Nessie Nash-Bates says “more twists to come” after surprise 'Grotescare' reset

[This story contains major spoilers from the seventh episode of Grotesquerie.]

Seven episodes by Ryan Murphy Grotesquery already makes the entire series a bit of a puzzle, when it turns out that everything that has happened up until now has only happened in the mind of its protagonist, Lois Tryon (Nessie Nash-Bates), who is supposed to be a detective catching a killer in a murder.

“What we found out was that it wasn't actually Marshall, Courtney B. Vance, who was in a coma, it was Lois all along,” Nash-Bates explains. The Hollywood Reporter. “So those plot twists and all the things you were introduced to believe about all the other characters, they weren't really true. So now that Lois is awake, who are these people? And what's going on?”

Neglecting to answer her own question for fear of revealing a spoiler, Nash-Bates said of the remaining three episodes of the FX horror, “I can tell you, there may be more twists to come.”

The already surprising plot twist confirms Raven Goodwin's earlier claims about her character, saying THR In an earlier interview, “Merit is much more than what meets the eye.” In episode seven, “Unplugged,” she is revealed as a cancer researcher with two doctorates—rather than a gluttonous housewife—who marries Travis Kells' Ed Lachlan, who is no longer a charming orderly, but a philanthropist who sleeps with his mother-in-law, Lois, When he is not working in Sinnaban.

Leslie Manville's nurse Red and Marshall are in a romantic relationship, although she is now Cherry Red, a fan-only model, and Marshall is still a professor and outspoken fraud who is hypocritical, so upset by Lois' relationship with Ed that he decides to plug her. That's when Sister Megan's (Michaela Diamond) interest in cult crime takes on a new form as she's revealed to be the real head detective of the police department who then shows up at the hospital to pay her respects to Lois. It is there that Father Charlie (Nicolas Alexander Chavez) is revealed to be a critical care physician, rather than a man of the cloth.

Below, Nash-Bates, who is also an executive producer on the series, talks about keeping the plot a secret from the rest of the cast, a potential love scene with Kells, and filming that naughty kitchen fight with Diamond.

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Ryan Murphy said THR He didn't say much about the series before he sent you the script, he wanted you for the role. What was your initial reaction and what made you say yes?

Well, listen, he's got some things going, as you know. He's always up to something. So first we sat down at the Chateau Marmont, and he laid out all this stuff and I thought, “Oh, that sounds interesting,” and then he sent me some scripts. I saw the script once Grotesquery I was like “ding ding ding”. I love it so much, I've never played anything like it. I was tempted by a character I had never played before. And I just had to do it.

Lois is such a complex character. Where do you pull from to embody all that?

Honey, all I have to do is turn around, look at this family I was born into, and [say]”I'll take some from that aunt,” “I'll take from that uncle,” “I'll take it from that man.” I borrow things that I have experienced in life to create him.

How do you play a character who knows everything, in this Russian doll twist unfolding? And, do you know everything about how the story ends?

I know a lot. I know a lot, because you have to unravel the thread of where the story is going so you know how to navigate, how to act, how to show. Ryan is a great collaborative partner because we take it down and talk about it almost every day to make sure we're getting it right. [When] You open up Ryan Murphy — I don't even know how he comes up with this stuff, but I trust him so much that he always says “hello” to me.

Was it difficult to keep the details a secret from the rest of the cast?

No, because in every scene, we are very locked in. And it's fun to be on a set where the cast and crew are having conversations about whodunit. We start as a horror, then we move into a family drama, and then it becomes this big whodunit. There are a lot of different things that we're playing through this series. There's plenty to keep us busy.

That being said, the fight scene between your character and Michaela is brutal. Can you talk through that execution and how much time you spent getting it right?

We spent a lot of time on it. You watch fights on television and it's like watching a dance, there's choreography happening. They don't just put you in a room and say, “Okay, scratch each other's eyes out.” It's “When he puts his hand here you put your hand there,” “When he does this you do that,” so there's a lot of moving parts and we've got stunt doubles. My dear, I've been working with a lot of people for years, his name is JJ Branch, and they're exactly what their part is going to be and what Michaela and I are responsible for. So it was intense, and I think we probably had about three days of shooting to get it.

The partnership between Lois and sister Megan has been enjoyable to watch up to this point. What was it like working so closely with Michaela?

Oh, my baby. I love him so much. He is very talented. He came from theater, so that was his introduction to television, and I thought he did a great job. I also love that we marry some of his art into the story when we do drive-ons and we sing together in the car. [in episode four].

Ryan also said that you have incredible chemistry with Travis Kelce. Initially it seemed like the relationship with Lois and Ed might be in his head, but later we find out that they were close. Are there any romantic scenes coming up between the two of you?

Well, first of all, I love Travis. He's a great guy, great to work with. I thought she did so well for her acting debut. I love the fact that all these characters can do a double act. So we see him as Eddie quickly at the beginning and then the plot twist – oh, he really does have a mullet and works at the mall. So, did you see exactly what happened between Lois and Eddie? stay tuned

Raven Goodwin says THR That he called after sending in her audition tape and asked her if it was something she really wanted to do. What made you reach out to him and finally choose him for merit?

He was my first choice from the beginning. I sent her stuff to Ryan, and I was like, “We've got to see this woman.” I even went so far as to put a picture of me and a picture of Courtney B. Vance and her little face in the middle. I'm like, “Can't we look like a family? He looks just like his dad. Come on now.” (laughs) I was rooting for him. I really wanted to work with him because I think he's so talented. And when he came to the audition, I was like, “I'm coming. I want to read with him. I want to see you in the room. It's going to be great.” And it was, and she has. I'm so glad it all worked out.

What does it mean to be an executive producer on this series and have a hand in making it your way?

It means, “Listen and lean in. I have something to say.” (laughs) This meant that I was able to fully participate in all aspects of this production. And I love it there. I love it there because you are creating, and you are molding and influencing the world and the people around you. Being a leading lady and an EP is one of my favorite things to do.

An Emmy nomination for this role seems pretty imminent. How do you feel about that possibility??

When you show up to work you're not thinking at this point, “Boy will this get them. This will be the one.” You have to be present and locked in and dialed in to get a grounded performance. When I did my big speech in the third episode, when I finished it, all the cast sitting around were like (hand clap) and it didn't make me say, “Oh, here comes another Emmy.” But what it made me say was, “I did something that was believable,” “I did something that people saw and had an attitude toward their performance.” And then the next thought is, “Okay, what's the next thing?” Because you can't live in it. “Oh, they started clapping for me?” no We have many days.

The series touches on many important topics, from abortion to climate change and AI to this existential crisis. Do you think the timing of the series is important in the run-up to the presidential election?

will i? Of course I do. I'm not the only black woman trying to save the world from evil.

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Grotesquery Episodes eight and nine will be released next Wednesday at 10pm on FX (streaming the next day on Hulu), followed by the finale on October 30. Read on. THRInterviews with Murphy and FX boss John Landgraf revealed the twist.