[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Best Interests.]

Summary

The drama series ‘Best Interests’ explores family dynamics in facing a life-threatening condition.

Authenticity in storytelling is key to showcasing both tragedy and laughter in the narrative of such delicate subject matter.

Sharon Horgan discusses the challenges of portraying intense roles and the importance of diversity in her projects.

The drama series Best Interests, available to stream on Acorn TV, follows the heartbreaking choice parents Nicci (Sharon Horgan) and Andrew (Michael Sheen) must face when it comes to their youngest daughter Marnie (Niamh Moriarty), whose health is deteriorating due to a rare condition. So much of Nicci and Andrew’s life together is focused on Marnie, and even though they don’t mean it to, that often affects their older daughter Katie (Alison Oliver), who loves her sister but often feels forgotten. While doctors believe it is in Marnie’s best interests to withdraw medical care and allow her to die, Nicci and Andrew end up on different sides of what becomes a court battle that drives a family apart.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Horgan talked about why she hesitated in signing on to do Best Interests, what made the shoot so challenging, telling this story as authentically as possible, finding laughter in tragedy, and exploring the Nicci and Katie relationship. She also discusses how lucky and grateful she feels to have been able to make Bad Sisters, whether she’d want to do a Game Night sequel, and always wanting to keep challenging herself.
Sharon Horgan Needed a Bit of Convincing To Sign on For ‘Best Interests’

“I got to the end of ‘Bad Sisters’ and I remember calling my agent and being like, ‘I just haven’t got it in me.'”

Collider: I read that you almost didn’t take this role because it seemed so intense. Did you have to convince yourself to do it? Did someone talk you into it? What eventually got you to sign on?
SHARON HORGAN: Initially, it was talking to Jack Thorne that made me want to do it because I genuinely had been a fan of his for so long, wanted to work with him for ages, and love his writing. And then, I’d been a fan of Michael Sheen for years and I loved the idea of playing opposite him. But it was mid-Bad Sisters when it came in and I was like, “How is that gonna work?” And they were like, “Oh, they’ll wait for you. You’ll have a couple of months off.” So, I got to the end of Bad Sisters and I remember calling my agent and being like, “I just haven’t got it in me.” The end of Season 1 of Bad Sisters was pretty tough going as well. She was like, “Just talk to the director.” And Michael Keillor was just so lovely and easygoing. He was like, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll just film it, say “Cut!” and you won’t have to do it again. I’m not gonna keep the camera on you.” It just convinced me that he’d really worked out what he needed and how to get it, and then when it was got, he wasn’t gonna torture me.
I also had that thing where I didn’t love the idea of someone else playing the part. I really connected to her. I felt very connected to her experience and how she dealt with it personally and how it fractured the family and just the story in general. And so, I just thought, “Fuck it.” But when I was doing it, I was destroyed. It was very hard to not take it home. It’s such a brutal story and there were so many scenes that just take you apart. You just had to be really nice yourself and find those moments to have a laugh. Michael Sheen and I laughed. When we weren’t crying, we laughed all the time. Everyone involved in it was quite mindful of the fact that we had to also look after each other.

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‘Best Interests’ premieres February 17 on Acorn TV.

What did you do to shake it off when it was over?
HORGAN: While I was filming, at the end of every day, it was really tough. It was really hard to shake off. But then, when I proper finished filming, I was glad to be done. And then, when I started doing the interviews and parents were getting in touch who had been through that and lost a child and who’d had to make that choice, that’s very hard to not get upset by. It also makes you have another reason to be pleased that you did it because those stories are really hard, but they do need to be told because, for some people, that’s just their lives and they’re living it every day.
‘Best Interests’ Maintains Authenticity by Showing the Joy That Can Still Exist in the Toughest of Times

“Normal life continues.”

Image via Acorn TV

What was the most challenging aspect of just making this story as authentic as possible, for the family, for the young girl, and for people who watch it who know what this is like. How did you make sure that you were being as authentic as you could be with this?
HORGAN: That’s a really good question. I did my own research, but Jack Thorne had put so much thought and time into it and spent time with families. Our rehearsal period was all just talking. We weren’t trying out scenes. We were all just talking and bringing that authenticity to it. That was a big part of why they wanted to cast me in it, someone who’s more known for comedy. They wanted to show that even in a family with a child who has an illness that’s going to end her life early, which sounds like the most brutal thing you could imagine, there’s still joy there, there’s still laughter, and there’s still happiness. Normal life continues. Our way of making it authentic was for it not to be a bleak fest. Those families continue to laugh and love and appreciate life. I would say that we just talked a lot and we brought ourselves and how we are with our families to it.
The most interesting relationship in this, for me, is the one between Nicci and Katie. What was that like to dive into? How did you find that dynamic and make sure it was also important to the story? She could have easily been pushed to the side and forgotten.
HORGAN: I totally agree with you. It was the only thing that we initially maybe fiddled a bit with very early on with Jack. You’re absolutely right, it’s such an important part of the story. Someone told me that those children are referred to as glass children because they are essentially forgotten about and they’re so easily broken and delicate, but yet this child has such a strength in her because she has to. Those scenes, and especially the scenes between Katie and Andrew, where they find it so hard to talk to each other because they’re both so broken by this, I found the most moving. I have my own two-daughter dynamic, and they are so connected, but at the same time, it’s such a delicate relationship because they probably love each other the most, like how Marnie and Katie are like, “I’d be fucked without you.”
They are the love of each other’s lives, and I can see that with my girls. I’m an afterthought. So, I found those scenes very, very authentic, but they broke my heart. We adjusted that early on, so it wasn’t quite so cold. Nicci is not a cold mum, she just is fucking laser-focused on what she has to do. She loves Katie, so it felt like they still needed to have some kind of banter and some kind of connection, which I think is in there. I’m such a fan of Alison Oliver. She’s an incredible actor. It’s never gonna be a forgotten bit of the story with someone like her playing that character.

Related

Sharon Horgan on What It Would Take for ‘Bad Sisters’ Season 3 To Happen

“You have to tell the story that you think is the right way to tell for eight hours,” says Horgan, about living up to the success of the first season.

After doing this, did you want to do something that was straight comedy?
HORGAN: You always have exactly that. When you do a really stupid comedy, you go, “I need to do some drama.” And then, you have exactly the same thing when you do something dark. You just wanna do something that that has some levity in it.
Is there any chance we’ll get a Season 3 of Bad Sisters? Are you missing them enough that you’ve come up with some ideas?
HORGAN: I will always miss them, and that’s the truth. I love those girls and I loved playing their sister. They’re always in the back of my head.

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‘Bad Sisters’ Just Answered the Series’ Biggest Question

The Season 2 finale ties up many loose ends.

What does the existence of that show mean to you? From what you thought it could be to then what it actually became with that cast and with two seasons, will that series always hold a special place in your heart?
HORGAN: Yeah. It still feels like, “Fuck, did that happen?!” You make a show in Ireland, and I know it’s Apple so it’s shiny because of that, but at the end of the day, it’s a smaller story with a not necessarily world-renowned cast. For it to capture people and for it to be up there with the big hitters, it blows my mind that we got a chance to do it and that we got to do it our way. We got to be as authentic as we wanted to be. We didn’t have to pull back on any of the Irish-isms because it turned out that people loved it. I feel really, really lucky and grateful. I think about it a lot.
Would you ever want to do a Game Night sequel? There’s been talk of one a few times over the years. Have you ever had any serious conversations about it? Is that something you’d want to do?
HORGAN: I still chat with both directors, Jonathan [Goldstein] and John [Francis Daley], and Billy Magnussen is a good pal of mine. They were such a great bunch and I loved it. I absolutely loved that experience so much, so if it happens, I’d do it. But I think I would have heard something if there was any chance.
You probably know better than anyone how hard it is to duplicate something.
HORGAN: Yeah.
How do you duplicate or live up to those expectations, with another season or a sequel?
HORGAN: When you’re mid-doing it, you give yourself such a talking to because you’re like, “Why did I agree to this? It would have been fine. If I’d just left it at that, it would have been perfect.” When you have good characters, it’s very hard to let them go because it doesn’t happen all the time. Whatever magic you needed to make that happen the first time around, you hope that magic will come along for the second go. You berate yourself a lot along the way and you go, “Why did I do this?” But then, when it works out, it works out.
Do you know what you’re going to be doing next?
HORGAN: There are a few things that are about to be announced, so I can’t talk about them yet. I’m doing a new Hulu show (playing Amanda Knox’s mother in Amanda: A Coming of Age Horror). I’m in Budapest at the moment, filming that. There are a couple of really exciting things. I’ve got a great show on the BBC, at the moment, called Amandaland, but I’m not sure when you guys will get that in the States.
Sharon Horgan Is Always Looking for Projects That Push Her Outside Her Comfort Zone

“In the last few years, probably since I hit my 50s, I just want every day to be a challenge.”

Image via Apple TV+

When you’re reading stuff that is not something you’ve created and developed, is what you look for different than when you’re creating something yourself?
HORGAN: Completely different. This thing, at the moment, couldn’t be any more different. It would never have come out of my own mind. If I’m sent a script that feels too similar to my voice or something that I’d be comfortable doing, I don’t usually respond in the same way because I think, “Well, I do that.” I’d rather do things that I would never have dreamt up myself. You need to find ways to get out of your comfort zone, otherwise you’re never really learning anything new and you’re never really challenging yourself. And then, it all becomes a bit like you’re just plodding along. I’ve found, in the last few years, probably since I hit my 50s, I just want every day to be a challenge, or where I’m doing something new or learning something new. I just want to do something I’ve never done before. The hardest question is when you’re asked, “What do you want to do next?” There’s never a grand plan. I want to do something that frightens me and surprises me. Then, it just keeps you on your toes.

Best Interests

Release Date

2023 – 2022

Network

BBC One

Directors

Michael Keillor

Writers

Jack Thorne

Best Interests is available to stream on Acorn TV. Check out the trailer: