BAFTA winner Anne-Marie Duff (‘Bad Sisters’) on the ‘profound’ effect of the show
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“Bad Sisters” had a terrific night at the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday 14, May. After winning Best Titles and Graphic Identity at the BAFTA Craft Awards, the Apple TV+ show took home Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actress for Anne-Marie Duff on the Sunday just gone, bringing its awards total up to three BAFTAs.
The show follows the five Garvey sisters, led by Sharon Horgan‘s Eva, who all try to kill the abusive husband (Claes Bang‘s JP) of Duff’s Grace. Meanwhile, two insurance agents (Brian Gleeson‘s Thomas and Daryl McCormack‘s Matthew) attempt to prove the sisters’ involvement in JP’s death. As Grace, Duff gets the plumb role of the show — combining both ferocity and vulnerability to give a performance that ultimately becomes the heart of the series.
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Gold Derby spoke to Duff backstage just after she won her award, which was her first BAFTA win on her fifth nomination. In particular, Duff spoke about working with Danish actor Bang, who she joked gave her “living hell” for months while filming due to their respective characters’ on-screen relationship.
“We had such a ride together, the two of us. He is extraordinary and kind of mad and brilliant so I say he made my life a living hell [the character] but actually, he made me laugh my head off every day. But we knew the jig would have been up if we hadn’t taken it seriously,” Duff said.
“So we knew we had to play it as if it was a real full-on drama so that then the audience would be going ‘kill him, kill him’ otherwise it wouldn’t have worked and that’s the thing about a gag, isn’t it? There’s always jeopardy, otherwise, it wouldn’t work so, we actually had a really good time working together. He takes his work so seriously, he’s such an intelligent, interesting actor.”
This award will surely push Duff higher up our Emmy odds chart. Currently, she sits outside of our predicted eight Best Supporting Drama Actress nominees: Carol Burnett (“Better Call Saul”), Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”), Christina Ricci (“Yellowjackets”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”), Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul,”) and, in pole position, the iconic Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”). However, Duff isn’t thinking about any of that right now, she told us.
“I don’t know, I was totally stunned when they said my name tonight, genuinely. I know everybody says that but I really was, I didn’t expect it. So, I think – vas avoir. Who knows?” said, Duff, who is seeking her first Emmy bid. This would be a fitting bid for Duff, whose potential nomination would actually represent the collective work of the entire cast. It would also be a nomination that is new and fresh. Cameron, Seehorn, Coolidge, and Ricci have all recently been nominated for the same performance while “The Crown,” “Better Call Saul,” “Succession,” and “The White Lotus” are constantly littered with acting nominations. Voters might want new blood in the race and Duff is, therefore, an easy choice.
Duff also told the winners’ press conference backstage at the BAFTAs that the show has been “profound” to her because she expected it to appeal to “a certain kind of female demographic” but has actually found that men, too, are finding it just as an important a show.
“I was on Hampstead Heath [London] and there was a group of guys who were a running club and they all stopped because they wanted to talk to me about coercion and that’s huge because it’s so unexpected and it reminds you that its really worthwhile telling these stories,” Duff said.
“Bad Sisters” popularity with BAFTA has equaled its popularity with viewers, which has led to a second season being officially green-lit. And Duff says the show is part of “an extraordinary age of television.”
“That is the arena where people are taking most risks, definitely with writing but sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming. There’s so much quality and content to view. I think we’re just spoilt for choice and certainly, as actors, because there is so much interesting writing, we get to really swell these performances so we’re very spoilt, we’re very happy,” Duff said.
As to what could be coming up for Duff’s Grace in season two? Well, she has some ideas…
“Maybe she ends up in Costa Rica with Antonio Banderas rubbing sun-tan cream on her back? I mean, literally who knows? Let’s see what happens, where she leaps.”
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