Erin Doherty, star of Netflix mega hit Adolescence, has reflected on the “daunting” experience of filming the show in one take, and divulged how its huge success has affected her personal life.
Queer actress Erin Doherty stars as forensic psychologist Briony in Adolescence, who is assigned to complete a pre-trial assessment of 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper), a boy accused of murdering his classmate.
Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, and directed by Philip Barantini, the four-part Netflix crime drama was filmed in one take, and has swiftly become one of the most critically-lauded shows of all time.
Online, the show has sparked vital conversations about male violence against women and girls and the burgeoning of a new era of online misogyny.
Speaking to GQ, Doherty – who is also known for her roles in dramas A Thousand Blows and The Crown – explained that Adolescence has sparked conversations in her own personal circle.
“That’s what is also so mind-blowing: as a woman who [has] not even begun to venture into the world of bringing a kid up, it’s already, like… My sister, my friends, my girlfriend, we’re already so nervous about that time when it does come,” she shared.
“Because we’re like, ‘What the hell? How do we get this right? What can we do to help and save our younger generation?’ I know that sounds so dramatic, but I feel like that is what this show is doing: shining a light on this terrifying subject matter, and it’s hitting everyone.”
Doherty appears only in one episode of Adolescence, episode three, but much of the hour-long episode is simply her and Cooper on screen.
As Briony attempts to wade through Jamie’s childhood, the young boy finds glee in terrorising her, reacts aggressively to her questioning, and begs her to like him.
The dynamic between the two makes for a remarkable watch, particularly considering the fact it was filmed in one take.
Reflecting on how the hour-long scene came together, Doherty told Variety it was a “daunting” process, despite her having experience in live theatre.
“…There is something very different about what is being asked of an actor to do on screen. It’s the intensity of knowing that the audience is going to see everything,” she shared.
“There’s no hiding, and that is intimidating, but once you’ve leaned into it, and once I got into that rehearsal room with Owen – that was predominantly where my nerves were resonating from.
“Before I met him, I was like ‘How the hell are we going to pull this off, it’s just the two of us in this room.’ But I met him, and on day one, I was like, ‘God, this dude’s a professional.’ It’s like he’d been doing it for 50 years. He rocked up, and he knew his lines. It was one of the best acting experiences I could have asked for.”
Though the episode was shot in one take, the duo had two weeks to rehearse it, which Doherty described as being all about “instincts”.
“That’s what that rehearsal process was. It was getting every single creative mind, whether that’s the boom operator, me, Owen, or Matt, the brilliant cameraman. We were all working as one. That was what those two weeks before were about: bringing us together and becoming a team.”
Adolescence is streaming now on Netflix.
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