How Emily Deschanel’s ‘Morbid Fascination’ Led to Netflix’s ‘Devil in Ohio’ – Newsweek

Emily Deschanel attends the premiere of Apple TV+'s "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet" at The Cinerama Dome on January 29, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty

What could make a show about a mysterious cult even more terrifying? Being inspired by a true story. "Maybe it's a morbid fascination, because it's dark, but I do find cults very interesting." Emily Deschanel stars as Dr. Suzanne Mathis in the new Netflix series Devil in Ohio. "She's a very accomplished person...but has blind spots and hasn't really dealt with her own issues and trauma." Perhaps that's why her character brings a mysterious young woman, Mae (played by Madeleine Arthur) home. "I wanted to understand why she did what she did." Based on a book by Daria Polatin, who also created the series, Deschanel says she loved how Daria "approached the stories" that reveal the truth behind the mysterious patient. "You are looking at a family who has different things going on and then one element changes...it changes everything." What hasn't changed for Deschanel is the clamoring of fans wanting to see a project with her and her sister, Zooey. "I would never say never. We'd have to play sisters because it would be weird if we weren't." [laughs]

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What I love about the show is that it's like small-town family drama, wholesome vibes, and then THE DEVIL! Was there something about that balance that appealed to you?

I love that we're exploring those different things, we're kind of seeing two different worlds collide, or more than two worlds collide, really. You do have a family drama happening, you've got this family that looks kind of perfect on the outside, but there's different things happening with each of them, as a family unit, there are some chinks in the armor, so to speak. Then you have this young girl who escapes from a cult background and that whole world. I find it fascinating to do the family drama and then also deal with people worshiping the devil and living in this town and exploring how that affects the girl who escapes and how she is coping in the world after escaping. My character, Suzanne, decides to take her in and bring her into her family. As the show goes on, you start to learn things about Suzanne that explain certain things about her background.

It's one of those shows that you find yourself screaming at the TV, because we, as the audience, know more than you as the character do.

I did a scary movie years ago [Boogeyman]. I remember a friend asking, "Do you do one of the scenes where you walk up the stairs and yell out for people?" I did that. But what I love about this is that it really explores the psychology of why Suzanne brings her into her home, which you can yell and say, "Why are you doing that? You shouldn't do that as a psychiatrist. It's not going to be good for your family. It's not going to be good for the girl because boundaries are broken." But then we explore why someone would do something like that. And it's inspired by a true story, the basic premise did happen. So diving into what has happened to them in their life that makes them want to save this girl so badly and protect her and risk their family collapsing as a result, I think that's the thing that makes this an interesting and newer twist on the story. There's some explanation.

It's also one of those things, when you're watching a horror show or movie knowing it's based on a true story, like The Exorcist, you're like, "How is this based on a true story?!"

It's hard to believe it's real. Obviously, things have been changed, but the basic premise did happen. So it is fascinating.

What about the project first stood out to you?

I was drawn to the character Suzanne. I wanted to understand why she did what she did and brought this patient home. She's a very accomplished person who has a great career and a great family and is doing so well but has blind spots and hasn't really dealt with her own issues and trauma that she experienced as a child. So I found that really fascinating. I also investigated cults. I had a friend who joined one, she would probably call it a community, I call it a cult, but we never saw her again. So since then I have been watching everything about cults and talking to people about cults and getting as much information about [them] as I can, because I really find it fascinating. If someone fell prey and joined and did that, I want to understand why and how that happened. Maybe it's a morbid fascination, because it's dark, but I do find cults very interesting. So that appealed to me in the storytelling, and I really loved how Daria approached the stories and how you are looking at a family who has some different things going on that you don't realize at first and then one element changes in a family and how that can change so much. It changes everything.

It is wild to think somebody could be persuaded to join a cult.

I spoke to someone who had a sister join a cult, and she told me what she learned from a cult expert, everyone thinks, "Oh, I'd never join a cult." And he said anyone can join a cult. It's just getting you at a low point in your life, which is a sobering thought to think that we all could be subjected to that. I've watched so many documentaries and studied enough that I think it'd be pretty hard to indoctrinate me, but I think it's interesting to look from that compassionate perspective and say, "let's not judge people joining." And another thing I learned in research for this is when, whether it's religion or philosophy, whatever beliefs you're told when you're very young are really hard to remove from your psyche. They are in there really solidly and so if you're taught to worship the devil since you're a baby, it's really hard to take that away.

Have you always been a fan of the horror/mystery genre?

I love a good scare. I probably have become less tolerant to scary things as I've gotten older and having had kids, so maybe less so than when I was younger. The first job I did was a Stephen King miniseries. It was called Rose Red. I was so excited. Stephen was a pizza delivery guy. It was very down-to-earth and normal. So it was pretty cool to meet him. But yeah, that was my first job. I like psychological thrillers, more than horror where things are bloody. So this to me is really appealing. I love the psychology of something and really having those good scares but without it being gory. That's an appeal to me.

Bones was wildly successful and has a huge fan base. When you're on a show that big, do you ever worry about being defined by that performance or that show?

I'm always looking for something different. I remember an actor, actually on Rose Red, telling me, "Once you get your signature role, it's always there, people are always going to try and cast you in the same thing. So just do as many things as you can, before you get that signature role." I did a network show for 22 episodes a year for 12 years and now, being a mom, I'm selective about what jobs I take and I don't want to spend so much time away from my kids. So every job, there's so many things to consider. I think defining myself after Bones has been an interesting challenge because I'm in a different stage in my life and as an actor. But mostly, I just always want to be challenged.

Your family business really is the entertainment industry, which is so wild. Would you and your sister Zooey ever do anything together?

I would never say never. We have to find the right thing together. But I think we'd be open to such a thing. We'd have to play sisters because it would be weird if we weren't. [laughs]

Listen to H. Alan Scott's full conversation with Emily Deschanel on Newsweek's Parting Shot. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Twitter: @HAlanScott

Excerpt from:
How Emily Deschanel's 'Morbid Fascination' Led to Netflix's 'Devil in Ohio' - Newsweek

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero