While her Pluribus character Carol might not be too happy about Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards nominations, Rhea Seehorn is certainly excited.
Debuting Nov. 7 on Apple TV with two episodes, Vince Gilligan’s new sci-fi series has sparked many a conversation about its central premise, which was kept closely under wraps until premiere. In addition to “a wonderful onslaught of text messages” this morning, Seehorn is also grateful to “actually be able to talk to people about things” now that the show is out.
Pluribus is also nominated for Best Television Series, Drama at the Globes. The series received a Best Drama Series nomination at the Critics Choice Awards, and it was given a two-season order by Apple when the streamer picked up the project in 2022. The Season 1 finale arrives Dec. 26.
Below, the actress, nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Series — Drama category and for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics Choice Awards, speaks to Deadline about her nominations, teaming with Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan once more and what’s to come as Season 1 wraps up and the writers work on Season 2.
DEADLINE: You’ve teamed up with Vince Gilligan again. How has it been watching the show roll out and the reception to it?
RHEA SEEHORN: This is one of the things that I have such gratitude for, and it’s just been so gratifying, is that it’s inspiring conversations with people. People want to talk about what these episodes are bringing up in them, and telling me that they’re watching with each other, and making appointment television to have conversations. It’s beyond anything that Vince and I could have hoped for, but certainly what I think he would want when we made it and what we would hope for it. It’s beyond our expectations, how much people are talking about it, and really wanted to dig deep.
DEADLINE: Could you talk about when Vince approached you for the role, how you understood it, and what you understand the show to mean? What does Carol represent in rebelling against the Hive?
SEEHORN: When Vince first came to me and said that he wrote something for me, I didn’t know anything about it, but I just said yes, because of him. Not just the quality of the writing and the directing that I know he does, but the quality of characters that he writes and story, and depth of story and the people he assembles around him. I have almost, almost the exact same crew and department heads that I did for 10 years shooting Better Call Saul. So it’s an incredible support group. I knew that I would be in a position, I would be in a place where I would be challenging myself, but also fully supported at the same time. All of those things ended up being true, as I assumed they would be.
But I didn’t know anything about the story, and then when I started reading them, I get my scripts one at a time, and so I go on the same ride that the audience does. I never know what’s coming. And I also gasp at things, laugh at things, but there was a lot of fun finding this very Quixotic and difficult tone that Vince really wanted to play with on the show that takes wild swings between dark comedy to interior psychological moments to broad montages and physical chapters where the audience is kind of my closest confidant. That’s just been really fun.
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As far as what Carol means, I think it’s up to interpretation. I’ve been having so much fun listening to what people think the show is about and who they would be in any given scene or any given circumstance. I’m so fortunate that they found this incredible supporting path that I have Karolina Wydra, Carlos Manuel-Vesga, Samba Schutte and Miriam Shor, as well as some of the guest stars that have already been on — Jeff Hiller and, of course, the Mayor of Albuquerque. [It’s] really doing an incredible job presenting these other nuanced and complex points of view on on some of the conversations and different concepts that he’s bringing up. I was not surprised that I have friends that are like, ‘I think I’d be Diabaté for at least [a little bit]. I’m like, “Okay, fair.”
L-R: Rhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra in ‘Pluribus’ on Apple TV
Apple TV
DEADLINE: Can you tease the season one finale coming up? What was your reaction to it? How do you think fans will take it?
SEEHORN: It’s bananas. The same as the first episode. I have virtually the same reaction to all of them. I’m like, ‘What!?’ Then I’m like, ‘Holy crap. All right, let’s go.’ I mean, They read so beautifully. I knew when I was reading the scripts [that] this would be the kind of show that I would love. I would be obsessed with this show even if I didn’t get to be in it. So it’s just been a huge reward to get to play it, and to get to be kind of the the audience’s access point in going down this rabbit hole. As far as the finale, I loved it. I was immediately, desperately needing Season 2. They are in the writers room now, and I have not asked any questions yet. I might just be surprised, right along with the audience. I’ll play it before they’ll see it, but I might, I might wait. I don’t know.
DEADLINE: Is there anything you’re hoping to bring to Carol in Season 2?
SEEHORN: More — I mean I know Vince and his incredible team of writers, they’re going to keep expanding it. They never just rev in place, but I hope to just keep getting to play with the complexity and the incredible authenticity of how human he’s allowing her to be and allowing me to play her. She really is this ultimate reluctant hero that is an Everyman, which I think is really fun up against his sci-fi backdrop, because she’s often behaving in ways that are not the best, but many of us can completely identify with why. So I hope we continue. This sort of very every man human in the middle of what’s being asked of her. [It] feels superhuman some days.
DEADLINE: How do you think Carol would respond to being Golden Globe-nominated?
SEEHORN: [Laughs.] Well,if she’s gonna behave like she did with her Book Club — I never thought she was mocking her fans, and I think she actually thinks her work is of quality, but she’s always got to beat people to the punch. She’s terrified to like let somebody else say something bad first, which I understand the self deprecation part of it. So while I’m just going to let myself feel excited and thankful today, I think Carol would probably immediately try to find ways to say she didn’t care.
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