just nodded my head and wore whatever I needed to wear. It’s been really cool to discover what I personally like. I do in my day-to-day have such a weird spectrum of my fashion. I like a little bit more of an androgynous look. I like comfort. I love wearing men’s clothing, men’s pants, but then I’m also such a sundress girl. I want people to think I live in an English cottage. So it’s been fun to explore that. Compared to when I was younger, there is so much more space for evolution in women’s fashion. People don’t expect women just to wear a dress anymore. You can wear a pantsuit. You can wear loafers. You can wear really tall heels. I just feel like the options are endless now, which is really fun and allows me to expand my mind and lean into my own personal style.
Before I let you go, what are your summer fashion go-tos?
Linen is something I’m really into right now—something really breathable, flattering. I’m very selective with bold colors. I like more neutral tones. But a brand that I’ve always gravitated toward, especially in the summer, is J.Crew. I think that they just have really timeless pieces, and they very much lean into both of the aesthetics that I like. They have really good linen button-ups for women, but also, they have some of my favorite throw-on comfy dresses. So I’ve been a really big fan of them. I also love Sandro. I wore Sandro for two outfits that [junket] day. It was a really cute Jackie O kind of dress and then the shorts [suit]. Honestly, any brand that checks both of those boxes I gravitate toward.
The full season of Based on a True Story is now streaming on Peacock.
