Considering the His Dark Materials plot, which shines on the coming-of-age story of Lyra and Will as they dive into parallel worlds with witches and angels on the side, Ruth Wilson, who’s playing Marisa Coulter, has been in a league of her own as she gives her character so much depth and dimension.
With the third and final season approaching, HDM is expected to give the viewers a more emotionally gripping and visually pleasing adaptation to conclude Phillip Pullman's classic book trilogy. In an interview with Screen Rant, Wilson tackled what changed and remained about Mrs. Coulter and her endearing, complicated relationship with her daughter, Lyra.
“What was great about Phillip and the writers and everyone else was a desire to expand that template to sort of dive deeper, and to try to find clues or understanding as to who this woman was, and is, and why she does the things she does.” the Luther star explained.
The award-winning actress noted that the intentions of Mrs. Coulter in the third season will be virtuous, which isn’t always fun to play, considering her true act of being unhinged and morally empty.
She said, “Her intentions became good in the third season, and actually, the challenge was, that wasn't as fun to play sometimes. It was a bit more earnest. So it's like, "When can we bring back Mrs. Coulter?" It was like, "Magisterium. Let's bring her back there!"
Wilson, who steals every scene she’s in, trusts that Mrs. Coulter is the epitome of layers and complexity. There is always something to unearth and analyze about her in order to get a complete picture or idea of who she is.
“I felt like this is a character [where] constantly, there are more layers. Even now, you could dig a bit deeper, and find new things, and understand new things, and play different things, so it's a sign of a really great character that there's more to play, like constantly learning from who that person is.” she justified.
As for her relationship with Lyra, the actress described their mother-daughter dynamic as an incomprehensible manner of wanting to stay in control by being near her off-spring, who she thought can be a replica of her nuanced persona.
The actress narrated, “I don't know what her plan ever was with Lyra, in a way. I think she kind of had a motherly instinct to - even against her own self - have her child nearby, or make her a version of herself. And this is the first season; like, “If she can become like me, maybe that will maintain power, somehow.” can make. But instead, Lyra keeps revealing herself as being of utmost importance to the world, generally, and I think that as Mrs. Coulter realizes that, she sort of realizes, “Okay, I have to keep close to her to maintain power.”
Wilson, who embodies that hypnotic allure while being openly nasty to everyone, including Lyra, attests that Mrs. Coulter will begin to understand the role she plays in her daughter’s life.
“But I think [for the] third season, she understands what her real purpose is; which is to stop chasing her child like a bad smell, and let her go, in a way… [It's] like, “Actually, you've just gotta let her go and be the great, good kid that she is destined to be, and stop trying to thwart that.” said The Affair actress.
She added, “So I think as any parent has to let go of their child, Mrs. Coulter understands she's got to do the same, and actually just do what she can to let her follow her path. So I think that's what she comes to understand [in the] third season, is that she's in the way of her child being the person she should be.”
His Dark Materials is a theoretical narrative disguised as a children’s fantasy. It features the torturous mother-daughter relationship between Mrs. Coulter and Lyra, which will be further explored as Lyra and Will journey to a parallel world to fulfill the prophecy that the world demands of them in the upcoming final season.
HDM Season 3 premieres December 5 on HBO.
Also Read: His Dark Materials Amir Wilson Teases Filming Scenes in Season 3
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