‘Pluribus’ Star Rhea Seehorn on Channeling Her Character’s Anger: ‘It’s This Special Quality That Makes Her Different’

After working as a lawyer trying to save Saul Goodman in Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s “Better Call Saul,” it’s now Rhea Seehorn’s turn to save the world in Apple TV’s “Pluribus.” 

In the new sci-fi drama, Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, an author who must save the world from happiness after an unexplained virus is unleashed. After previously working with Gilligan on “Better Call Saul” for seven years, Seehorn was approached with the opportunity to be the lead in “Pluribus,” which originally was written for a male lead character, but was quickly changed.

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“Vince [Gilligan] is always trying to write without preaching an answer. He does not tell the audience what to think, and he trusts the intelligence of fans,” Seehorn told Variety at the “Pluribus” premiere in Los Angeles. “I feel like for me as a woman specifically playing this role, one thing that I got really interested in was that a woman’s anger is seen as a detriment and having dire consequences. But then, it’s this special quality that makes her different. That was very interesting to me as somebody that suppresses my anger, and I really loved exploring somebody that is impulsive and reactive, and then dealing with the obstacle of being told there are dire consequences.”

“I created ‘Pluribus’ for Rhea Seehorn and because I wanted to work with her again,” revealed Gilligan on the red carpet. “I was very selfish. I knew that she is such a wonderful actor that people would snap her right up and put her in a movie or a TV show, and I wouldn’t get to work with her for a while.”

During the production, Gilligan teamed up with previous writers, directors, cinematographers and more that previously worked on “Breaking Bad” to help create the world of “Pluribus.” “I like working with people I worked with before, and I like working with my crew behind the camera too,” Gilligan said. “I’ve worked with some of these people for almost 20 years, going back to the beginning of ‘Breaking Bad,’ and they’re just a great bunch of people. To me, it’s like working with a family that you really get along well with.”

Actress Karolina Wydra hopes that audience members will identify and relate to her character, Zosia, and Carol as they navigate a new world based in optimism. “With Carol, she’s such a strong female character that is a reluctant hero, but she’s a hero who fights for something that she truly believes in. There’s an empowerment in that. For Zosia, her kindness and her sereneness has something inside that is so stunning and beautiful.” 

The first two episodes of “Pluribus” are available on Apple TV.