‘Euphoria’: Martha Kelly Thinks Laurie Is ‘a Pretty Bad Person’
The second season of Euphoria premiered on HBO on Jan. 9. In the new season, Martha Kelly plays Laurie, a drug dealer. While Laurie might not seem like a threat at first glance, Kelly thinks it is important for viewers and other characters in Euphoria to not underestimate her. In an interview with Vulture, Kelly said that she thinks Laurie is “a pretty bad person.”
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for season 2 episode 5 of Euphoria.]
Martha Kelly thinks there is no doubt Laurie is ‘a pretty bad person’ in ‘Euphoria’
Kelly is primarily known for her comedic roles. For this reason, she was “very nervous” to play a more villainous character.
“When I met Sam, I had already read the scripts and I was very nervous about playing somebody as bad as her. I’ve really only done comedies before this and I was scared to be that unlikable, but he was so lovely and made me feel like, Okay, this is worth trying,” Kelly said in an interview with Vulture.
While Kelly did not give much away about the future of her character on Euphoria, she did share that fans should not trust her at all.
“I don’t know how I could answer that without possible spoilers, but it’s safe to say Laurie doesn’t have any non-harmful plans for anybody that enters her life. Especially teenagers. She’s a pretty bad person,” she told Vulture.
Martha Kelly thinks Laurie is ‘scarier’ than other villains
In her stand-up comedy, Kelly is known for her calm, nearly stoic demeanor. While playing Laurie, Kelly brought a type of unassuming softness to the character. In doing so, Kelly thinks this makes Laurie “scarier” than other characters.
The actor told Vulture:
“… but it’s really smart of Sam to know that a mild-mannered sociopath is much scarier and more dangerous in real life. If someone is aggressive up front, everybody knows to be on guard. But sometimes, really manipulative sociopaths are very, not just mild-mannered, but charming. They can project that they are the victim, which Laurie does toward the end of the last episode.”
The actor wants Laurie ‘to be likeable’ on the show
While one might not think acting nice makes a character scary, Kelly believes that making Laurie appear “likable” on the surface goes a long way.
“I wanted to back out of her creepiness as much as possible because as a stand-up comic, I always want to be likable. Part of me was like, I hope there’s a way I don’t have to go full monster. But it’s also scarier,” Kelly told Vulture.
She continued, “In real life, people like that are the most damaging because anyone who trusted them leaves with this feeling of What’s real, then? How could I have been fooled? Then they’re always still wondering, like, Are they really not that bad? That’s so scary to me.”
New episodes of Euphoria premiere on HBO at 9 p.m. ET every Sunday.
