Can you tell us a bit about how things start for Villanelle in Season 2?

At the end of season 1, Eve and Villanelle have a little altercation…. I don’t know if you remember but Eve stabs Villanelle! Season 2 picks up from that moment and Villanelle has to escape the apartment before she’s found. She’s in a pretty bad way and has to get herself out of that situation. As the story progresses, we find out how Villanelle reacts to Eve stabbing her. I’m not sure whether it’ll be what people expect her reaction to be, but it’s interesting.

Can we discuss the fantastic response Season 1 received when it came out?

The reaction to season 1 was insane and unexpected. We all believed in the show and were so passionate when making it but you can never second guess how the audience is going to take it. The response was enormous; there were some incredible Villanelle Halloween costumes and fan art. I’ve never been part of a show that’s had such an amazing reaction so it’s been really lovely. It’s really nice coming to season 2 knowing that there are people eagerly waiting for the continuation of the story.

What’s in store for Villanelle this season?

The most interesting part about coming back to play Villanelle is the exploration of her emotions and feelings, or lack of them. A huge conflict arises in her head from how she thinks she feels about Eve and the other relationships in her life. I think that’s another reason why the audience took to her. There’s a flicker of humanity about her and just when we think we’ve found it, we lose it again. That’s probably really interesting for the audience to discover.

How do you develop your character after getting the script?

First of all I learn the lines, which helps give me an initial idea of how I want to play the scenes. But I never like to be too set in stone before I begin filming. Everyone who is a part of this show has a cracking sense of humour so when we get in a room to discuss the scripts and read through scenes it’s really fun, as well as very productive. I love the collaborative relationship between actor and director and enjoy figuring it out together on set.

One of the lovely things about coming back this season, was that I already felt like I understood Villanelle. I’m probably the person on set who understands her the most. It was nice to have that air of confidence.

What are the main things that attracted you to the character of Villanelle? And have those elements changed in Season 2?

Everything attracted me to Villanelle. I expected her to be one thing and she was the total opposite. I read ‘assassin’ and immediately thought of a sexy woman in a catsuit scaling walls in six inch heels but Villanelle felt more real than that. She has a sense of humour and makes mistakes which is so relatable. Assassins can sometimes feel like creatures from another planet, like they’ve got super powers, whereas there’s something very earthy about Villanelle. That has continued through to season 2. She’s so much fun to play. She gets away with murder, quite literally, but I love her.

What makes Villanelle so attractive to an audience? 

I think the audience relate to Villanelle in ways that they may not want to. I always refer back to the opening sequence in Season 1, where she knocks the ice cream over the little girl. I’m sure we’ve all wanted to do that before but we never have. I think they admire her, and want to high five her, but know she is not to be messed with. Her playfulness and childlike quality take away the terror at moments where we should really hate her. Often we sympathise or even agree with her which makes her seem a bit like us.  

How does Eve and Villanelle’s relationship develop in Season 2?

Their relationship progression in Season 2 is really interesting. I’m really looking forward to the audience seeing Villanelle’s reaction to what happened at the end of Season 1. People already have ideas about how they think she’ll react but what she actually does could be surprising. The emotions they have for each other is still something that me and Sandra are figuring out. They spend a lot more time in each other’s company, as their two worlds collide, and it shifts the energy of the show. But whether that’s something Eve is happy about is another question. Villanelle is thrilled!

What is it like working with Sandra Oh?

I love her so much! She’s so generous and is beyond wonderful to act with and be around on set. Anyone you speak to who works on a film set will say that the attitude of the lead actor trickles down through the whole set. This set is the happiest and most chilled-out set that I’ve ever worked on and that’s a credit to the person that Sandra is. And she’s fun, she’s a funny lady.

How does Killing Eve feel different to your normal story about the world of spies and assassins?

The show is different to any kind of typical spy or assassin show because of the voices behind the characters. What Phoebe Waller-Bridge did in setting up these characters is so unique. It’s also because of the tone and how it switches between humour and terror or tragedy. There are two women leading the show which is different; it’s not a man chasing a woman. We have two women who are equally fascinated and cautious of each other and that has broken a lot of stereotypes, particularly with Villanelle’s character. Killing Eve brings a freshness and energy to the screen that people haven’t seen before.

Killing Eve mixes drama, thriller and comedy genres. What is it like to switch between these tones?

Initially I really struggled with that switch between comedy and darkness because it wasn’t something I’d done before. I had to break out of the mould I’d made for myself. Phoebe really helped me with that in the first season. During filming she would ask me to play a scene in the opposite way to how I’d initially read it. She made me realise that when you dare to do something that is a little absurd, or out of your comfort zone, you can make magic. When you’re in a safe environment and dare to take risks, you might come out with something really brilliant. Worst case, it doesn’t really work and you just move on.

Killing Eve takes in cities like Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and London. What is it like filming in these major cities?

Pretty much all filming has been on location for this season. When we were filming in Paris, France won the World Cup so it was pretty epic to see all that craziness going on. Amsterdam was beautiful. Actually filming there makes the story feel authentic and as if you’re right there while it’s happening. The locations in Rome were insane. It’s another reason why I feel very lucky to be a part of the show; we get to see places that I would never usually have the chance to visit.

What would you like an audience to take away from Killing Eve?

I want the audience to come away having had fun and having enjoyed it. Our show doesn’t have a huge message to the world and that is probably why people enjoy it so much. They can escape through it and live through the characters, having fun with it. The characters are definitely on another journey and the story has to push forward. Things have to change and hopefully the audience will come along with us.

Our thanks once again to the Fox team. Remember, the second season of Killing Eve is all set for next Wednesday (1 July) only on Fox channel 125 on DStv.

For our purposes today, both Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer are the two main characters in question and together they expertly play a cat and mouse game in the series which in turn produces a great, at times funny but dangerously exciting watch.

We’ve decided to feature these in two fold (see what we did there?) with one featured today and the other tomorrow (be on the lookout for that). Kicking things off is Sandra Oh who not only plays Eve Polastri but is Co-Executive Producer of the series:

What’s in store for Eve in Season 2?

Eve’s journey in Season 2 takes her to a psychologically dark place. She’s pushed to the limit in every way; in her marriage, at work, her personality and sexually. She isolates herself because she’s so obsessed with Villanelle.

Her personality starts to change because she foregoes a lot of her friendships to solve a new mystery and ultimately succeed in her job. Eve and Kenny have always had a lovely relationship and it is really pushed and tried this Season. All her relationships are.

How does Eve and Villanelle’s relationship develop in Season 2?

It’s definitely deeper and is not so much a discovery anymore.  It’s not only a chase but it’s understanding how to be in relation to each other. When they are in the same room, it’s too much energy. They’re like two sparks that explode when they are together yet they need each other. Season 2 gets much more complicated.

What is it like working with Jodie Comer?

I love working with Jodie. We have gone deeper in our trust with each other as actors this season and it’s deeper between Eve and Villanelle too. When we shoot our scenes together it feels like there’s only the two of us there in that moment. And that’s the same between Villanelle and Eve. It’s only the two of them so it’s very intimate.

What can you tell us about Eve and Niko’s relationship in Season 2?

Their relationship is pushed to the limit because Eve needs to explore her darker side and it’s a line that Niko finds impossible to cross as well. During the series he is forced to wake up to how deep, how far and how dark Eve has gone but he can’t follow. Ultimately it’s disappointing for Eve because the success of a long term relationship is if your partner can also change. It doesn’t have to be in the same way but you need to know that you’re growing together or simultaneously.

How does the relationship between Eve and Carolyn evolve in Season 2?

What Carolyn does best is to manipulate and inspire at the same time. At the top of season 2, she brings Eve back to the fold to continue hunting Villanelle and to use her understanding of female psychopaths and killers.

Eve joins a new team at MI6 and we are introduced to a couple of new characters; Jess (played by Nina Sosanya) and Hugo (played by Edward Bluemel). It was so great to have new energy and dynamics. Eve and Jess are very close in age and they have a great repartee. Hugo is a wannabe Lothario and there’s a lot of interesting tension between him and Eve.

Killing Eve mixes drama, thriller and comedy genres perfectly. What is it like to switch between these tones?

The tone of Killing Eve is very tricky and it’s hard to describe. It’s also hard to write, hard to perform and hard to nail down. We understand what a drama, thriller or comedy genre is but Killing Eve is a real mash of all those three.

This cast is phenomenal because everyone is grounding their performance in their own truth. There are crazy, heightened moments of high theatrics which are so over the top but completely grounded in truth. Then in the middle of all the hysteria is the ridiculousness. Even that is always situational and based in character. It’s never just jokes. It’s hard to describe the tone of the show but it’s also tricky to sustain because we bump in and out of genres.

Killing Eve takes place in cities like Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and London. What’s it like filming in these major cities?

This is very much a British show because of the tone, the writing and the characters but it’s also such a European show because of the international chase. The locations are so important to the storytelling and are a big part of the style and genre of the show. They fill the show with such a richness and depth which is irreplaceable – you just can’t do it with CGI or on an LA backlot.

But, we don’t have to fly over the Eiffel Tower so everyone knows that it’s Paris. You get the flavour of a city because of the locations that are chosen. Like the trees in Rome; Italy has these specific type of pine trees that look like umbrellas. If we show them in a wide shot it’s familiar to anyone who knows Italy.

London has the most unbelievable locations. It is challenging to shoot in London but there are the most amazing locations all on one street. There’s a lot of history, depth and character there.

Thank you to the Fox team once again. The above should be just enough to get you amped up for tonight’s finale and of course the start of the second season next week. Don’t forget to tune in tonight on Fox at 20:45.

Killing Eve stars Golden Globe®, SAG® and Critics’ Choice Award winner Sandra Oh, well known for her leading role in the very popular Grey’s Anatomy, and Emmy® and BAFTA winner Jodie Comer. Nominated for the Best Drama Television series at the Golden Globe® Awards two years in a row, the great news is the broadcast of season one will lead directly into the second and third seasons of this gripping production.

Based on the novels by Luke Jennings and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Killing Eve centers on two distinctly different women. Eve (Sandra Oh) is a bored, whip-smart MI5 security officer whose desk-bound job doesn’t fulfil her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle (Jodie Comer) is a mercurial, talented killer who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her.

Killing Eve topples the typical spy-action thriller as these two fiercely intelligent women, equally obsessed with each other, go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse. This series, which combines brutal mischief making and pathos, is filled with sharp humor, originality and high stakes action.

This fast-paced series is a character study on two lives, two women and their circumstances, their homes, their wants, their fears and what keeps them from ending it all. It’s just that one happens to be an assassin and the other a spy.

One definitely worth your time trust us. Mark the date, Wednesdays at 20:45 CAT from 6 May on Fox (DSTV 125 and StarSat 131).