Editor’s Note: This interview contains spoilers for Dead Ringers.

Odds are you’ve seen Jennifer Ehle and Emily Meade before. In addition to racking up several Tony Awards, Ehle starred in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries as Elizabeth Bennet and had memorable roles in films like Zero Dark Thirty, Saint Maud, and She Said. Meade has ruled the small screen for a decade in series like The Deuce and The Leftovers. Yes, you’ve probably seen Ehle and Meade, but you’ve probably never seen them quite like you have in Dead Ringers.

Based on the 1988 movie by David Cronenberg, the series follows twins Beverly and Elliot (both played by Rachel Weisz) as they attempt to revolutionalize the birthing industry. Ehle and Meade’s characters are integral to this, as Ehle plays a frigid billionaire investor, while Meade acts as her charmingly Southern, more outwardly altruistic wife who’s hiding some secrets of her own. I got a chance to sit down with the pair, where they broke down some of their characters’ most iconic moments, discussed whether they think Rebecca and Susan’s marriage will last, debated whether their characters are aware of the Mantle twins’ shocking move at the end of the series, and more.
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COLLIDER: Congratulations on the show. There’s so much to love about it, but I think the dynamic between your two characters is one of my favorite parts. How did you establish that chemistry? Because it really comes through in the most fun way.

JENNIFER EHLE: The first time we met was when we filmed the first scene that they’re in together in the show — that first dinner where we meet the twins was the first day we met. So I think just casting and brilliant script, brilliant writing. The characters are so defined. I certainly know Rebecca is like a playground of possibilities and opportunities. The characters are all so specific.

EMILY MEADE: Yeah, I second that. We didn’t build chemistry before. [Laughs] We met each other in that scene. And I agree. I think the characters — the way they’re written. And then, kind of how it unfolded in each episode, we obviously got to actually spend more time together, both on- and off-camera. I think it just sort of naturally all came together because we were just being guided by the story. So it just sort of happened.

EHLE: I think one of the wonderful things in the writing in that first scene is that there’s no exposition at all. That can sometimes get in the way because it’s stilted. And so instead of there being exposition, you have nothing but the dynamic between the two of us, and it’s so brief. I mean, we’re side by side, so we hardly look at each other the whole time, and that in and of itself is interesting and rich and intriguing.

I think part of the brilliance of this show is that your characters seem so different, but then you kind of realize that they are sort of two sides of the same coin and have so many parallels. One of the particular parallels I found so interesting was the musicality of both families. You have the kids singing “The Scientist” in Episode 2 and the sisters singing “Down to the River to Pray” in Episode 5. I’m curious what you feel the significance of those choices was because that was something I found so fascinating.

MEADE: I didn’t even think about the music and song at all. That’s brilliant on your part.

EHLE: Yeah. I didn’t think about it either, and of course, we didn’t know about the second one when– I mean, I assume you didn’t. Did you have secret inside knowledge of that episode?

MEADE: No, no. I knew that she had all of her freaky twin sisters. I think I knew that. But I didn’t know they’d be doing a strange musical performance. [Laughs] That part I didn’t know. I agree. That’s what I like about their relationship — it’s that sort of the obvious, seemingly opposites-attract type of thing. But I think you see, as it goes on, they have equal ruthlessness in their own ways, and there’s a foundational piece of them that is really similar. They can, I guess, play good cop-bad cop in a way, or whatever it is, but there is, I think, actual compatibility and an innate desire for the same things in life — even if there are different decorations on that. I found that really interesting, and I feel like it really unfolds more with time.

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Emily, I want to talk a little bit about that launch party scene where you see Susan dancing in that glittery dress. Because it’s such a small moment, but I feel like it says so much about her character. Can you talk a little bit about how you interpreted it and approached that moment?

MEADE: Oh, man. I mean, I approached it by just trying to balance in my heels because I’m so bad at heels. Especially because I had to, like, be in one exact spot because there was like a cool overhead camera. Jennifer and I were there all day for that one moment. [Laughs] So I was physically distracted by that. I think it sort of does show Susan’s desire to be loved and for attention and how much that’s her driving force, I think — for everything she does. I mean, her getting married is because she’s wanting to be loved and have some sort of safety and attention. And then her wanting to build this home for creating babies and mothers — that’s because of love and some sort of mommy issues and safety.

I also found it funny seeing, like, clearly, she’s had money and had access to that for a while. But then there’s the fact that she’s still showing up at these events and really utilizing them in a way that one of the people behind it doesn’t usually utilize it. Just having it be her moment to shine and probably get drunk and eat all the sweets and wear her most sparkly dress. I found that very funny, and yes, a very big piece of information about the way that Susan is moving through the world. The way she moves through the world is sort of how she moves through that party, I guess.

Jennifer, I feel like one of your standout moments to me was that monologue about idealism that she delivers to Beverly after the activist comes. It was giving Devil Wears Prada to me in the best way. Can you discuss preparing for that monologue a little bit?

EHLE: That was one of those moments — and this isn’t about the monologue — but it was one of those moments where we all looked at each other and realized that we were all female humans in that little glass-walled room: the cinematographer, the camera operator, the writer, the director, and then us actors. As for preparing it, I found that for Rebecca, I wanted to let [showrunner] Alice [Birch]’s words speak for themselves. I think layering anything on top of it would kind of make it fuzzy or obscure because the thoughts are so smart and surprising often. I tried to just learn it and say it. But I really enjoyed saying all of it.

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Emily, you said that Alice gave you a very detailed and nuanced backstory for Susan. And obviously, we do get to see a lot of that shine through in Episode 5. But is there a fact that she gave you that might not actually be in the episode that really helped you understand her?

MEADE: Well, I think something that does come up in the episode later about Susan and her own journey and relationship with her own mother and the way she talks about it versus the reality, that was, I think, a really, really big nugget of information for me. And I got to know that way before it came up, so having that throughout it was like a really big clue.

She also told me that Susan had dated men, she had dated women — clearly, her journey was far more about finding love and safety than even gender or sexuality or whatever it was. Little things like that never came into play, but that just gives you more context of who this person is in the world, who you can kind of draw from in your own life. There were a few little details such as that that didn’t come into play that helped, but I’d say that her relationship with her mother is what gave me the biggest launching point.

Jennifer, I — and I feel like the Mantle twins — all find it really hard to figure out what Rebecca actually wants and what impresses her because she’s so difficult to read. What qualities do you think she actually does respect in people?

EHLE: I think if they don’t get in the way. They have to be useful and smart. Her mortality, beyond— Can you have a morality that’s not what we consider moral? I don’t know. Is it called morality? If it’s like a code of ethics?

MEADE: That’s like the mafia. The mafia has their version of that.

EHLE: They have a code, right? A code of their own principles. Yeah. She wants to make money. She wants to do something fucking cool and cutting-edge and make a lot of money. That’s what she’s here for. She doesn’t need the money, but it’s kind of like a game.

I like that line where she says that science was her dad’s shit. I think she wants to do it for her dad. She knows that would be respected if he was here. But I don’t think she really is trying to impress anybody. I think it just kind of amuses her and entertains her. I think she does take the family name seriously — I think that’s about the only things she really takes seriously: making money and the family name.

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Obviously, Rebecca has gone through a couple of marriages, but Susan has this hope that it’ll last because she wants to keep being perfect — I really like that line, too. Do you think that this couple will last? How long do you give them?

MEADE: We’ve never talked about it. I think they really could.

EHLE: Yeah, I think they could.

MEADE: They’ve met their match in each other. They’re happy with what the other person can provide, I think.

EHLE: Yeah, I think at this point in Rebecca’s life, they’re really well-matched. I don’t know why she would throw this away to go look for something else. I can’t imagine. If she doesn’t want kids anymore — if that part of her life is sort of settled down — I don’t know why she wouldn’t stay with her. I know Alice said during the one meeting I had on Zoom right before we started — I think I was there for a fitting, and I had a Zoom thing — Alice said, “You know, I think they end up okay.” I had only read the first three episodes at that point, which ended up being the first two. Yeah, I think they end up okay. And nobody else really is. [Laughs]

No kidding. I feel like I’m rooting for them in some strange way, so that makes me very happy to hear. Do you think either one of them is — or ever will be — suspicious of the Elliot and Beverly switch? Or do you think they’re both too self-involved to notice?

EHLE: Oh, Rebecca knows completely. No, I think she totally knows. That’s why she’s, like, “We’ll talk about it later.” Like, “Let’s not examine you now.” Because she knows that would expose the fact that Elliot hasn’t just given birth. So I think Rebecca is thrilled. It’s sort of her dream. She got the one twin, and it’s her favorite, and it all worked out really well.

MEADE: Yeah. I think that Susan is willfully ignorant. I think she does not know and that she and Rebecca probably have that understanding of the areas that Susan wants to be willfully ignorant. [Laughs] I think there are maybe moments of, on some level, she knows and would probably continue to but will just choose not to know unless forced into knowing.

My last question is a very silly one, but the game that they play in Episode 2 is so wild. I don’t quite understand the rules, but I think that’s okay. Who do you think of the cast in real life would be the best at that kind of game?

MEADE: Interesting. I’m really good at playing games, but not me.

EHLE: You mean good at being the kidnapper, right? I guess you can’t really be good at being kidnapped. [Laughs] But you both have to get back. What are the rules? You both have to get back to the bonfire?

MEADE: Or the kidnapper needs to get back and have their kidnapee be the last to get back?

EHLE: Oh, yes.

MEADE: Yeah, I would not be good at that.

EHLE: Who would be the best at it there? I don’t know.

MEADE: Alice, she wasn’t in the scene, but she wrote the game, so she’d probably be the best at it. [Laughs] That’s my guess.

EHLE: I like when McKenzie says, “I’ve been playing this all my life.” It’s like that the game is grandfathered into the family.

MEADE: Yeah. Maybe Rachel because the amount of work she’s having to do switching back and forth — she’d probably be in a mode where she could really do it. Maybe not always, but while filming this.

EHLE: Yeah. She could kidnap herself and then let herself go. [Laughs]

All episodes of Dead Ringers are available to stream on Prime Video.