The Neversbegins with a (supernatural) bang.
(It’s not unlikeX-Men, but with almost all women and a lot more Victorian garb.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Had you all met before working onThe Nevers?
Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly on ‘The Nevers’.Keith Bernstein/HBO
LAURA DONNELLY:We met at the chemistry read, which was brilliant.
It was a very easy chemistry between us.
ANN SKELLY:It took away the nerves as well.
It just felt really nice and I hope that translates.
How would you describe the dynamic between your characters, Amalia and Penance?
DONNELLY:When you’ve got close female friends it always feels very much like a sisterhood.
Hopefully, that reads.
The chemistry of these two characters together was kind of the most important element of starting off the show.
SKELLY:There’s a great balance because the two characters have different world views and life experiences.
They go about handling things very differently, but then they can come together and take on the world.
They balance each other out.
Amalia and Penance are trying to protect the touched, but is there more to their plan?
There has been this event that has created these powers or abilities.
A lot of questions get resolved within these first six episodes.
SKELLY:There is [a] good payoff and it is very satisfying.
Not every character knows the full story.
The mystery serves a really great purpose.
How difficult is it to do a fight scene in Victorian clothing?
DONNELLY:Surprisingly, the corset is not the problem.
The problem is the long skirt.
The corset I’ve discovered is brilliant for fighting because it keeps your posture really good.
How much of it is practical?
DONNELLY:A surprising amount, actually.
It’s not my idea of a dream job to be playing to tennis balls and green screens.
I enjoy acting so much for one reason, which is the human connection.
I love being able to look into somebody else’s eyes and have what is a real moment.
Just that experience of these old homes is totally immersive.
[Laughs] So it can really add to your performance.
Obviously, there’s been a lot of talk about working with Joss Whedon recently.
What was your personal experience of working with Joss?
SKELLY:I loved working with Joss.
I found him to be a lovely boss and director, he was very open.
I felt he cared a lot for the actors and the crew.
It was definitely one of my favorite on-set experiences for sure.
One of the great things was the way that trickled down.
SKELLY:Everyone would show up to work happy to be there, ready to go.
That is a very contagious feeling.
It was a very positive energy.
I’d like to think that everybody else on set did too.
I think that’s brilliant of HBO.
I’ll always be grateful to them for providing that for us.
What was your reaction to Joss' decision to leave the show?
Were you blindsided by it?
DONNELLY:We found out at the same time as everybody else did when it was announced from HBO.
I was certainly gutted.
I was going to miss him a lot he was our captain.
But at the same time, he left for personal reasons and you could’t argue with that.
I wouldn’t want it to be any other way for him.
SKELLY:I found out the same way and I was really sad.
I think she’ll continue on [in] that really positive atmosphere.
She does have creative control, so it’s going to be her spin on things.
It will feel like a lovely continuation I think.
The Neverspremieres April 11 on HBO.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
