Sirens debuted atop the Netflix charts over the Memorial Day weekend and has steadily built a massive viewership. A dark comedy limited series starring academy-award-winning actress Julianne Moore, created by Molly Smith Metzler, based on her play ‘Elemeno Pea’. A modern exploration of women, class, and power set at a lavish beach estate centered on the relationship of sisters with wildly different perspectives. The lovely and talented actresses Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus) and Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) play the sisters – Devon and Simone. Fahy and Alcock recently spoke to Immersive via Zoom about the experience.
[This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.]
How did you first get involved with this series, and what made it appeal to you?
Meghann Fahey: I immediately read the pilot and loved Devon’s character. I loved the comedic component. I loved that it felt like a dark comedy because that’s a genre that appeals to me. It’s what I like watching. Big fan of Molly’s as well. So that felt cool. I made it very clear that I really wanted to be a part of it, and then eventually, I had a meeting with Molly and Nicole, and we went forward from there.
Milly Alcock: I got sent the pilot, and I read it, and I thought this was really interesting. Simone is a character who I don’t usually get pitched to play. I really liked the challenge of it. She’s so much fun. I put a tape down, and then I met with Molly and Nicole, and we chatted, and then I got the job, and here we are.
Did you know each other before? Or did you get to know each other while making this? Because you are totally believable as sisters in this, which is not an easy thing to do.
Meghann Fahey: We did not know each other before but spent time together before filming. It was just a natural connection and vibe – we got really lucky with that.
Milly Alcock: We got together before filming and then hung out on set. We have so many unforgettable moments; all of my favorite scenes are with her. They were so much fun to play. We shot out of order but in two episode blocks. Our relationship as friends and coworkers unraveled as their relationship got going. It wouldn’t have worked if we had to do some of the scenes at the start. It was so lucky that we could act it out because it was so sad by the end.
Julianne Moore is such an amazing actress. I’d like to know your impressions of working with her.
Meghann Fahey: I was so impressed with her. The way that she moved through the space daily. Beyond just how incredibly dropped in she is as a performer, how generous she is as a scene partner, and how she treats and interacts with everyone. She’s a true professional. As a woman in this industry, I think witnessing someone like this is really inspiring.
Milly Alcock: She’s just such a pro. She would show up, do her bit, and be really open. She became a part of the group. I think that sometimes bigger actors aren’t willing to be a part of the community of a set. She was always there. You learn how to ask her for or not ask for things or how to work a scene. She was just so available as a person and an actor and set a good standard for me.
Class is a dominant theme, and the action occurs mainly in a luxury atmosphere. Talk a little bit about playing against that. Your characters are on opposite sides of the spectrum regarding how they feel about their status…
Milly Alcock: My character Simone sees class as an outlet. I will get out of my current situation by pretending to be someone I’m not. Creating the illusion of having more class and status than she does because she sees it as an asset to get out of her situation. The truth is a debilitating aspect of her life that she’s trying to hide away from. I think for Devon, there’s a working-class pride that she has. She’s proud to be where she’s from, and she uses her adversity to empower her in an empowering way.
This is a predominantly female-centric story, with women squarely as the power brokers in this world. What are your thoughts on that theme?
Meghann Fahey: I wanna repeat something that Molly shared with us. This idea is that sirens, as we know them, are sort of monsters who make sailors crash their boats, so what we know about sirens is from the male perspective. Molly said, “I thought maybe we should focus on what the song is, and maybe they’re crying for help. You know, what is it? What are they saying?” I think that is the entry point for our characters. By the end, they’ve all sort of put their relationship to power under a microscope in one way or another. I think it’s a very cool unfolding theme to watch happen throughout the series.
Milly Alcock: All of these women have their stories but are still beholden to the men in their lives. With Michaela, it is Peter’s (Kevin Bacon) money; For Simone, it’s her father (Bill Camp); and for my character, it is Ethan (Glenn Howerton). It’s like we’re using these men as outlets to get out of our situation because none of these women are really in a position where they can do it on their own. It’s heartbreaking, but I think that unites these three women.
What has this experience been like in hindsight?
Meghann Fahey: It’s so much fun. I feel like we just got so lucky. It’s an incredible cast with some unbelievable actors, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to work with each other. It’s an ensemble, which is always my favorite kind of project to be a part of. The writing is so great, and Molly’s such a good collaborator.
Sirens also boasts a significant ensemble of men backing this unique female-centered story.
Glenn Howerton is a versatile actor and star of films like BlackBerry and shows like The Mindy Project; he is best known as Dennis Reynolds on the long-running sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Felix Solis (Ozark, The Recruit) is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company and has starred in dozens of plays, films, and shows. Bill Camp (The Queen’s Gambit, The Leftovers) has long played supporting roles in movies and TV and has an impressive resume. Howerton, Solis, and Camp also recently spoke to Immersive via Zoom.
[This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.]
Glenn, Felix, and Bill, this is a general question for each of you. How did you get involved with Sirens, and what was specifically appealing about it?
Glenn Howerton: It came to me as an offer, which I was delighted at because the character is so different from the characters I’m generally associated with; after reading through the terrific scripts sent to me to decide whether I wanted to do it or not. Then, sitting down with our executive producer, Nicole Kassell, who also directed the first two episodes, and Molly Smith Metzler, who created the show. I had such a great conversation with them, and it was so thoughtful, and I felt like I was in safe hands. That’s the most important thing for me. The combination of those elements, then hearing who was in the cast… This is a no-brainer.
Felix Solis: I auditioned, and I got a callback. I auditioned again for the callback, had an interview with Molly and Nicole, and then was asked to do the role of direct answer. I also know the play ‘Elemeno Pea’ that the show is based on. I’m a child of the theater, and I love the story because of the fantastic realism of doing things that are Lorcaesque – real but not real, a magical reality. Magic for me is theater. And theater on television is a dream.
Bill Camp: I had worked with Nicole before and knew of Molly’s writing. I had a direct offer, a Zoom meeting, and I heard about the cast and the character. Just like Glenn said, it was a no-brainer. I knew playing this guy would be a challenge, and I like to embrace that.
What were some challenges of playing this role? As you already said, this is different from previous roles; you’re playing a pompous guy.
Glenn Howerton: There is a pomposity to anyone who grows up rich. That was never anything that I intentionally brought to it. But I know that it was there because it’s there in the writing; it’s inherent to who he is. So, getting to play the sweetness of the character, I think, allowed me to find different levels to it. So that was fun.
Talk for a moment about working with Milly Alcock…
Glenn Howerton: She’s wonderful… I didn’t know her before working on this, but seeing as we played lovers in the piece, I got to know her as well as we possibly could before shooting. There was a level of comfort there. She is just like any great actor: very generous and open, has a great sense of humor, has a great personality, and is highly collaborative. I couldn’t have asked for a better scene partner. It was just such a wonderful experience.
Felix, your character, Jose, is essential in the overall scheme of things. Can you talk a little bit about tackling that sort of role?
Felix Solis: The greatest feat the devil ever pulled was making you believe that he never existed. I believe that Jose allows himself to exist inside of that world without drawing too much attention to himself.
Great answer. Bill, you’re playing the father of these two characters. Talk a little bit about that dynamic.
Bill Camp: It was fun to play because it was vibrant. We talked about a lot of history. It’s also inherently inferred in the script, and then we can fill that stuff in as actors. It’s a privilege to work with Meghann and Milly as their dad; they’re all culpable in this relationship. The dynamic is fertile ground for family complexities.
Sirens is streaming on Netflix.
