The Watcher vaulted to the No. 1 show in 20 countries in its debut weekend, with viewers hooked on the mystery behind the house at 657 Boulevard.
Creator Ryan Murphy recently sat down with the women of The Watcher — Naomi Watts, Noma Dumezweni, Mia Farrow, Margo Martindale and Jennifer Coolidge — to discuss the series’ horror/thriller vibes and why audiences are drawn to them.
“All of the roles are these amazing, juicy roles for women over 40,” Murphy said, kicking off the conversation. “When people are always writing articles about how there’s no roles for women over 40, that’s not true.”
While he’d previously worked with Dumezweni, Martindale and Coolidge, The Watcher marked Murphy’s first collaboration with Watts and Farrow.
“It was the only time, I think, in my career that you were all my first choices for these roles,” he revealed. “And I called each of you up and you said, ‘Yes.’ ”
Of course, Watts and Farrow are no strangers to the genres. Watts’ breakout roles in Mulholland Drive (2001) and The Ring (2002) propelled her into superstardom. And Farrow was one of the first — if not the first — big-screen scream queens after her iconic role in Rosemary’s Baby (1968).
“I’ve had a good time with [horror/thrillers] both as an actor as well as an audience member,” Watts, who plays Nora Brannock in The Watcher, explained. “I had Mulholland Drive, which really changed my career overnight. And then I went to The Ring. So I had some great moments. And then I did a few other things. But then there was a long pause for anything in this genre. So it’d been a while.”
“And so when you called, of course it was a yes. Before I even spoke, I heard your voice. So what it was about, and then you told me about it,” she told Murphy. “And of course then I read the article, it was just an instant yes. Without reading the story [or] the scripts. It felt like yes, I’m going to be returning to my comfort zone. Because I’ve felt good in that place before. I think fear is a fabulous emotion to work with. It’s all-encompassing, and maybe I’m ruled by certain fears. So I feel like it’s always worth examining. And through my work, I get to do that.”
Farrow, who regretted turning down Murphy’s horror series American Horror Story years earlier, jumped when she was offered a role as the Brannock’s creepy and obsessive neighbor, Pearl.
Murphy tapped Farrow’s son, Ronan, to help seal the deal. “When you said, via our friend Ronan, ‘I got this thing for your mother. She can wear all black and it’ll be really interesting.’ And I’m like, ‘Sure, yeah.’ ”
For Coolidge, who’s built a career in comedy dramas, working on The Watcher was a new experience.
“I’m fascinated by people doing bad things. And it was so much fun to play,” Coolidge explained. “But like I said, no one was banging down my door to play someone in horror. Look at my résumé. No one wanted to do this. So, Ryan, thank you. Thank you!”
Check out the full roundtable above to find out why Dumezweni is terrified by horror and Martindale relishes fear.
The Watcher is currently streaming on Netflix.
