[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Constellation.]

The Big Picture

In the Apple TV+ series ‘Constellation,’ Jo Ericsson returns to Earth after a space tragedy to uncover hidden truths and recover what she lost.
Noomi Rapace found playing Jo physically and emotionally exhausting, but enjoyed the dark waters the character found herself in.
Rapace discussed working with the showrunner, challenges of shooting, and the mysteries in the season finale.

Over the course of the season of the Apple TV+ series Constellation, viewers followed Jo Ericsson (Noomi Rapace), an astronaut who returned to Earth after her team was struck by tragedy in space. Having deeply missed her husband (James D’Arcy) and their daughter (Davina Coleman and Rosie Coleman), she wants nothing more than to spend time with them, but after experiencing mysterious symptoms that leave her to wonder whether she has returned home to a different reality, she also begins to doubt her own sanity. Through it all, Jo’s anchor continues to be her daughter Alice, who is more perceptive about the truth than anyone realizes.

Some stories can be physically exhausting to tell, and some can be emotionally exhausting, but for Rapace, Constellation was both. During the shoot itself, the actress felt like she lost herself to the character a bit, and after the shoot ended, it took her a couple weeks to become fully functional as herself again. But all the while, she enjoyed swimming in the dark waters that her character found herself in.

During this interview with Collider, Rapace talked about working with showrunner Peter Harness who she refers to as a “wizard,” the biggest challenges of the shoot, exploring all the layers of the finale, the brutally scary final moment, the experience of working with the twins who played her daughter, and her questions regarding a possible Season 2. She also talked about how the character of Lisbeth Salander (from the Dragon Tattoo) films will always be with her, and that she’d like to do some comedy projects.

Constellation Jo returns to Earth after a disaster in space and discovers that there are missing pieces in her life, so she sets out to expose the truth about the hidden secrets of space travel and recover what she has lost.Release Date February 21, 2024 Seasons 1

Noomi Rapace Was As Desperate as Her Character to Uncover the Mysteries of ‘Constellation’
Image via Apple TV+

Collider: How much were you actually told about this ahead of time? Did you know where it would all end up? Did you just know some of it? Did they keep the ending from you?

NOOMI RAPACE: I read five or six episodes, and then (showrunner) Peter Harness told me where it was going, so I had an idea where it was heading. Jo really finds herself in a very complex and uncertain life with a lot of possibilities, all the time, and she’s desperately trying to figure out what’s going on, and I felt like I was on that journey with her.

Because you weren’t doing this episode by episode, and it was cross-boarded and you were doing everything at once, how did you track for yourself the way your character would be behaving in any given moment?

RAPACE: I have a pretty strict routine, every day. I would go to the gym first and do cardio. A lot of times I’d do sit and spin while I prepped my day and went over the scenes, and double-checked where I was coming from and what happened before to refresh my mind. I’d go back to my room and do my ice pack to put my head in the right place. And then, I’d sit in makeup and go over it again. I’m quite strict with my preparation. I never want to come to set and not know. The more I prep, the more I can let go while we’re shooting. And it was great teamwork. Sometimes I was like, “Wait, what? Do I know this? Am I seeing this? What dimension does this fit?” And then, (director) Michelle MacLaren or Peter Harness would help me fit that puzzle piece into the major journey. But also, Jo doesn’t really know, so I allowed myself to swim in uncertain dark waters.

32:58 Related ‘Constellation’s Noomi Rapace Explains Why Apple TV+ Is Dominating Sci-Fi Rapace and EP/director Michelle MacLaren also talk about practical, life-size sets, working with astronauts, filming in extreme conditions, and more.

I thought the second episode was particularly interesting because you’re almost entirely alone. What was it like to do a chunk of this without a scene partner? Is that really where your relationship with Michelle MacLaren came into play?

RAPACE: Yeah, totally. There were a lot of scenes that we were block shooting, and I was in my space suit, the Soyuz suit. I had an earpiece with Michelle’s voice right in my head, and she felt like God speaking to me. We were so in sync. It just felt like, a lot of times, I was about to do something and she told me to do it, or I did something and she was like, “Damn, I was just about to tell you to do that.” I truly loved working with her. She’s incredible. I felt like we were living inside of Jo together.

Shooting ‘Constellation’s Zero-Gravity Scenes Required Strength and Communication
Image via Apple TV+

What are the most challenging aspects of shooting scenes that are set in space? What’s it like to shoot the zero-gravity simulation?

RAPACE: It requires a lot of planning and a lot of rehearsals. It’s not just about me being fit and coming with a body that can do it. It’s about the communication with the rest of the team that are sitting in the studio and this big construction of cranes. It’s like when you see a Formula-1 race, and they come in and change the tires. I was part of a big body. I was just one component. It was incredible to see all the best people in the industry doing what they can do to make me look like I’m effortlessly floating. I was so grateful for everyone’s hard work.

Is that something that you can have fun with and enjoy, or are you just hoping you can get out of there as quickly as possible?

RAPACE: There were definitely days when I was like, “Get me out of here! I’m feeling claustrophobic.” But I always try to use those feelings when they come up and put it into the scenes instead of lashing out. I’ll be honest with you, towards the end of what was a long shoot, Jo really took over of my mind. In the end, I was quite paranoid, mistrusting and on the edge, and was feeling really quite anxious. It was time to go back to Noomi. It was tough to be in that uncertainty and carrying all that pain, and the desperation of Jo not knowing where her baby was and looking for her child and trying to find out what’s going on.

This woman thinks she might be experiencing mental illness, PTSD, and hallucinations. She’s not really sure what’s going on. Does it feel scary to think about playing someone where you’re returning to a world where you expect it to be familiar, but it’s unfamiliar enough that you don’t even know if your own mind is deceiving you?

RAPACE: Yeah, definitely. Most people I know have moments in their lives when it feels like it’s close to breaking, and you’re like, “What is going on in me now?,” when you feel scared or uncertain or nervous and that puts you off track. I am in a place in my life now where I’m allowing a gentleness and embracing the idea of not having full control. Perfect does not exist. I’m trying to be a bit more gentle and soft, loving life in all its weirdness, and letting go of control a bit.

Related ‘Constellation’ Finale Recap: Apple TV+’s Sci-Fi Mystery Wraps up With a Bang After a lukewarm penultimate installment, ‘Constellation’ jumps into cosmic horror in its season finale.

We really can track your character through the emotional connection she has with her daughter. What was it like to work with those young twins, Rosie and Davina Coleman? How did you approach forming a bond with them?

RAPACE: We really felt like we were a team. They were my little partners in crime. We would work out little strategies. Sometimes they swapped in the middle of a scene, so it was not like I would work with one, and then they were swapped at a convenient time for the actors. The kids were on schedules and they were not allowed to work more than a certain amount of hours, so the three of us were really close. It never felt like I was working with kids. I was working with young actors. They were so committed and so brave. They really love books and reading everything. Towards the end of the shoot, there was one day that Davina said, “Okay everyone, are we ready to go? What’s going on?” And I was like, “That’s what I do. That’s a little me, right there.” It was such a joy to work with both of them. They are really incredible.

Noomi Rapace Has a Personal Connection to the Song She Sings in ‘Constellation’
Image via Apple TV+

I love unexpected moments, and I love the scene in the finale where you’re singing, and then you’re crying while you’re singing. What was that like to shoot? Did you rehearse that, or did you just jump in and do it?

RAPACE: I don’t really sing. I just wanna say that. That’s a lullaby that my mom used to sing for me when I was a kid. The Troll mother would sing it for her 11 little troll babies, and she’s singing the most beautiful words she knows. It’s a song that I have a very strong personal connection to. Jo is so vulnerable and so many layers of her have been peeled off. I feel like the further we went into this and the deeper into the psychological tunnel I went, I was letting go more and more. I don’t really feel like I was in control of all the situations. I let Jo guide me and take me in driving the emotional vehicle. Sometimes I was surprised by what came up in scenes because it was not really planned.

This is a show that makes the audience have questions. When we think we’re getting closer to answers, we get some answers, but we also end up with more questions. Peter Harness told me that he wanted to keep things less definitive for the audience to allow for a possible rational explanation for things. How did he approach that with you? If you had questions, did he give you specific answers? Was he always very clear with his intentions, or do you also have some questions not answered?

RAPACE: Peter is a bit of a wizard. You ask something, and he gives you an answer, and then you’d be like, “But what does that mean?” It was like a puzzle that I was putting together. I had to have a quite simple approach to things and just be like, “Okay, so Jo A kind of died, but is up there, and Jo A’s conscience or personality got hijacked and went into Jo B’s body. So, the hands that I’m looking at, I’ve never seen before. This body is like mine, but it’s not.” From there, I approached every situation like, “Okay, I’m stepping into this kitchen now, and it looks like my kitchen, but Jo A’s kitchen would have the cups over there and not here.” I had to constantly remember and remind myself of what Jo A’s house would be like, how she would put her hair, how she would brush her teeth, and whether she was left-handed or right-handed. I had to remind myself of all those little things constantly. I had to think about what Jo A was aware of and not.

Related ‘Constellation’ Ending Explained: What Truly Happens to Jo? No matter what reality you live in, this finale is certainly one for the books.

Did you ever just want to go home and scream, after a day of trying to sort all that out?

RAPACE: I did. I felt like I was losing my mind. It works for Jo because she is losing her mind and she feels like a mad person. She’s analyzing herself because she’s a scientist. She’s like, “Obviously, this sounds crazy. I do sound like a mad person and I do understand how I come across, but this is what it is.” That’s what I love so much about Peter’s writing. It’s so subtle and not in your face. And it could be this life. Is there only one reality? Who knows? A lot of things are delivered and served. You order a dish and you know what you’re going to get, and there are no real surprises. It’s good, but it is what it is. And I love watching things and participating and being like, “I wanna go back and rewatch this.” It’s like when I saw Memento years ago and I became obsessed with it. I was trying to understand what was going on, and I was rewatching it and rewatching it. What I love about this series is that I really think there will be more things to discover. You unravel something, and then you open up something else. It keeps you alert and awake. and you need to concentrate. It’s like a riddle. I love that kind of stuff.

Noomi Rapace Felt Like The Terminator in That Final ‘Constellation’ Scene
Image via Apple TV+

Were you told about the final scene with Jo still in space before you read the script? Did you know that moment was coming, or were you shocked by that?

RAPACE: Peter was working on episode eight throughout. The final script came at some point halfway through the shoot, and I was like, “Wait, what! Does that mean that she is alive?” And he was like, “Mmm.” And I was like, “Tell me!” And then, when we shot it, we shot a few different versions. I love that it’s like the evil fucking eye. It’s like The Terminator. Is she looking down at Jo A living her life? And how does that make her feel? She ain’t happy.

What did you think of the visual image of yourself looking that way?

RAPACE: It’s brutally scary. When we shot the death scene and I got slammed into that window, I was hanging upside down, pushing my face into the broken window. And then, there was some kind of vacuum that was sucking my cheek out. And then, Will Catlett was pulling me away. I had all these prosthetics and I couldn’t speak. It got to me, and I was dreaming really twisted dreams. I woke up touching my face because I thought my face was broken.

What sort of reaction do you hope audiences are left with in that final moment? Do you hope that they’ll still be thinking about it and talking about it?

RAPACE: I think people will see it in different ways and I love the conversations that have been going on. Also, who does the baby belong to? It’s a baby of two realities. Will the baby be the bridge? How will Jo A feel about the baby? It’s this symbol that the crescendo of the first season. This baby is the product of two worlds and two realities. It’s a space baby. I love that. It’s so trippy and so scary. Imagine having something growing in you and it’s not yours, but it is.

Do you have answers to any of those questions? Did Peter tell you anything about the pregnancy or if that would come into play in another season, or are those questions that you still have?

RAPACE: Peter, being the wizard he is and how he keeps a lot of secrets to himself, knows more than he says. I think he has a very strong idea and vision and plan for Season 2 if it comes to that. Knowing him, I can only assume that.

‘Constellation’s Noomi Rapace Thinks the Baby Will Be the Key
Image via Apple TV+

What would you most want the answer to and that you hope would be in another season?

RAPACE: I would love Jo A and B to meet. There are those that are trapped in two different realities, and I think that the baby will be the key to it somehow. Most likely, there are two mothers, one half-dead and one living, but in the wrong reality, who will both claim this baby. It’s a bit like a Greek tragedy, or it’s biblical.

The conversation in the finale between Jo and Alice is so interesting. They’re talking about the fact that they know Jo is not the same version of Jo that was previously in that reality, and they also know that there’s nothing they can do to change that. What was that like to shoot with those young twins, Davina and Rosie Coleman?

RAPACE: It’s so brutal to just accept that. There’s nothing I can do. My child is trapped somewhere else. I can’t find her. I can’t get to her. And I’m here with this child that looks like mine, but she’s not, and she doesn’t have a mummy and I don’t have my baby. If I won’t accept that, I will go insane and I will lose everything. No one will believe me, and everyone will think I’ve just gone completely mad. So, accepting that, the brutality of that reality is so painful, but also beautiful because life never turns out how we plan. It feels like a great symbol for life. It’s like, “Okay, this is what I have to make peace with and live with and make mine.” But also, when Jo decides to start taking the pills and surrender to their truth, my whole body was revolting. I had a moment where I was like, “Do we need to see her take the pills?” And Peter was like, “Yeah.” It was like Jo was living in me. I was like, “I’m not sure it’s a great idea that she takes the pills. Do we really need to see it?” I had this resistance to this reality that was not mine, as Noomi, the actress. I think this series reflects a lot of different things. It’s dealing with mental health and it’s like someone going into Alzheimer’s or dementia, and not remembering, or knowing bits, and coming in and out of awareness and consciousness. It’s so fine and subtle. I love the last episode because it’s tender and brutal, at the same time.

It’s so interesting that the twins, Rosie and Davina Coleman, would sometimes share scenes. How did you approach bonding with them and forming a relationship, on camera and off camera? Did you spend time with them together?

RAPACE: We were always together. I would rehearse a scene with Rosie, for example, and then if we needed to tweak some lines, we would. I approached it like we were a team. We were partners. It wasn’t like, “I’m the senior, so I’m gonna teach you how to do it.” I was always like, “How would you say this? What would your truth be in this? How would it come out of your mouth?” And then, we’d rehearse it and shoot the part her, and then maybe we’d swap at lunch and I would sit down and rehearse with Davina. They’d rehearse one by one but hanging with them and talking to them on set, they were always together. We got really close. They’re really, really sweet. I don’t believe in treating kids by feeding them with sweets and saying, “Oh, come on, just one more.” I was like, “Okay, we’re in it. Let’s do our best.” We were really together in it. It was expected that they could deliver and that they didn’t need to be tricked or manipulated into anything. They were really amazing. It was such a treat, working with them. And also, the scene with the two of them together is one of my favorite scenes. It breaks my heart. When Alice A is communicating with her mummy through Alice B, that’s really one of my favorite scenes in the entire series.

Related ‘Constellation’ Showrunner Breaks Down That Shocking Finale and Season 2 Plans Show creator Peter Harness knows the viewers have unanswered questions and will continue to explore that in possible future seasons.

What was the most challenging thing about this shoot? Was it the physical? Was it the emotional? Was it the heaviness of both of those things, at the same time?

RAPACE: Episode one and two were really physically demanding. It was very, very hard and fun, but tricky to shoot the first two. I was working out a lot. I needed to be strong, light, and flexible. I was hanging on wires, on rolling chairs, miming, and doing all these different techniques to sell the zero gravity. We were inventing new ways to do that, throughout those two episodes, so that was very physical. But then, we went into something that was way more emotional and psychologically demanding. I felt hijacked. I felt like I was losing my mind some days. I was really on the edge. I felt so fragile, and also paranoid. I was shaking inside. It was probably one of my hardest shoots because of the emotional and psychological journey that Jo goes on. In the end, I felt like I had no skin. I was wide open. I took a proper break when I came out of it. It was also so amazing to carry and to live with Jo for so long. I was like, “I don’t know how I’m gonna top this. I just need a break, and I need to recover and find out who Noomi is and in what reality Noomi exists in now.

What did you do to shake this off when it was over?

RAPACE: It always takes about two weeks to come back. I feel really trapped in limbo in that transition time, and I’m not really fully functional. I just sleep or try to sleep. I reconnect with my family and force myself back into life. I see friends and say, “I will be a bit weird, but bear with me. I will come back.” My body is always the core of how I navigate through different situations. I have routines. I work out and stretch. I have different things I do, like a pattern or rituals, that I do every morning, even if I haven’t slept and I’m tired. It’s my road map and my pit stops, so that always helps me. I just keep doing that, even if I don’t want to, even if I feel tired, even if I feel crazy. That will bring me back to me.

Noomi Rapace Says that Lisbeth Salander Will Always Be a Part of Her
Image via Music Box Films

You became known to U.S. audiences playing Lisbeth Salander in the Dragon Tattoo films. With this year marking 15 years since those films were released, do you feel very far removed from that character, or is that a character that will always have a piece of your heart in some way?

RAPACE: All the characters I’ve ever brought to life are part of me and a piece of me, and I’m still me, which means that Lisbeth Salander is still a part of my life because it’s a part of me that I was exploring and going into under that specific time. She will always be a part of me.

That could be scary.

RAPACE: Yeah, they’re not all simple, easygoing characters, are they?

Do you have any idea of what you’re going to do next? How do you approach that? Do you have to have an emotional connection to the characters you play?

RAPACE: I need to have a burning desire to explore something, which could be within the character, it could be a relationship with another actor, it could be a director that I’m dying to work with, it could be a story that I haven’t seen before and I wanna go there. Sometimes you’re lucky and it’s all these things at the same time. Sometimes it’s one of those components, and then you start building around it. I do have an idea where I’m going next, and I think it will be announced soon.

Would you want to do a full-on comedy, at some point?

RAPACE: I would love to do a comedy. I would like to do dark, twisted, weird comedy. I love comedies. I have a gallows humor. I’m quite often laughing in the most uncomfortable situations. I would love to go to places that I haven’t been before. I’m not so drawn to doing more badass action and repeating myself. I could definitely see myself going into a more comedic field.

Constellation is available to stream on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Apple TV+