Fallout star, Ella Purnell, has a habit of choosing bloody and horrific stories and characters, but her new show Sweetpea took the actress to her darkest place yet. The new series, based on the novel of the same name by C.K. Skuse, follows an innocent and easily ignored young woman called Rhiannon. Fed up with being overlooked at work and ignored by her boyfriend and everyone around her, Rhiannon fills her hours with a brand-new hobby… murder.
Purnell wanted to convincingly play a woman who slowly shifts from innocently pacifist to a serial killer, and went to some dark places in her research. Speaking to Variety, Purnell recalled an interaction on a flight with the passenger next to her. Desperate to fill the time with research, she pulled out her laptop, and was shocked when the lady next to her accidentally caught a glimpse of her search history. She explained:
”
It was basically 50 shows about serial killers.
But specifically female serial killers, because they’re very different from male serial killers.”
Purnell joked that the lady next to her immediately moved away and sat elsewhere. The actress didn’t recount which shows she had watched for research, but described their effect as taking her to some “f*cked up places.” With true crime continuing to boom as a genre, there is a nearly limitless supply of content for Purnell to have dug through in order to prep for the role.
Ella Purnell Already Wants Sweeptea Season 2
Season 1 of Sweetpea is now available to watch on STARZ and Sky. The show was met with rave reviews, sitting at a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Across its six episodes, Rhiannon dives deeper into her love of murder, while those closest to her slowly deduce that her new hobby isn’t as innocent as it seems. It’s barely been a week since the show was released, and fans are already calling for a second season.
During the conversation, Purnell discussed the possibility of Sweetpea returning for Season 2. “I hope it does, because I don’t think we’re done telling Rhiannon’s story,” the actress said. However, given the show’s very definitive ending, the actress says it will take some skillful screenwriting to justify a second season. Purnell said:
“However, with the way it ends I’m not sure how we’d continue — but we’ll figure it out if and when we get there.”
Related
Fallout Star Ella Purnell Knows This Upcoming Horror Comedy Could ‘Ruin’ Her Career
“I have no idea how this film’s going to turn out.”
Ella Purnell also has some major projects in the pipeline. While Sweetpea lets her act in her natural English accent, fans will recognize her best for her American cadence in Netflix’s hit video game adaptation Arcane. Season 2 is inching closer to release, and fans got their best look yet at the final season of the beloved animated series at Netflix Geeked Week. Purnell is also gearing up for production on the second season of Prime Video’s acclaimed Fallout series. Season 1 was a breakaway success for Prime Video, and the streamer quickly picked up the show for a second outing.
- Release Date
- October 10, 2024
- Creator(s)
- Kirstie Swain
- Cast
- Ella Purnell , Nicôle Lecky , Jon Pointing , Calam Lynch , Tim Samuels , Alexander Bellinfantie , Elliot Cable , Lucy Heath , Jessica Brindle , Dino Kelly , Leah Harvey , Jessye Romeo , Luke McGibney , Gurjot Dhaliwal , Alexandra Dowling , Nathan Hall , Cain Aiden , Mark Rainsbury , Malcolm J K Baker , Lee Byford , Guy Robbins