Emma Corrin is no stranger to taking on emotionally complex roles. They’ve played a woman who grapples with the foundation of her marriage in My Policeman as well as a young Princess Diana on Netflix’s The Crown. Corrin’s latest role takes them into even murkier waters as an actor, though. The rising star headlines FX’s A Murder at the End of the World, a thrilling mystery limited series that can currently be streamed with a Hulu subscription. On the show, Corrin plays the role of Darby Hart and, as the actor explained to CinemaBlend, they made a decision about the character early on that helped inform most of the show.
From the moment viewers meet Darby in the first episode, it’s apparent that she’s an interesting individual. What was known ahead of the show’s premiere, of course, is that she’s an amateur sleuth and, as time goes on, it’s discovered that she’s had some interesting experiences. Emma Corrin caught up with CinemaBlend while promoting the show and discussed her approach to Hart. The lead of the miniseries revealed the aspects of the character they were most eager to explore:
I feel like she’s got this sort of dryness to her sense of humor, and she’s sort of equal parts quite cynical and… She has quite an active internal world, so I feel like she’s quite cynical about everything she’s observing, and I really enjoyed performing that part of it. But, also, she has this lightness and this enjoyment of it.
A Murder at the End of the World follows Darby as she heads to a retreat in the Arctic alongside a select group of people. While there, someone is murdered, leading Hart to use her skills to deduce the killer’s identity. In any kind of show, it’s important that viewers understand a lead character’s personality relatively quickly. With that in mind, Emma Corrin wanted to do their best to set the tone for Darby’s demeanor early on. Corrin went on to tell our own Sean O’Connell just how they sought to do that with one of the show’s earliest scenes. And apparently, the ultimate result was motivated by a keen decision Corrin made:
I had this decision to make when she’s being thrown into this, like the first scene, where she's on the plane with these guests she’s going to the retreat with. And I’m like, ‘Would she totally be too cool for school through insecurity and a bit doesn’t want to talk to anyone. And I was like, ‘No, because I feel that’s such an obvious thing to do. No one is just that one thing.’ So I was like, ‘Maybe it’s funnier to also add some enjoyment and excitement and sort of balancing those two things.
That was a wise decision on the Lady Chatterley's Lover alum’s part, as it helped make Darby a layered individual. The character remains mostly consistent as the seven-episode series progresses. However, even she begins to unravel a bit as the proceedings push on.
Considering their strong performance in the critically well-received A Murder at the End of the World and more, it’s not hard to understand why Emma Corrin is carving out a great lane for themself in Hollywood. They’re reaching new professional heights, and it’s exciting to think about what they have coming up next. One of their upcoming projects is the highly anticipated Deadpool 3, in which Corrin is playing a mystery villain. While they weren’t a “Marvel person” before joining the threequel, Corrin admitted to joining up out of a desire to play a baddie.
There’s reason to be hopeful that Emma Corrin will bring the same level of layers to that character that she brought to Darby Hart in this dark miniseries. One can’t help but appreciate an actor who makes such cerebral decisions regarding their performances. Because, as is the case with A Murder at the End of the World, they can prove to be invaluable not just for the role but for the production as a whole. Be sure to check out Corrin’s acting choices by streaming every episode of the FX original on Hulu now. Also, stay locked on the 2024 TV schedule for other major mystery and whodunnit shows.
