Netflix
They’ve long captivated audiences with their magnetic screen presences, but Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys shed their familiar personas in haunting new Netflix drama The Beast
in Me.
In a bold transformation, the acclaimed actors disappear into roles so raw and unsettling that they’re almost unrecognisable.
“I am plenty beasty,” the 46-year-old actress told Vanity Fair.
What is The Beast in Me about?
In the bingeable new eight-part series, Claire portrays acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs.
Following the tragic death of her young son, she retreats from the world, unable to write a word.
Inspiration comes from an unexpected place when the house next door is bought by famous real estate mogul Nile Jarvis (Matthew), who was once the prime suspect
in his wife’s disappearance.
As Aggie becomes increasingly entangled in Nile’s life while trying to uncover the truth, the pair are ensnared in a cat-and-mouse game that could
prove deadly.
“The success of the show rests almost entirely on the dynamic between our characters,” Claire explained. “It was just effortless, playing with Matthew. You can serve anything, and he’ll serve it right back in a direction that you can’t quite anticipate.”
The project is one that Danes has poured her heart and soul into for five years, jumping on board as soon as she was handed a script by Jodie Foster, who was previously slated to direct.
“I loved how classic it felt, surprising and faintly Hitchcockian,” Claire explained of her instant attraction.
Is The Beast in Me a true story?
While The Beast in Me isn’t a true story, it is based on some real people.
It took some time to cast Matthew, a roadblock that production couldn’t overcome for several years, as they searched for an actor who could easily flick between being charming, vulnerable and dangerous.
“The character, when [initially written], was a kind of Tony Soprano mobster. He became a rap mogul, and then finally a real estate developer in the Durst-Trump mould,” showrunner Howard Gordon told Vanity Fair. “It’d always be tricky to play that character, because it really could get arch or cheesy – you just don’t know what it’s like until you hear it or see it.”
Rhys, 51, has had good luck starring in TV shows. As well as winning an Emmy for his work on The Americans, which ran from 2013 to 2018, he also met his real-life wife, Keri Russell, on the set of the spy series.
It was her encouragement that convinced him that he was the perfect man for the job, despite the sinister nature of Nile, who is described by Gordon as a “sociopath”.
“When she saw it, she was like, ‘This is tailor-made for you. This is the person you truly are. It’s about time the world knew who you are,’” Rhys told The Independent. “Which I thought was fair. She saw the beast in me a long time ago and wasn’t that impressed then.”
For the first time in her career, Danes, who is married to British actor Hugh Dancy, is portraying a lesbian.
“I wasn’t [nervous], to be honest, but maybe I should have been,” she told The Guardian.
Given her character’s sexuality, there is nothing sexual about the tension between Aggie and Nile, which led to an interesting dynamic for Danes.
“They’re kind of soulmates, but they’re adversaries, and sex isn’t at play,” she explained. “That was interesting. I’d never played that, and I haven’t really seen it before.”
Watch The Beast in Me now on Netflix.
