Meghann Fahy On ‘Sirens’ And New Movie ‘You Deserve Each Other’

Meghann Fahy may have been beloved by fans of The Bold Type for her role of Sutton Brady, but it wasn’t until her turn as Daphne in The White Lotus’ second season that the world really sat up and took notice. Fahy’s expert balancing of sweet and canny, world-weary and naïve that she brought to Daphne earned her an Emmy nomination in Supporting Actress and a massive following.

Earlier this year, she starred in the box office hit thriller film Drop opposite Brandon Sklenar, before appearing in Netflix limited series Sirens, which earned her another Emmy nomination — this time in Lead Actress.

In Sirens, Fahy stars as Devon, a woman doing battle with poverty, disappointment, a dependent father and her estranged sister. At her wit’s end when her father is diagnosed with dementia, Devon goes in search of her sister Simone (Milly Alcock), only to find her ensconced in a bizarre community run by Michaela (Julianne Moore) alongside her errant husband Peter (Kevin Bacon).

Next up, Fahy has rom-com movie You Deserve Each Other in the works, co-directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, co-starring Penn Badgley and based on Sarah Hogle’s novel, along with upcoming series The Good Daughter, based on Karin Slaughter’s novel, in which she and Rose Byrne star as sisters dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event in their past. It was also reported out of Cannes that Fahy will lead supernatural thriller Banquet from The Platform filmmaker Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.

Here, in conversation with Deadline, Fahy looks back on the high-speed trajectory of life since The White Lotus and what’s coming next.

DEADLINE: Congratulations on another Emmy nomination. I watched Sirens in a single sitting. It was deliciously dark and fun. I really enjoyed your tough, rough-round-the-edges character, Devon. How was she described to you going into this role? And what about her really appealed to you as something different from your other work?

MEGHANN FAHY: Well, I think there were a few things. One of the big ones was just that it was a really different character than I’ve been able to play previously, but it was also one that felt really easy for me to kind of feel out. It almost felt closer to what I’ve been wanting to do than some of the other things that I’ve done and had wonderful experiences doing. And so, it was really exciting for me to finally be doing something in such a different space. And then I think for me, I just loved how herself she was, regardless of her environment, just always showing up as herself relentlessly, over and over again, which I think is just a really hard thing for anybody to do. And so there was something very cathartic about playing her, and then you start to see the cracks in that facade as the show continues on. And that was also really fun to get inside of as well. So the evolution of her throughout all of the episodes was just very fulfilling as an actor.

DEADLINE: What’s the story of how you came to the role, and how was it described to you?

FAHY: I had read the pilot episode of the show and immediately fell in love with it and was a huge fan of Molly Smith Metzler who wrote it and is just an amazing creative person. I really, really wanted it. I just really wanted it. And so I just chased after it. And finally, they said, “OK, well we’ll let you give it a try.”

With Julianne — I mean, she’s an icon. She’s somebody that I grew up watching. And so it was very surreal in moments to be working with her. I just feel like I was trying to soak up as much as I could.

Meghann Fahy

DEADLINE: Once you got to set, how helpful was the makeup and the costuming? Devon has a specific look, in that she’s down-at-heel and a little worn out. Did you develop that in a collaboration and how much input did you have?

FAHY: Yes, Caroline Duncan, our costume designer, is so incredibly talented and very collaborative. And it was a look that I had spoken a lot about with Caroline, but also with Nicole Kassell, who was our director for the first two episodes, and a producer, and Molly. It was really, really particularly important to get that outfit right for Devon, because it’s the only context we get as an audience of her outside of this world. Once she shows up to the house and goes undercover and starts wearing all the dresses and dressing like the other women, she sort of blends in that way. So the only context we have for how she exists outside of this place is that first time that we see her in that outfit. And I think we made it feel really lived-in, and not a caricature of somebody who was a wayward sibling, or whatever you might call her, but it felt to me, it really it was probably the outfit that she had worn out the night before where she was going to the bar and flirting with a married guy. She got a DUI, but she thought she looked cute when she left, and then it falls apart overnight. So that was the thought process for that.

DEADLINE: I loved that she goes on the ferry, angrily dragging the edible arrangement her sister has sent her, still wearing the same outfit. It tells you so much about her that she doesn’t even stop to shower. She’s that angry at her sister she just has to get there immediately. And then it’s like, “OK, I know who this person is.”

FAHY: She’s really fueled by rage in that moment too, I think, and rage that she doesn’t let go of the whole journey, which is kind of incredible when you think about it. It’s not a fleeting feeling. It’s like the thing that propels her to basically find this house via the internet and get there without any money or ability to take a cab or whatever, just the bus and the ferry. And to see her kind of determination in all of those beats at the beginning when you’re watching her go through all those phases of travel to get there, then the ultimate payoff of the scene that I got to do with Millie where she’s throwing the fruit at her sister, calling her stupid b—ch. It wouldn’t even occur to her to say, “Let me pack some things to take with me.” It’s like, “I’m grabbing this thing and I’m going to execute my ultimate plan.”

DEADLINE: So, tell me about the world on set with Julianne Moore and Milly Alcock? There’s such a great juicy dynamic between those three characters. What was that experience like working with both of them?

FAHY: It was amazing. I mean, Milly is such a present actress. You can feel that she’s listening. She’s not just standing there waiting to say her line or anything. And that is such a beautiful quality and created so many vulnerable moments between the two of us as a result. And then that component of the sisters’ relationship is so important. And with Julianne — I mean, she’s an icon. She’s somebody that I grew up watching. And so it was very surreal in moments to be working with her. I just feel like I was trying to soak up as much as I could and watching her process and how she moves through her space was really one of the highlights for me for sure.

I have had the incredible and rare opportunity to have this perspective of having worked for over 10 years before doing something like The White Lotus that does shift the way people see you. And so when that did happen, it felt like I was just really able to appreciate how special that was and continues to be.

Meghann Fahy

DEADLINE: You came to our Deadline Sundance studio with Josh O’Connor for the Max Walker-Silverman film Rebuilding. You’re in the Jon Gunn-directed film The Unbreakable Boy — you have quite a few upcoming projects right now, like You Deserve Each Other and The Good Daughter. Obviously, you were so loved in The Bold Type and you’ve done plenty of other work, but I think since The White Lotus, it must feel like things have gotten a little surreal. How’s your experience been? I’m assuming people approach you a lot now? How would you describe how your life has changed since then?

FAHY: It has changed in almost every way. But I’ve experienced all of those changes as being really positive things. And if ever I’ve been approached by anybody, it’s always somebody who’s just really wonderful. And so I feel really lucky for that. And also, I think generally speaking, for me, that shift in my life that kind of came on the heels of White Lotus happened when I was already in my thirties. So when I did The Bold type, I was in my twenties and I kind of had this gorgeous slow burn that never felt like it came out of nowhere, or was too overwhelming, or that I didn’t know how to handle it. I feel like I have had the incredible and rare opportunity to have this perspective of having worked for over 10 years before really doing something like The White Lotus that does shift the way people see you. And so when that did happen, it felt like I was just really able to appreciate how special that was and continues to be. And yes, I take all of those years prior to all of those things in my career with me now, everywhere I go, of course. And every project that I begin, it’s just so not lost on me, what it means to me and what it took to be in this place.

DEADLINE: Speaking of The Bold Type, funny sidebar, I used to cover American Idol back in the day and I met Katie Stevens when she was a really young contestant on the show.  

FAHY: Unbelievable. She is so crazy talented.

DEADLINE: How do you feel, looking back on The Bold Type, and if it was raised as a reunion show or a reboot opportunity, how would you feel about doing that?

FAHY: I really feel like we should do a Bold Type movie. We should go full Sex and the City on it. The three of us have spoken about it and we would love to do it. So we’re all trying to speak it into existence. I think it would be fun and there would be nothing cozier than being on set with Katie and Aisha [Dee] again. That was such a special experience and a show that I’m so proud of having been a part of because it was just sweet and wholesome and the people who were fans of it, it made them feel good. And I just feel like that really is something to be proud of there. We need more of that, I think now than ever. Just shows that exist to insight joy, the simple, bright colors and good friendships. And so, I look back on that and I think we’re all very proud that that was something that show represented for people.

DEADLINE: And speaking of singers, you began as a singer, right?

FAHY: I did.

DEADLINE: So how does that fit into where you want your career to go now? Are there things that you want to do with that going forward?

FAHY: I’m trying to figure out what that would look like. I’ve never been able to figure out. I am in a place in my life right now where I really want to incorporate music back into my life in a meaningful way, and I don’t fully know what it looks like, but I think talking about it and acknowledging it is part of that journey. So yes, I’m still thinking about what that looks like, but it is definitely something that I miss.

DEADLINE: Do you write your own songs?

FAHY: I have through the years sort of tinkered and I play the guitar very badly, but nothing that I would ever want to feel ready to show anybody right now, no.

DEADLINE: I do remember you saying that you almost passed out when you met Taylor Swift, so I feel like there’s a musical recognition or connection for you.

FAHY: Yeah, well, of course. I mean, it’s like we grew up with her. She and I are a similar age, and my mom bought me her first CD whenever that came out when I was in high school. And so she’s always been somebody that’s really easy to relate to. I think for our generation of girls, it’s like a TV show that you grow up watching every season of, and you feel like you’re growing with the characters and stuff.

DEADLINE: Going back to Sirens, tell me about building that scene where you come back to rescue your sister, and you have this amazing confrontation scene. I just felt like it was so raw and so brilliantly done. So, can you tell me about building that with Millie?

FAHY: That scene is one of my favorite scenes of the series, but also that I think I’ve ever filmed, because it was so unique in so many ways. There were so many elements of that which were not your average experience of filming something. For starters, it was an eight-page scene, which is not typical for television, but Molly is a playwright. And so, I think she’s not scared of writing long moments of dialogue. And so that as an actor is always so exciting when you can really sit in something, and we rehearsed it a lot like we would have rehearsed the play. It takes place in four different rooms. I come into the foyer, we go into the closet, and then we’re in the bathroom, and then we’re in the bedroom, when Julianne comes in at the end. And it technically really was challenging — changing in and out of clothing, and we’re up, and we’re down, and we’re opening drawers and we’re avoiding mirrors, and the camera operators are squatting down with us, and coming up with us, and staying out of each other’s way. And there was just so many components to it that were challenging, but also really, really gratifying to figure out. And it was really important. Nicole Kassell directed that episode, and I’m so grateful to her for prioritizing keeping the scene intact for Milly and me, instead of breaking it up into smaller pieces, which is what has to happen a lot of the time. I think it was really important for the actual intention of the scene to exist cohesively. And Nikki and our camera crew really put in the work to make that happen for Millie and me, so that we could just do it the way it was written and work our way up to those moments in a way that felt really authentic. The scene is written so well that it does all of that work for you when you’re able to say the words, but to marry that with all of the action and keep it intact? I’ve never had that experience on set before. It was really special.

DEADLINE: My other favorite scene is on the ferry on the way back with you and Julianne. Can you tell me about how you both decided to play that and how you worked on it together?

FAHY: I love that scene. I love where Molly decided to leave the show. The last line of the series I think is so effective, especially from one woman to another. I will say though, with that scene, we were obviously shooting it on a ferry and the sun was setting, so this, we only had 45 minutes to get the whole thing. We didn’t have multiple setups or anything. So really we only did it a couple of times and it was very windy, so we were dealing with that too. But I think sometimes when that happens and you’re under huge constraints for lighting or time or setting or whatever it can be, it kind of just gets you out of your head about it. And you sometimes find the truest thing in those moments, because you can’t think about it. You don’t have time to think about it. And I think that scene falls under that category. We shot it so quickly, and so just the words were there and we sort of just looked at each other and said them.

DEADLINE: Where are you at with the film You Deserve each other?

FAHY: We just wrapped last night. It’s a film about two people who are engaged to be wed and one of them gets cold feet and doesn’t have the guts to end the relationship, so they start acting out, in the hopes that the other person will then be forced to call it off. It has sort of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days elements to it, which I love. It’s with Penn Badgley, who is wonderful. And my character’s name is Naomi. She’s a food stylist and influencer, and it takes place in Brooklyn. It was a really fun shoot.

DEADLINE: When you say food stylist and influencer, my brain goes immediately to Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s wedding. I think that there’s time right now for a massive resurgence in feel-good rom-coms.

FAHY: Yeah, I agree. The pendulum is swinging back again towards comfort and nostalgia in a way that I personally am very excited about. I love that. And it speaks to, I think, how we’re all feeling. Again, what we were talking about with The Bold Type before. It’s anything that insights joy, that is just comforting. It’s like we need so much more of that. So I’m excited.

DEADLINE: What were some of your favorite films when you were sort of coming up in the business or when you were young imagining working in entertainment?

FAHY: I first moved to New York to do theater. I got an agent and stuff through performing in this musical that I was in [Next to Normal on Broadway], and then I started going off for TV and film after that. But it wasn’t something that I really thought much about prior. I got into the musical by being a singer, and then acting is something I fell into.

DEADLINE: You were only a teenager, right? When you were understudy and then you took over the role?

FAHY: Yeah. I was 18. I’d just graduated high school. It was the summer after I graduated that I moved here from Massachusetts and I went to go see by myself at 42nd Street, the Regal Cinema there, Adventureland with Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg. And I was so in love with that movie, and I really do have strong memories of sitting there watching that film, thinking like, oh my gosh, it would be so cool to do a movie someday. I hadn’t even come close to making a film. That’s the first one that pops into my head. And honestly, I rewatched it recently and it’s so good. Bill Hader in that movie. Oh my god, he’s so funny. And I love Jesse and Kristen together just, and that movie is so nostalgic stylistically.

DEADLINE: And you have The Good Daughter, the Peacock Show coming up too. How was that experience?

FAHY: Yeah, I wrapped that at the end of June and I flew home Saturday, then Monday I was on set for You Deserve Each Other. I had a different hair color and I didn’t even know what my name was.

DEADLINE: What did they do to your hair?

FAHY: Well, on The Good Daughter, I had brown hair, and then I went blonde again. So I went from being in shooting in the woods in Georgia, this very sort of raw gritty thing, to then being a food influencer with blonde hair in Williamsburg two days later. And it was wild.

DEADLINE: You’re playing sisters with Rose Byrne and Brendan Gleeson is your dad. What else can you say about it?

FAHY: It was a really difficult shoot in a lot of ways. I mean, the subject matter is quite heavy. It’s based off of a novel written by Karin Slaughter, and it’s really dark and very dramatic, but I think ultimately hopeful. I think that’s what we’re really hoping that people will take from it at the end. My friend’s mother read the book and when asked what she thought of it, she loved it, but she said, “Those girls go through a lot.” And they do, they really do. But working with Brendan Gleeson, my god, I mean, I just never thought in my entire career that I would get the opportunity to do that. I’m still pinching myself. And Rose — the same. So it was a dream come true in a lot of ways, but it was certainly challenging, and that was part of what really attracted me to it. Again, a genre that I haven’t fully been able to slip into yet. So I really wanted to, and it was amazing. Steph Green directed every single episode. I do not know how she did it, she’s unbelievable. And she was truly our fearless leader, day in and day out. It was three and a half months, maybe four months. Usually you switch directors [on TV shoots]. It was a feat.

DEADLINE: Did having the same director help it to feel really cohesive though?

FAHY: It’s great. I think it really serves the piece. I think what people are starting to hopefully realize is that the way that we do television now has changed, and it’s basically long-form cinema. It’s a movie. We do these miniseries like their films, really. And so when you do have the same director, I think it’s an incredible asset when that is possible, but it’s so much on a director. It’s so much to ask of someone. It’s an incredible amount of work.

Sirens is streaming on Netflix now.