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

Summary

In the Hulu series ‘Paradise,’ a shocking murder of a high-profile figure in an affluent community triggers a high-stakes investigation.

With hidden secrets and tangled relationships, the lives of the residents of Paradise begin to unravel as they learn things are not what they seem.

The final confrontation between Xavier and Sinatra is intense, showing the power dynamics at play in the series.

Created by Dan Fogelman (This Is Us), the Hulu original series Paradise is set in an almost idyllic community. But when Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) finds President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) dead on his bedroom floor, it triggers an investigation with the highest of stakes. Searching for answers and uncovering clues along the way is a threat to their carefully crafted existence, and when you threaten those in powerful positions things can quickly spiral, but Xavier is driven to find out what happened, even if it turns his own world upside down.
In the finale episode, entitled “The Man Who Kept the Secrets,” Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) was faced with the reality of pushing Xavier past the brink of being able to control his actions. A tech billionaire responsible for creating the utopian community of Paradise and who has done horrible things for what she believes to be in the best interests of the people there, it’s hard not to see Sinatra as a villain. But at the same time, she’s a grieving mother who lost one child and became obsessed with keeping the other child safe. And with where she’s left by the end of the finale, it will certainly be interesting to see how that affects everyone and everything in Season 2.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Nicholson talked about the fan response to Sinatra, the slippery slope of thinking you’re in control, wanting to know everything her character has experienced, how she felt about the reveal of who killed Cal, why Sinatra is not the only one to blame, shooting that intense stand-off between Sinatra and Xavier, how Sinatra’s relationship with Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom) could change, and why you might just want to let someone have access to their Wii. She also revealed that she’s already been given surprising hints at what will happen in Season 2 and has questions of her own that she’d like to learn the answers to.
Julianne Nicholson Hopes the Audience Has Compassion for Sinatra Even Though She’s Doing Horrible Things in ‘Paradise’

“It was really a gift to be able to play the arc of a couple of decades of a woman’s life.”

Collider: This character is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve seen on TV in quite a while. What were your first impressions and thoughts about Sinatra?
JULIANNE NICHOLSON: It’s been so fascinating to hear people’s response to her, because people are definitely hating her, but they also feel confused by her. They don’t want to hate her, but they have to anyway. For me, it was the one-two punch of episodes one and two. That sold me everything I needed on this show and this character. I loved the first episode. I loved these characters and the idea of a political thriller. And then, when you find out, at the end, the whole idea of them living in this cave, you have to reframe everything that you think about what this show is. And (creator) Dan [Fogelman] does that with every episode. I just thought episode two, which is Sinatra’s story, was so beautifully written and such an interesting exploration of a woman, where she starts and where she finds herself, 20 years later. What a gift.
Life is intense, and even if you don’t have all the extreme tragedies that are going on in her life, life informs where you are, when you’re 45 or 50, compared to where you are when you’re 20, and it’s all just imagination and everything is in front of you. So, it was really a gift to be able to play the arc of a couple of decades of a woman’s life. For me, I got to know who she was by doing that one episode. With every scene, I learned more about her, and also, the audience learned more about her and where it came from. It just gave them more compassion for her, even though she’s doing hideous things.
She’s an even more interesting character because she seems like someone who is also questioning herself and whether she really is a monster.
NICHOLSON: Yes. The whole thing has snowballed, to say the least. She feels like she’s in control, but it’s a slippery slope.

Related

‘Paradise’ Review: Sterling K. Brown Stuns in ‘This Is Us’ Creator’s Sleek, Timely Political Thriller

Political conspiracies, lies, and the human heart collide in Brown and Dan Fogelman’s reunion effort.

Are you someone who typically has a lot of questions and wants those answers? Did the show give them to you? Did you want to be in on as much of that as possible?
NICHOLSON: I like to know everything that my character has already experienced. I don’t feel like I need to know anything that’s coming. It’s tricky with a show like this, when it’s shot out of order and out of sequence. But I do like knowing, in terms of the actual practical timeline of how events took place and unfolded. I just spoke to Dan and I got a little ballpark of what’s going to be happening next season, and there’s a lot I didn’t know. I was like, “Okay, reframe, reframe, reframe.” But it’s exciting to learn more and more about the people you’re playing. One of the gifts of television is getting to just dig deeper and deeper into a person and into a character.
If you’re going to play someone like this, who is a bit villainous and who is the antagonist of everybody else’s life . . .
NICHOLSON: The world.
Julianne Nicholson Likes That Sinatra Wasn’t the One Who Killed Cal

“But I didn’t like that she didn’t know who killed him.”

Image via Hulu

Yeah. Did you ever want to go fully all-in and secretly hope that Sinatra was the killer, just to see how that might play out? Would that have changed your perception of her?
NICHOLSON: I liked that she didn’t kill Cal, and she didn’t order him killed, but I didn’t like that she didn’t know who killed him. I was like, “Wait a minute, isn’t she supposed to know everything? Shouldn’t she know?” That was surprising.
How did you feel about who ultimately killed Cal and why?
NICHOLSON: I was really moved by the idea of all those workers who built the cave not being invited into it. I found that so upsetting and disturbing and completely believable and relatable. That’s how the world works. I loved how they did that. I loved that whole other side story that they took, showing how that affects one person’s life and the extremes it can push them to.

Related

“It’s Somebody We’ve Met”: Sterling K. Brown Says “You Will Find Out Who Killed the President” in the ‘Paradise’ Finale

Brown also says, “The first three episodes of [Season 2] slap.”

And then, when you realize who it is, you start to connect everything, like the numbers on the cigarette, the mix CD, and all the little things. Had you been aware of all those little things as they were happening, or did some of that even surprise you, when you realized how much that all tied together?
NICHOLSON: A lot of it we were aware of because it was in the script, but I definitely didn’t pick up on some of it. Dan reminded me that, in episode four, on the day when they’re going in, somebody is freaking out in the background, and that’s our guy. That’s our killer. There are these little Easter eggs throughout. If you go back and watch the series again, you’ll be able to see that he’s there and that there are little clues set along the way.
Julianne Nicholson Doesn’t Think Sinatra Is Solely Responsible for Everything That’s Happened in Paradise

“She’s part of it, for sure, but I feel like it’s bigger than one person.”

Image via Hulu

When you look back at her actions throughout the season, do you feel like Sinatra is responsible for everything that eventually led this man to kill Cal, or do you feel like there are a lot of other factors at play, as well?
NICHOLSON: I think there are other factors. I also think it’s not just one person that leads to that happening. She’s part of it, for sure, but I feel like it’s bigger than one person. It’s systemic. It’s social. It’s economic. It’s about love. There’s a lot there, and not just Sinatra.
If given the choice, do you think Sinatra would rather have just been the one to step in as president, if she could have made that happen, or is that not something she ever would have wanted to do?
NICHOLSON: She doesn’t want to do on-camera interviews, or anything like that. She much prefers to be the one manipulating, but not the face of it.
The phone conversation between Sinatra and Jane was a particularly interesting one. Listening to Sinatra say that she doesn’t know what to do about Xavier’s daughter, but also that she knows too much, feels like she was possibly manipulating Jane into wanting to do something about that. How did you view that conversation? Was she being sincere, in not wanting her to do anything to the girl? Does she want somebody else to make that decision?
NICHOLSON: I think she can’t bring herself to even suggest anything like that. But at that point, she is so pushed into a corner that she can’t be responsible for how her words are interpreted.
How do you think that dynamic will change, moving forward. Obviously, at some point, Sinatra has to recover from what has happened. Do you think she will still have a relationship with Jane?
NICHOLSON: I have no idea. There’s my question. What’s up with that? How did that start? Where are they now? Where do they go? I don’t know what happens.
Sinatra clearly thought she was in control of that dynamic.
NICHOLSON: Yes.

Related

“If It Does Continue, I’d Go Full ‘Dead to Me’ and Be a Twin Again”: James Marsden Would Love To Do Another Season of ‘Paradise’

Marsden also talks about what a dream it was to work with Sterling K. Brown and how easy it was to connect with him in their scenes.

She either lost control somewhere or maybe never really actually had control of that dynamic at all.
NICHOLSON: Yeah, you’re right. I’d like to think she lost control, but maybe she didn’t have it from the beginning. Maybe it’s always been in Jane’s court. But I think she’ll get it back. Ultimately, I think Sinatra will claw her way back.
The final confrontation between Xavier and Sinatra was so intense. What was that whole exchange like to shoot when he’s demanding answers and holding a gun to her head? Do you think she wanted him to pull the trigger in that moment?
NICHOLSON: Oh, gosh. It was really intense to film because, even though you know it’s not a real gun, when someone has that on you, it’s a terrible feeling. And Sterling is so good that it was very, very uncomfortable. I wouldn’t be surprised if 48% of her felt like just giving up and letting that be where it ends. But I think she still has that little percentage and that little majority, She’s a fighter. She’s not going down that easy.
What was it like to actually shoot that scene?
NICHOLSON: It was not particularly nice. Sterling would probably say that too. It was intense to have the point of that gun because it’s still metal. I actually was like, “You have to be careful with my head.” He was being careful, but still. Even if it’s just touching you, it really feels awful.
So, would you say that the moral of this season is that, when somebody really wants a Wii to play video games on, you should just give it to them?
NICHOLSON: Give it to them. Let them have their Wii Tennis.
When I spoke to Sterling K. Brown recently, he told me that the writers were in the writers’ room and that the first three scripts of Season 2 were done and he’d read them. He also said that they slap. You said you have some ideas of what Season 2 will be, but have you read any of the full scripts yet?
NICHOLSON: I haven’t read anything. I hope to find out soon, but I haven’t read anything.
Julianne Nicholson Wants To Learn More About the Creation of Paradise

“I think that will be really interesting.”

Image via Hulu

Are there questions that you have, specifically about your character, that you’re hoping to get the answers to, whether it be in Season 2 or at some later point? Are there things that you either want answered or that you would love to see happen with her?
NICHOLSON: Yeah, there are. Dan has teased a little bit more about the creation of Paradise, and that has blown my mind. I think that will be really interesting. How does that happen? How does that work? It’s not just one meeting where you meet a scientist. And so, I’m very curious about that aspect and who you have to be involved with to make that happen. Honestly, I feel like the ideas are so big that I just can’t wait to see what they have for me. It’s not even my questions that I want answered. I just know they have big things for Sinatra to do. I just think Dan is brilliant.

Paradise

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Network

Hulu

Directors

Gandja Monteiro

Writers

Jason Wilborn

Paradise is available to stream on Hulu. Check out the trailer: