Killing Eve’s Fiona Shaw admits she thinks the show is ‘immoral’ and says some people ‘can’t stand it’ due to the level of violence between characters
Fiona Shaw has admitted that she thinks the show is ‘immoral’ and believes people will go on to write essays about the show in the future.
The actress, 61, also said that she knows that some viewers ‘can’t stand’ the hit BBC drama because of the level of violence that sometimes occurs.
Discussing the show on the BBC’s Obsessed With Killing Eve podcast, Fiona Shaw said that she loves how the show is a ‘knife edge’ between comedy and tragedy.
Honest: Fiona Shaw has admitted that she thinks the show is ‘immoral’ and believes people will go on to write essays about the show in the future
Fiona stars as MI6 agent Carolyn Martens, who works as head of the Russia desk in the programme.
Revealing that sometimes the show can lack morality, Fiona said: ‘I’m sure people will write essays about killing eve in the end because it is immoral, amoral, you can really lay down your own morality on it.’
She also admitted that this might not be to everyone’s taste, and added: ‘Some people can’t stand it because they hate the violence in it, they really don’t like the violence.’
Divisive: The actress, 61, also said that she knows that some viewers ‘can’t stand’ the hit BBC drama because of the level of violence that sometimes occurs
Podcast hosts Naomi and Zing also quizzed Fiona on what she thought of the use of sexuality in the show, and she replied:
‘Some people are confused by the sexuality in it, but it does do the Shakespearian thing of putting very serious things next to very light things.
‘That’s the nature of life. Carolyn is unlike anyone I’ve ever played, no matter what she’s doing in that moment there’s always something else going on in her mind.
‘I love that it pleases so many people. I have middle aged friends who like it, men like it.’
Fine line: Discussing the show on the BBC’s Obsessed With Killing Eve podcast, Fiona Shaw said that she loves how the show is a ‘knife edge’ between comedy and tragedy (pictured during series three with Raj Bajaj)
During the chat, Fiona was asked what she loves about the show and she recalled her first missing with season one writer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
She said: ‘Everything, when it was first written I got the script and I was thinking what is this, and then it strangled me, it jumped up and strangled me. I thought this is the most amazing script.’
‘I didn’t know what is it, I thought is this meant to be funny. Every line was so polished. Then I had lunch with Phoebe and she asked me to be in it.
Revealing that sometimes the show can lack morality, Fiona said: ‘I’m sure people will write essays about killing eve in the end because it is immoral, amoral, you can really lay down your own morality on it’
‘I asked “why?” and she said because you used to be in Medea when I was 12.’
‘I thought what’s this got to do with Medea? But that says a lot about Phoebe’s mind, she makes these amazing connections between comedy and tragedy, I think that’s one of her great skills.’
Touching on her reluctance, Fiona said: ‘I had no no clue how to play it, it’s this knife edge thing/ New territory, I wasn’t morally good or bad.
But full of surprises, it’s just a joy to have a roadmap or no roadmap. I would have thought it was impossible to play, but it just isn’t.’
Fiona also detailed what it was like working with Jodie Comer, who plays assassin Villanelle: ‘Jodie takes a while to warm up to something and then when she does she doesn’t let it go.
‘I have one scene with her this season that you haven’t seen it yet, I’m going to give you a spoiler, it takes place in the Royal Albert Hall.’
Star: Fiona also detailed what it was like working with Jodie Comer, who plays assassin Villanelle: ‘Jodie takes a while to warm up to something and then when she does she doesn’t let it go’