Claire Danes & Matthew Rhys on Netflix’s The Beast in Me: They detail the isolation, obsession, and “deceptive bad-assery” driving their volatile thriller.
Netflix’s The Beast in Me pairs Emmy-winners Claire Danes (as Aggie Wiggs) and Matthew Rhys (as Nile Jarvis) in a complex, volatile dance of attraction, guilt, and survival. Developed by Gabe Rotter and brought to series by veteran showrunners Howard Gordon and Daniel Pearle, the four-part drama explores the darkness that binds two isolated, brilliant, and deeply flawed individuals.
Claire Danes, who is also an executive producer, plays Aggie Wiggs, a renowned children’s book author struggling to process a devastating loss. Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, a magnetic and unsettling developer. Their connection forms the core of a series, blending intense psychological thriller elements with deeply human explorations of grief and control.
Mama’s Geeky attended a virtual press conference with showrunner Howard Gordon and stars Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, who discussed the delicate balance of creating a series that is both intimate and explosive. The conversation centered on the terrifying freedom of playing morally ambiguous characters and the crucial on-set trust that allowed them to explore the inner lives of Aggie and Nile.
Matthew Rhys On The Arc Of A Dangerous Connection
Addressing a question about the nature of the relationship between their characters, Matthew Rhys provided a definitive, three-part evolution for Nile and Aggie’s connection, which begins as a spark and ends as a necessity.
“I think Enrique’s nailed the evolution in his three words. To me, it began as an attraction that becomes obsession, that ultimately becomes survival. So I would say that was seemingly, for me, was the kind of natural arc of it. So well done, Enrique. Yes.”
Claire Danes On The Thrill of Playing An Unstable Match
Danes agreed with the multi-layered description, noting that the opposing forces were exactly what made the scenes so dynamic and compelling. She found relief and challenge in playing a character who finally meets her match.
“I think it’s really all of the above, which is why it was so enjoyable. It was kind of surprisingly dynamic, and there were a lot of competing forces at play. And I think they, you know, they are pretty isolated, both of them for different reasons, and brilliant, and a little lonely in their brilliance. So I think they, you know, are so relieved to be able to kind of play and spar with somebody who is, you know, equally matched… But yeah, it’s also really volatile and risky because they’re both not so stable. But it makes for a great television.”
Finding The Human Core Of Isolation & Trauma
The discussion naturally turned to the individual brilliance and deep-seated pain of Aggie and Nile. Danes and Rhys talked about the process of grounding these larger-than-life characters in relatable human struggle, even when their actions are extreme.
Howard Gordon On Loneliness & Loss
Known for shows like Homeland and 24, showrunner Howard Gordon explained that for him, the impetus for The Beast in Me was moving beyond geopolitical complexity to explore a more universal, emotional truth: the isolating experience of modern life.
“Well, I would say that, for me anyway, this show over this particular project was really about the loneliness a lot of us, I think, felt. And to address the kind of polarization and the narratives that we all tell ourselves and that we seem to be telling ourselves… And how oddly these two people who are so desperately alone, who are so, you know, in the world find each other and how those narratives bend, how sort of their gravitational pull of these two characters was just wonderful… And one last thing, loss. I’m just very interested in loss as a subject, as a parent, as a human being. And this was at the center of, everything was refracted through the prism of loss for both of these people.”
Claire Danes On Aggie’s “Deceptive Bad-Assery“
Danes revealed that what drew her to Aggie Wiggs was the opportunity to play an intensely cerebral introvert—a sharp contrast to her famous role as the tumultuous Carrie Mathison. She also expressed admiration for Aggie’s quiet confidence and wit.
“I think I’ve maybe said it already, but I think I had never played a character who was an introvert before. You know, so intensely cerebral and controlled. I mean, she does harbor a lot of kind of tumult, right? There’s a lot that’s churning inside of her. But yeah, I just thought that paradox was fun and a little intimidating. I didn’t quite know how to do it, and I was kind of curious to figure that out… I liked her wit, I liked her discernment and I liked her bad-assery, her kind of deceptive, bad-assery. How about that?”
Matthew Rhys On The Freedom Of Playing A Pre-Judged Character
Rhys shared a surprising insight: playing a man already infamous for his dark history gave him a strange sense of freedom on set, allowing him to be “free and easy” within the character’s skin.
“However, you know what I realized very early on is that a lot of the work is done for you as Nile, because there’s all this preemptive work about discussing who he is and what he’s done. So by the time you walk in, the work is done for you… And it’s usually more to do sometimes with how others react to you that allows you to be a lot more free and easy with it than need be. So there was a great freedom in that. And that’s, you know, that’s a real testament to the writing. So it’s a slightly easier, it was an easier predicament than I once thought it was.”
The Power Of Trust & Collaboration
Both Danes and Gordon spoke about the crucial creative partnership they forged on Homeland, which carried into this new project, providing an essential foundation of trust for tackling such challenging material.
Claire Danes on Working with Howard Gordon
“It really is such a gift to be able to work with people who you have a deep and rich and happy history with. It just gives you such an advantage from the beginning because you’ve already developed so much trust with each other. You know, we’d been joking. We didn’t know where this would land when we started filming. Those episodes had not yet been written, but I had no anxiety at all. I was like, oh, no, he’ll figure it out. I was on so many runaway trains with him over the course of Homeland’s run, and yeah, I’ve always been you know, protected and held beautifully by him. So yeah, I was so happy when you said yes to this.”
The Beast in Me premieres on Netflix globally on November 13th.
NEXT: “Emotion is the New Punk”: Guillermo del Toro & Cast On A Profoundly Human Frankenstein
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.