When news broke that beloved mystery novel The Sinner was being adapted into a limited TV series, there was hope that it would be a healthy adaptation. That turned into doubt when Jessica Biel was cast as Cora Tannetti, the main character of the book and show.
While Biel has appeared in multiple movies over the years, she hadn’t quite made a mark on TV yet, unless you count her 136 episodes on feel-good show Seventh Heaven, from 1996 – 2003. Viewers and critics alike were skeptical that Biel could deliver the punch necessary to lead a show.
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How delightfully surprising for all the naysayers, then, when it turned out that The Sinner not only debuted well but has maintained steady, impressive ratings throughout its run. (Monday night is Episode 5 of 8.) Not only that, but there has been resounding praise for Biel’s performance as the unsteady Cora.
Truly, Biel is doing the best work of her career on The Sinner. Cora is so convincingly astounded by her own volatile behaviour that, as a viewer, it makes the show’s upcoming outcome virtually impossible to predict.
Global News chatted with Biel over the phone about The Sinner, the now-infamous murder scene and how blown people’s minds will be by the end of the show.
Jessica Biel: Definitely. I definitely haven’t played the “bad guy,” the person who’s guilty or the criminal before. It’s a huge departure for me. I’m super-excited playing somebody like this, who’s so psychologically complicated. I’m also happy to be able to find this person within myself, and not just play somebody’s girlfriend. [Laughs]
Not yeeeeeeeet. [Laughs]
It’s both difficult and cathartic. The actual “doing” of it… in the middle of the scene, sometimes it’s just brutal, neverending, ruthless. My director [Antonio Campos] has been pushing and pushing me, which is what I wanted. I’ve been pushing myself too.
Did you have any fear coming into this, given that you’re doing something totally different than you’ve done before, about critics or public perception?
I was afraid just because I wasn’t sure if I was up for it. I think I trust myself as an artist when I step into something, I know I’m not going to do a bad job. I’m going to do my version of it, and maybe that’s not going to translate. And if it doesn’t, I did all that I could. Honestly, I don’t think too much about what the critics are going to say. I do remember hoping that psychologists, psychiatrists and other doctors think that my performance is accurate, or that they see patients who have this PTSD or blank holes in their memory.
I’ve always liked heavy drama. I love watching it on TV and I love to be a part of it. For whatever reason, in my career, I just haven’t gotten the opportunity as much as I’ve received other opportunities. You take the best you can get, work with the greatest people possible, do what you can. It was never not part of my game plan, but now that I’ve done something so dark, I’m exhausted! [Laughs] I don’t want to cry again for another three months. I want to do a comedy or something.
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I hope your mind is blown! [Laughs] We want to keep the blowing of the minds happening. I don’t think the outcome is something most people will anticipate. I was very surprised by it when I was reading the book, so I’m hoping we’re able to continue that shock value.
If somebody guesses, then they’re a genius and I want to work with them in some capacity.
Is there any plan to do a Season 2 of this show? Is it even possible?
Well, that’s a great question. We haven’t been officially picked up for a second season, and we never really thought about doing a second season. This was meant to be a limited series, so we’d really have to rethink what it is now. If we were to come back again, would we bring back all the characters? We’re talking about the possibilities, but unfortunately don’t have any answers yet.
Because people have responded the way that they have, we’ve been told to maybe start thinking about — if the network was interested in taking us on again — what would that be? It’s an intriguing idea.
‘The Sinner’ airs on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase. (Missed some episodes? No problem, you can watch previously aired episodes On Demand.)
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