Jenna Coleman on Making Netflix’s The Serpent

The drama series The Serpent, currently streaming on Netflix, tells the real-life tale of Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim), a serial killer who murdered young tourists in the mid-‘70s in Thailand. With the help of his lover and accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman), Sobhraj would find wide-eyed young people looking for adventure and ultimately show them just how much of a monster he could be.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Coleman talked about what she loved about her character, the freedom the actors had on this shoot, what co-star Rahim brought to their relationship dynamic, being her own harshest critic when it came to the accent, and why the shoot got extended so far over their original schedule. She also talked about being a part of Doctor Who, her experience on Captain America: The First Avenger, and what’s she’s doing next.

Collider: From the locations to the wardrobe, there’s so much to look at with this series. Could you see all of that, visually, on the page when you read these scripts, or did you not realize how it would look until you got on set or even once it was finished?

JENNA COLEMAN: Stylistically, it was shot in a very certain way, very handheld and with a lot of shots that zoom in. When I read it, I didn’t get that. It was a very specific choice that (director) Tom Shankland made, for the feel of the world. There was a lot of improvisation and freedom. The way we’re shooting meant that nothing was prescriptive, so with the party scenes and things like that, it really helped to get that authentic 1970s vibe. And then, as the narrative becomes more linear later, the camera work changes. It changes its feel, almost without you noticing.

When you read this, what was your first impression of this woman? What was the initial reaction you had to her?

COLEMAN: She tricked me, and that’s what I loved about her. They sent me loads of images and I got sent six scripts, and they also sent newspaper clippings, photographs of them, voice interviews with her when she was in prison. I saw this woman and she looked much more like a gangster moll, quite stylized with big glasses. In Episode 1, in particular, she’s very much at arms length and quite enigmatic and mysterious. It’s almost this facade of glamour. I just found it so interesting, that duality of who she really is. And also, the fact that this is a true story anyway, but this young woman, who was devoutly religious and had never really left home before, was quite meek and mild and hadn’t really lived a very experimental life or had much life experience, met Charles Sobhraj and, in three weeks, changes her name to Monique and is suddenly drugging people and living this whole different narrative. I found that really interesting. And then, I started to read her diaries, and she was so deeply tortured and obsessed. She had this obsession with Charles and this delusion. I just found her psychology so fascinating. I wanted to try to understand her, which felt like a challenge, in a really exciting way. I became a little bit obsessed with her, trying to uncover how people do what they do.

At what point in the process did you feel that you started to really sympathize with her, and did that ever waver?

COLEMAN: It changed, all the time. What I found fascinating about the viewing over here in the UK is that certain reactions are, “Oh, poor Marie-Andrée. She was a victim and she met this man.” And other people are like, “Oh, my goodness, I can’t quite look at you now since you played that serial killer.” I find that really interesting because it was such an interesting study of her. She is a victim and she isn’t a victim. She’s not one thing. She was a victim of love, but there was also something very conscious and active about the part that she played, as well. She wasn’t a weeping willow, dragged along the way. There was something else psychologically driving her. So, I swayed back and forth, all the time. That’s what was so intoxicating about it.

Was it challenging to also try to figure out how she saw herself?

COLEMAN: Her diaries, in particular, made me realize that her self-worth was so low. She was so berating of herself and so belittling of herself, deep down. You see her playing the glamorous part, trying to be the woman that she thought she should be on Charles’ arm and performing the way that he wanted her to. It was all because she had no anchor within herself. Her diaries, in particular, allow you to hear her inner voice. We touch upon it a little in Episode 2, but her sense of self is almost completely lost.

This relationship is important to the story, but the chemistry for you guys, as actors, is equally important. What do you feel Tahar Rahim brought to this and how did that help you when you were working on this relationship together?

COLEMAN: His stillness is terrifying, with that coiled spring thing. He’s very still and measured, and what’s hilarious is that Tahar is not like that, at all. Tahar in make-up in the morning, he fidgets and his energy is so completely different. I feel like for him to stand and be so focused and still, and hold that energy for the day, took so much because that’s just not his vibe. But instinctively, as actors, we work very similarly. And Tom Shankland, our director, is so open and free and playful. That relationship between the three of us was great and easy. It meant that we felt both completely safe with one another, but then also that we could really explore and try things. Especially with the true crime drama, but also more psychological thriller-esque, it’s about pitching and where the relationship is, at each point. In every scene, the way they pivot around each other is so important. Whenever Charles was in the room, Marie-Andrée, would know because she’s so focused on him, all of the time. Also, psychologically, Charles Sobhraj is so inhumane, in the way that he is. To explore that relationship was really fun. It was great working with him.

You’ve talked a lot about how challenging the accent was to do and to have to speak in a different language for some of this. Did you feel that you ever fully mastered it, or were you constantly your own harshest critic while you were having to do all of that?

COLEMAN: Yeah, I’m very much my own harshest critic. I’m actually so proud of what I did, in the space of not very long, at all. Also, the scripts were constantly changing as we went. It was an impossible task. In the time that you have, it’s about finding the ability to work through the script very technically, so that you can then arrive on set. And then, when me and Tahar were playing scenes and flipping between English and French, the technicality is so totally removed. That takes a lot of hours, before you get to that point. It was absolutely a huge challenge, but I loved the job. I’m still learning French now.

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Whatever you think of this character, you do get to wear some pretty great, very fashionable wardrobe. What did you think of her style, with the bold colors and the prints and all of the accessories?

COLEMAN: It’s so funny, especially in the UK, the costumes have had such reaction and it was so not considered, in that way. The character goes on such an arc, so in terms of the character journey, we very much focused on big mad hair and thick geeky glasses at the beginning. But then, she wants to become the people that she sees in the magazines, so it’s like a dark Bridget Bardot. The director was sending me images and in Thailand they had seamstresses that would put things together so quickly. It was really creative. As we went along in filming, she was this hidden woman pretending to be somebody else and pretending to be this person that she isn’t, so we had to construct that image. For when she goes to Paris, we were looking at Bianca Jagger. And then, at the end, she was this undone woman, where the make-up was gritty and sweating off of her face, and she was covered in mud, and it was unraveling. And then, she becomes almost like a nun at the end, more angelic. It was such a fun trajectory. It’s been amazing that there’s been such a response, but it was never really something that we thought about. We were just serving the story.

What was it like to just get this production done? Between monsoons and a pandemic, was there ever a point where you wondered whether you’d ever be able to finish shooting this?

COLEMAN: There were many, many, many points where we all thought, “This will never see the light of day.” It was a four-month shoot that became a 13-month shoot, from start to finish. I remember saying to my brother, “It’s coming out on New Year’s Day.” And he was like, “No, it won’t. Something will happen. It won’t make it out.” I was like, “No, it is.” And he was like, “No, every TV will self-implode in the UK, before it will actually finally make it out.” There were just so many elements. I think that’s what makes it feel really special. It never jaded anybody. It almost became this running comedy, in a way. It really united us because we really wanted to get this story out and tell this story. It became this labor of love that was like, “Okay, whatever you want to throw at us. Let’s see what’s next. We’ll keep shooting.” To get it to the screen and to get the reaction that we’ve had over in the UK, it feels really rewarding.

Especially with COVID, there was some time there for a while where people weren’t sure if production would ever start again.

COLEMAN: Yeah. Tahar went off to shoot The Mauritanian. So whilst we were still shooting, he went to do that, and then came back with no hair. There were lots of different stops and starts along the way, and then there was a pandemic. I remember Tahar being like, “We’re going to finish this. What else could go wrong?” And then, cut to a pandemic.

What is the coolest thing about getting to be involved with a show like Doctor Who, knowing that you’ll always be remembered for having been a part of it? What’s it like to get to be a part of an awesome little club of actors like that?

COLEMAN: It’s great. It really is like that. With conventions and things, I see Billie [Piper], David [Tennant], Matt [Smith] and Peter [Capaldi]. Especially because I joined during the 50^th, where everyone came back, it feels like it was such a great starting ground. There’s nothing else to ever compare it to. There’s no other job like it. It’s just the element of storytelling and the adventure. It feels like being part of quite a special club.

I love too that you also got to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so early on, before the Avengers got together and before it turned into the insane monster franchise that it is now. What was it like to be a part of Captain America: The First Avenger? Did you have any idea just how huge that whole world was going to become?

COLEMAN: No, absolutely not. In fact, I remember it was called Frostbite. That was the code name. No, I had no idea. I just knew that it was so great, as an actor, because I could see the huge set ups and the green screen. It was just a great experience to be able to watch. I had no idea.

Did they even give you a full script to read, when you did that?

COLEMAN: I don’t think so, no. I don’t think they did. I’m only in the very beginning of the movie. I actually can’t remember, but I’m sure it must’ve just been scenes.

Do you have any idea what you’re going to do next?

COLEMAN: It’s hard. You’re always waiting for that thing hit your desk that you basically can’t say no to. That’s what The Serpent was for me. It just felt so far away from anything that I’ve ever done. The story drew me in and I’m such a fan of Tahar. Everything was lining up on that job, completely. I never quite know what’s next. I just finished an indie a week ago, which is a really dark comedy. That’s more of a genre piece. And there’s a series that I’ve just wrapped shooting on. In terms of what’s next, I really don’t know it. I seem to have an instinctive reaction to scripts.

What’s the indie that you just did?

COLEMAN: It’s called Klokkenluider, which means whistleblower in Flemish. I think that’s the working title.

What was that character like to explore?

COLEMAN: She’s completely foul-mouthed, quite masculine, and quite angry. It’s really different. She doesn’t shut up. Tonally, I don’t even know what to compare it to because it’s such a specific, real dark comedy. She comes in on this mission and I had reams of these amazing monologues. It’s definitely a departure from The Serpent.

The Serpent is available to stream at Netflix.

KEEP READING: ‘The Serpent’ Star Tahar Rahim Fantasized About Playing Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj as a Teenager

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