Erin Doherty has revealed she and child star Owen Cooper improvised their chilling single-take Adolescence therapist scene.
The British actress, 33, said she is ‘glad’ the young actor, 15, forced her to improvise because she really became her character Briony in that moment.
When Owen Cooper, who portrays Jamie, spontaneously yawned during the cross-examination scene, she admitted she ‘wasn’t going to let that pass’.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar UK, Erin opened up about filming the award-winning Netflix series.
Asked about Jamie’s spontaneous yawn during the cross-examination scene, she said: ‘I genuinely was Briony in that moment, responding as her.
‘I, or she, was like, “What are you doing?” I wasn’t going to let that pass. I wanted to poke him with it. I’m glad I did. We’re wrestling there.’
Erin Doherty has revealed she and child star Owen Cooper improvised their chilling single-take Adolescence therapist scene
The British actress, 33, said she is ‘glad’ the young actor, 15, forced her to improvise because she really became her character Briony in that moment
Discussing Adolescence’s single-take filming schedule, Erin explained how it made the project more ‘exciting and dangerous’.
She added: ‘There’s always a fear that the edit will be an odd mosaic of what you were trying to achieve… this way of shooting gave us freedom. It felt both exciting and dangerous.’
The four-part series received critical acclaim when it hit the streaming service in March, and centres on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a schoolgirl.
In the show, viewers saw how teen Jamie Miller’s perception of girls had been radicalised through content he was viewing online, and also showed the vast amount of social media consumed by teenagers at school.
In September, Erin was almost unrecognisable as she was spotted filming for new BBC drama California Avenue for the first time.
The actress looked straight out of the 1970s in her vintage attire and bold new hair and makeup, as she filmed alongside a young male actor in a makeshift astronaut costume.
Despite previously visiting the period to play Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of hit show The Crown, Erin looked a far cry from the Princess Royal as she got into character as Lela in the new six-part drama.
She hid her real hair under a blonde wig with a blunt fringe and sported the era’s favourite smoky blue eyeshadow.
When Owen Cooper, who portrays Jamie, spontaneously yawned during the cross-examination scene, she admitted she ‘wasn’t going to let that pass’
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar UK, Erin was asked about Jamie’s spontaneous yawn during the cross-examination scene, she said: ‘I genuinely was Briony in that moment, responding as her’
She added: ‘I, or she, was like, “What are you doing?” I wasn’t going to let that pass. I wanted to poke him with it. I’m glad I did. We’re wrestling there’
While her costume was made up of a signature psychedelic maxidress in a blue and green geometric pattern and a large cream handbag.
The Adolescence star completed her 70s aesthetic with a tailored denim trenchcoat and classic paisley scarf around her neck.
The scene saw Erin looking panicked and running to scold the young actor, who appeared to be playing the part of her son.
In between shooting, she seemed to be double-checking her lines as she pulled a folded script out of her bag.
California Avenue was announced by the BBC in June and is written and directed by BAFTA winner Hugo Blick.
The six-part series is a story brimming with humour and love, set in a secluded canal-side caravan park deep in the luscious English countryside.
But its peace is irrevocably disrupted by the arrival of Lela, played by Erin, and her 11-year-old child, both on the run, looking for refuge in this hidden world.
It is here that a fractured family will come together, ghosts and demons will firmly be put to rest and an unexpected love is forged.
The show boasts a star-studded cast, with acclaimed film Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter playing Lela’s parents, Jerry and Eddie, while Tom Burke co-stars as showman outcast, Cooper.
The December/January issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK is on sale from 7 November.
