Step aside (for now) White Lotus, Only Murders in the Building, and even you, Knives Out. Violett Beane, who plays Imogene, a wannabe murder-mystery solver on Hulu’s Death and Other Details, says “trust no one.” She goes on to say that audiences should expect a big twist coming up in the new series, which has generated buzz for its White Lotus by way of Agatha Christie vibes. “I think audiences will be insanely surprised by the final episode. You definitely don’t know what’s going to happen. I haven’t seen anything quite like it in any of these newer murder mysteries.”
The shocking season finale doesn’t air until March 5, but fans are already eager to know about a potential second season. “On the creative side, absolutely, we love the idea of a season two, and have so many ideas of where we would go with it,” Beane added. “In terms of production, we have to wait and see like how much you guys like the show and when the finale airs, but we’re really hoping for it. There’s so much left to explore.”
How true. This jam-packed murder mystery finds our dear Imogene collaborating with a man she initially despises, Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin), “the world’s greatest detective, so that she can clear her name. Toss in two wealthy families, a billion-dollar corporate deal à la Succession, and a star-studded cast featuring the likes of Lauren Patten (Blue Bloods), Linda Emond (Only Murders in the Building), Annie Q. Riegel (The Leftovers), and Jack Cutmore-Scott (Frasier), and there’s more than enough to hold our interest — and keep us guessing. Violett Beane shared more about the series and working alongside Mandy Patinkin in this exclusive MovieWeb interview.
Lessons From The Flash and The Leftovers
Audiences have seen Violett Beane in several standout performances. Best known for starring opposite Grant Gustin as Jesse Quick, the genius with super speed in The Flash TV series, the actress has also made a dent with roles in The Leftovers, The Resident, and God Friended Me, a captivating series about an atheist whose life is upended when “God” adds him as a friend on Facebook.
“100%… being on those shows helped me [for Death and Other Details],” Beaned shared. “One of the biggest things I learned outside of just set experiences was watching people lead their shows. Yes, it’s hard work as the actor, but when you’re No. 1 on a call sheet, it’s your job to set the tone for people. If you come in and you’ve had a bad day, that could make everybody have a bad day. There’s this other level of responsibility. Working on all these shows and seeing the good and the bad was helpful.”
On Working with Mandy Patinkin
On working with Mandy Patinkin, who won an Emmy for his role in Chicago Hope and a Tony for Evita, before turning heads in Homeland and The Good Fight, Beane said she appreciated the complexities of both their characters, and how Imogene went from despising Rufus Cotesworth to allowing him to be her mentor.
“The guy’s a legend. The biggest thing was during the pilot. We were a week in, and I was just feeling so overwhelmed. There was so much coming at me from different angles, and I was feeling lost in the character and lost in the show. I was like, ‘Mandy, I need some advice, man — how do you deal with all of this? How have you been doing this for so long? You’ve led shows before. How do I get past this right now?’” she recounted, adding:
“He said, ‘Take everything in and then forget it. At the end of the day, you look in the mirror and you have to make yourself proud. So, yes, listen to people, but also trust yourself. There’s a reason you’re here, and it’s up to you to make yourself proud.’ And it was really sweet because it was like life imitating art. In the show, he’s Imogene’s mentor. He really helped me get through that. We went back in, did the scene, and killed it.”
A Super-Charged White Lotus?
As audiences move through the episodes of Death and Other Details, it becomes blatantly clear that series creators Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss want to surpass expectations. That translates into bigger twists and surprising deaths — expect more than just a few. It’s one rocky ship in Death and Other Details.
“I’ve watched all of White Lotus and Knives Out, and they’re very enticing,” Beane said of her appreciation for the murder mystery genre. “They keep you watching. I think in TV and movies now, it’s kind of hard to keep people’s attention spans, and I say that unfortunately, because I wish that it was easier. Murder mysteries are one of those things that feel interactive and keeps people engaged. I’m more than happy to be a part of one.”
She admits that it’s not far off to describe Death and Other Details as White Lotus at sea. “I’m happy to be compared to the show. I will say our show has so many twists and turns, but I don’t think people will expect that, especially in those last two episodes. There’s just so much, there’s so much that happens and so much that’s unexpected.”
Death and Other Details Season 2
Playing Imogene was some of “the most challenging work I’ve had in my career thus far,” Beane said of her role, adding:
As you see throughout the season, Imogene steps into other people’s shoes. That was very fun, but also challenging because you really have to study all of these other characters and understand who they are, and understand all of their motivations as well as yours, then interweave them. That was quite difficult.
“But I also feel like I was Imogene, when I was a bit younger than her, maybe in my early 20s,” she went on. “It was a bit like, ‘What am I doing? What do I love? What do I want to follow?’ I definitely feel like I can relate to that.’”
In the meantime, look for Beane to costar alongside Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle, Agent Cody Banks) in Renner later this year. The AI-themed film revolves around a computer genius whose program goes haywire after he accidentally programs his manipulative mother into it.
Beyond that, should Death and Other Details officially get a second season order, Beane said: “Let’s go to the Alps or something. I think that would be so fantastic. For my character, you see some of her vulnerabilities [in season one], but then it kind of gets snatched back up. I would love to see a deeper breakthrough in terms of her letting people in and not thinking the world is always against her.”
Dive into the murder mystery antics of Death and Other Details exclusively on Hulu. You can watch it through the link below:
