Summary
- Lena Olin discusses how that major Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 reveal impacted her performance.
- Lucas Englander recalls what he said to Nicole Kidman on their first day on set.
- The duo breaks down that tense scene on the bridge.
Nicole Kidman has played many mysterious, morally grey roles in her career, and Masha from Nine Perfect Strangers is no exception. While the first season dove into her daughter’s tragic death, Season 2 allows us to dive into where she got inspired to become the wellness guru she’s known as today. One of the most crucial people in her journey? Helena (Lena Olin), Masha’s mentor of sorts and the owner of Zauberwald, an old-world retreat in the Austrian Alps. Though they don’t always see eye-to-eye on the right way to treat patients or run a business, Masha butts heads even harder with Helena’s son Martin (Lucas Englander), who she views as uptight and restrictive. The season showcases the tension between the trio, as well as features some shocking twists that give more insight into their characters and dynamics.
Olin is an absolute powerhouse performer, having already made a name for herself in her native country of Sweden before her career in the US took off. She has been nominated for a host of prestigious awards, including an Oscar for Enemies, A Love Story, a BAFTA and SAG Award for Chocolat, an Emmy for Alias, and a Golden Globe for The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Her other recent television credits include Mindhunter and Hunters. An Austrian actor, Englander was nominated for a César Award for his work in the French thriller Appearances. He also appeared in series like The Witcher, Catherine the Great, and Transatlantic.
Collider got the chance to speak to Olin and Englander about what it’s like to play a hallucination without the audience knowing, going toe-to-toe with Kidman, that nail-biting confrontation on the bridge, and more.
Lena Olin and Lucas Englander Talk Those Wild Twists and Working with Nicole Kidman in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Season 2
“You have respect for people’s work, and sometimes, that respect leads to you kind of stifling your own play.”
COLLIDER: First of all, congratulations on the show. I had so much fun with it. I want to ask you [Lena] about your character first, because we find out in Episode 6 that she has, indeed, been dead for a while. What is the most difficult part about playing someone who is a hallucination but not having the audience aware of that until so late in the game?
LENA OLIN: I think I had to just not think about that because, if you believe in this, people who have gone to the other side and who can actually take part of your life — very, very, forcefully so — could be even more from the other side. And I have, on the other side, [people] who mean more to me than a lot of people on this side. I think that’s how I had to go about it. She’s there, she’s sufficient, she’s worried, which was fun.
I love the dynamic between Masha and Martin. I feel like they’re such fun foils for each other. What was it like going toe-to-toe with Nicole Kidman in this way?
LUCAS ENGLANDER: The first day of shooting, I approached her, and I told her, “Let’s just shake hands. I want you to know that we can both just let go into this.” Because it’s a tough relationship between these characters. I said that because I wanted to let go, and you have respect for people’s work, and sometimes, that respect leads to you kind of stifling your own play. I didn’t want to do that, so I created that space, and I feel like we both let go into that space. The relationship between these characters became so demanding from her part, and for that sake, I accepted to plunge also from me, and that was fun and weird.
“Fun and weird” is the perfect description of the show, I think.
Lena Olin and Lucas Englander Break Down That Tense ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ Season 2 Bridge Scene
“How can this person who wants to be heard be heard?”
That scene on the bridge where Martin shoots Masha is so intricate, and there’s such an interesting buildup for all three of your characters. I’m curious if you can talk about finding the beats of that scene and shooting it because it escalates and takes turns.
ENGLANDER: We shot that scene over a couple of days, and for me, the psychology behind it was…I mean, I connected to a lot of intimate things that I felt through that, which have to do with my own anger at certain things of society, which have to do with that unbelievable disproportion between power and those who need to be seen that we have a lot in our societies. So, for me, it was a question of, “How can this person who wants to be heard be heard?” And he goes so far as to use violence, and we see that as well in society. I was very just moved by our, to be honest, current happenings, and I tried to find peace. And sometimes, we find peace, and we lose it again, and so those were kind of the steps that I went through. That went dark really fast — I’m sorry.
No, that’s okay! I love it. You took me on a journey. What about you, [Lena]? Because you also play a really integral part of that scene as well.
OLIN: That’s in his mind — that’s in Martin’s mind that she’s pushing him and pushing him and pushing. And I think it’s interesting how he sort of sees Masha and Helena go into one because there is a connection that’s very true between them. And the fact that I think Helena sees herself in Masha and vice versa and the fact that these two characters go into almost one character in Martin’s mind is very interesting.
Lena Olin Regrets (Almost) Nothing in Her Career
“That feeling after a scene, you realize, ‘Oh, I should have done it differently.’”
These are such demanding parts from both of you. What was the scene you were most nervous about or intimidated by getting to that emotional place, and then what was the scene that ultimately ended up being the most demanding or difficult for you?
OLIN: In life, I have those kinds of anticipations and nervousness — “How would that be?” and “How will I get to the airport? I get my bag out, and will I get breakfast?” All of these things. When I work, it’s such a wonderful…it’s like diving into wonderful water, and I never have that, which is weird, but I don’t. Everything you go into with appetite, and when you’re working with great actors like Lucas and Nicole, things change, and they do things that you…it’s just so much fun. I would say that all the scenes are very intense in this. There’s no just like, “That’s when you just get into the car.” All the scenes are extremely intense and so fun to play, and I think our relationship and the fact that we could go so far — and so far into different directions — and the fact that I could challenge Masha’s character and be so rough on her was really fun, too. Fun. Just fun.
ENGLANDER: I’m trying to think…I have the same kind of experience. I feel like, if anything, it’s not a scene that makes me feel weird, but maybe that feeling after a scene, you realize, “Oh, I should have done it differently. I have a couple of moments — I think we always have moments like that — it’s not the during. During, I believe to know.
OLIN: I have one in my whole career where I think, “I should have done that differently.”
ENGLANDER: Really?! Oh my…
OLIN: It’s not that I’m so perfect and everything, but I don’t go there in my mind. I’m just like, “Okay, it’s out there. There’s nothing [I can do].” But there’s one scene.
ENGLANDER: I’ll get to the place — hopefully, with more experience — that I can also just be like, “Nah, you know what…” But for the moment, I’m like, “That, and here, and the dramaturgy, and this, and this. Lucas? Lucas!” But it’s all right.
Such a perfectionist. Just like Martin, I would say. [Laughs] Some similarities there.
ENGLANDER: Oh my god! [Puts face in hands] No, I gotta let him go!
All episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 are now streaming.