We met with Tom Pelphrey, who brings the character of Robbie to life in the series Task, and Emilia Jones, who plays Maeve, to talk about the show and their characters. Enjoy the read!
Tom, my first question is for you. Robbie is one of the most layered characters I’ve seen in a crime narrative in a long time. What was your reaction when you first read the script, and how did you prepare for the role?
Tom: I thought what Brad had written, what he had created on the page, was incredible. Honestly, the very first thing that went through my mind was, “The only thing I can do here is mess this up!”
Emilia: You absolutely did not.
Tom: Thank you. The writing was truly beautiful. Then the slow process of putting everything together began. Working with great directors and great scene partners helps a lot. And then there was that damn accent… It kept me up at night for a long time.
Emilia: And it actually helped us bond. When we first met, we went out for coffee, started talking about the “Delco accent,” and ended up talking about it for an hour.
Tom: Yes! “How do you do the O’s? Do you always use the O’s?” (They both laugh.)
Brad is a writer who gives great depth to supporting characters as well, and at the same time forces the audience to empathize with the story’s “villain.” What is it like working with a writer like that?
Emilia: That’s my favorite thing about Brad. Every character has such a rich backstory, so you really find yourself forming a connection with them. Another thing I love about the show is this: it’s not about good guys versus bad guys. People react differently when they’re desperate, and there’s a reason behind everyone’s behavior.
That was one of the things that drew me most to the script. Brad has a very original way of writing. Since he’s from Pennsylvania, the setting of the show feels very specific and authentic, and we all had to do the Delco accent. We shot in Philadelphia and Delaware County, and I think that really helped.
Tom: Yes, Brad gives everyone a “why.” In his shows, no character does anything without a reason. Even with the hardest characters to like, you can at least see why they behave the way they do. That’s every actor’s dream. Because that’s what you want. If you can play that strongly enough, you move beyond judgment, which is exactly where you want to be. Brad presents it in such a way that he gives you what you often have to create yourself as an actor.
Dizide sevdiğim bir başka şey de şu: Mesele iyi adamlara karşı kötü adamlar değil. İnsanlar çaresiz durumlarda farklı tepkiler veriyor, herkesin davranışlarının arkasında bir sebep var. Bu da senaryoda beni en çok çeken şeylerden biriydi. -Emilia
While watching Robbie, it feels almost impossible not to empathize with him. The show never lets us forget that he’s a father trying to change his life. Tom, how do you interpret the theme of fatherhood in the story?
Tom: Hmm, yes. I became a father recently myself, and I realized something: it feels completely normal to do almost anything for your child’s needs. It’s really that simple.
What can you say about Robbie and Maeve’s relationship? It’s quite complex and layered…
Tom: Honestly, their dynamic always made me laugh. On set, I felt helpless sometimes because Emilia and I get along great in real life, but during work she’s very serious. All Robbie wants is for Maeve to laugh just once, or even give a small smile. But I always felt like I was facing a wall of icy hatred. I think I managed to get a laugh once or twice, but they probably never used those takes. Because Emilia definitely said behind my back, “You can’t use that, there can’t be even the slightest indication that Maeve likes Robbie!”
Emilia: When I read the script, I felt that Maeve had reached the very end of her endurance. She’s trapped, starting to lose her sense of self, and filled with anger toward both the world and Robbie. She constantly has to hold everything together. My first thought was, “Okay, Maeve is really angry at Robbie.” But then I met Tom, and we got along so well. I adore Tom. When I watched the show, though, I thought, “They actually really love each other.”
Yes, in the show I often look at Tom with hatred. But there were moments in that bed scene where he made me laugh. Robbie is such a lovable character, and Tom portrays that beautifully. He plays him with so many layers that you genuinely connect with him and find yourself rooting for him. Because you understand why he does what he does, it all comes from love. I think that’s true for Maeve as well. Yes, she rolls her eyes at Robbie, but she truly loves him and would do anything for her family.
Çekimler sırasında Maeve’le aynı yaştaydım ve bunun gerçekten çok faydası oldu. Maeve hayatıma çok önemli bir dönemde girdi. Bir süredir biraz hastaydım ve dünyaya karşı biraz karamsar hissediyordum. Senaryoyu okuduğumda Maeve’i çok iyi anladım. Boğuluyormuş gibi hissediyordu, sıkışmış ve biraz da kaybolmuş bir haldeydi. Bunu oynamak gerçekten ilginçti. -Emilia
Maeve takes on huge responsibilities at a very young age. Did being a young actor yourself make it easier to bring her to life?
Emilia: I was the same age as Maeve during filming, and that really helped. Maeve entered my life at a very important time. I had been a bit ill for a while and was feeling somewhat pessimistic about the world. When I read the script, I understood Maeve so well. She felt like she was drowning, trapped and a little lost. Playing that was really interesting.
Maeve is also a character who internalizes her emotions. Most of the time, she’s thinking one thing but projecting something else, because she’s incredibly strong yet very fragile. I don’t think she ever had the time or space to fully process her pain or the wound of losing her father. Weaving all those emotions into every scene was really rewarding. Maeve is a somewhat fractured character because she loves her family deeply, but she also feels extremely trapped and exhausted.
Mark hem harika bir insan hem de inanılmaz bir oyuncu. O yüksek gerilimli sahneleri Brad’in müthiş mizah anlayışıyla harmanlayarak oynamak… İşte bu işi yapma sebebim tam da bu. -Tom
Tom, you mentioned in another interview that even though you share the lead with Mark Ruffalo, the show’s chase-driven nature meant you only filmed together for a few days. Even though those moments were brief, watching the two of you on screen was a real pleasure. What were those moments like for you?
Tom: First of all, thank you. That was truly a dream come true for me. Those scenes were written so beautifully… Mark is both a wonderful human being and an incredible actor. Playing those high-tension scenes while blending in Brad’s amazing sense of humor, that’s exactly why I do this job. Days like that are incredibly exciting. They don’t happen often, in fact they’re very rare. But on this show, those scenes were deeply satisfying for me. The days I worked with Mark were very special.
I think Robbie is a very quiet character, someone who can communicate a lot without saying much. What was it like conveying that emotion without words?
Tom: What he wants and what he’s trying to do were always very clear to me. And when you know that, you can communicate it in any way, verbally or nonverbally. When everything is clear, it just works. A lot happens in the story; there’s plenty of plot and shifting dynamics. But Brad somehow managed to make everything very understandable. That’s why playing it always felt comfortable to me.
Beyond being a family, what do you think personally connects Robbie and Maeve?
Tom: They both love jumping on trampolines.
Emilia: Who doesn’t? (They both laugh.) I think they both feel trapped. There was a scene in the third episode that Brad wrote beautifully, and I think it was very important for both of our characters. It felt like we were looking into a mirror for the first time. From Maeve’s perspective, young people can sometimes be self-focused, she’s very focused on her own feelings and on how Robbie makes her feel. But in that scene, she truly understands for the first time what Robbie is feeling. Robbie is also drowning, trapped, unheard, and trying to build a better life for his family because he loves them. I think that’s the moment when Maeve first sees herself in Robbie.
Tom: I think that’s absolutely right. They’re both stuck. They’re in a situation that keeps getting harder, and they both feel responsible for the people around them. They deal with it in their own ways, but their attitude is the same: they’ll do whatever it takes to keep things going.
Without giving spoilers, what was the hardest scene to play or the most difficult emotion to experience for you?
Emilia: : That’s a hard question. Tom was truly a team player. In one scene, I had to throw something at his face, and even when the camera wasn’t on him, he said, “Yes, you can still throw it at my face.” Maybe that scene was harder for you, Tom. (Laughs)
Tom: No, that scene was fun. Challenging? I don’t know… Honestly, everything was incredibly enjoyable because it all felt right. It all felt real. There wasn’t a single scene where I thought, “Okay, now I have to do that damn acting!”
Then let me ask your favorite scene…
Tom: Yes! My favorite scene was the one where Maeve comes home while Robbie is smoking weed in the room.
Emilia: That was my favorite scene too.
Tom: Because while shooting it, I felt like I was in an old Buster Keaton comedy. It was pure slapstick. (Laughs)
Of course, I have to ask about the accent. How did you work on it?
Emilia: I started taking dialect lessons with Susanne Sulby about five months before filming began. She was amazing and helped me so much. In the first lesson, I remember thinking, “I’ve never heard anyone talk like this in my life.” Dealing with all those sounds felt incredibly difficult. I probably watched Mare of Easttown about eleven times, because it was the only show where everyone used the Delco accent. I tried watching other shows, but then I’d suddenly hear someone speaking with a Texas accent and think, “Oh my God, no, this is completely messing with my head!”
I worked with Susanne, and two or three weeks before filming we went to Philadelphia. We went to bars in Delaware County, listened to people, talked to them. She would record people’s conversations and send them to me. It helped a lot. Once we arrived in Philly and spent some time in Delco, it became easier to grasp the accent. Because it’s not just an accent, it’s an energy. They’re very direct and say whatever comes to mind. Being there and seeing that really helped me.
Tom: It’s definitely a vibe. And not just energy either. I grew up in Jersey, and we’re a bit like that too, so it actually felt close to my natural state. But there were still very different sounds. The accent kept me up at night. Susanne helped me a lot as well. I also talked to people who actually live in Delco. Because I wanted to hear the accent from a real person—not an actor, and not someone who knows they’re being listened to. Because when that happens, the way people talk can change. You start wondering, “Are they forcing it, exaggerating it, or holding back?”
Emilia: If you ask people, “Talk to me in your accent,” they get shy.
Tom: Yes, they say, “I don’t have an accent, you do!” (Laughs.) But really, the key is spending as much time there as possible. Because the accent is a huge part of that world.
Finally, have you watched the entire series? What went through your mind while watching it, what did you feel?
Tom: I watched it. Did you?
Emilia: Yes, I did.
Tom: I thought it was beautiful. Very moving. I felt incredibly proud to be a part of it, and I was genuinely impressed by the work everyone did. We’re there living it, but then for six to eight months, a completely different team works on it, editing, post-production, putting together what makes us look good and makes the story strong and clear. I thought everyone did an amazing job.
Emilia: For me, it was also wonderful to see other corners of the show. Tom and I are lucky because our characters intersect with many others and interact with them. But there were many scenes where other actors were filming and I wasn’t on set. So watching everyone’s hard work and seeing the show come together as a whole was really special.
Brad is an incredible person, and I also love the way he uses music in his work. Watching everything come together with the music was beautiful. Like Tom, I’m very proud to be a small part of this show, and I can’t wait for people to see it.
Before this show came into my life, I was looking for something I could watch with my family. I kept thinking, “I wish there were another Mare of Easttown, a high-quality crime series that keeps you on edge.” And I think this show is exactly that.
