Latest news with #Pirrie
Elle
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
'Dept. Q's Chloe Pirrie Reveals The Surprising Change Netflix Made From The Book
It's the show on the tip of the world's tongue, but there are notable differences between Netflix's adaptation of Dept. Q and the novel series by Jussi Adler-Olsen that the nine-episode show is based upon. For the uninitiated, Dept. Q, which is inspired by the first in Adler-Olsen's novel series, The Keeper of Lost Causes, tells the story of Detective Morck in the wake of his attack being assigned to lead a newly-assembled cold case unit. With a Mötley Crüe of unlikely peers, Detective Morck is tasked with his unit's first investigation: the mysterious disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie) several years earlier. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE Indeed, in a new interview, Pirrie has elucidated a little further about the origins of her character, who, she reveals, is actually a politician in the novel Mercy. While the Merritt Lingard's job in the novels differs from that in the Netflix series, the essence of the character's journey remains the same. 'Ultimately, she's a person whose past catches up with her,' Pirrie said. 'In really, the most hideous terrifying way, that the human brain could imagine. Which is something Scott [Frank, the series creator] is so good at, that thing of crafting a story where you torture the characters in various ways, with their darkest secrets and fears.' That's not the only creative difference the streaming platform made with the books. The novels, which are written by a Danish author, are set in Copenhagen — but the Netflix series was set in and around Edinburgh. It was, in fact, Pirrie's previous role in ITV murder mystery The Victim (opposite her Dept. Q co-star Kelly Macdonald, no less) that fuelled her preparation for her role as Merritt in Dept. Q. 'I did quite a lot of research then [for The Victim] about how it works. And there's all these amazing shows on TV now, like the Murder Trial series, which is about real life cases. And so there's a lot actually out there of footage of people doing this job. It's a very particular job with its own set of rules and social conduct,' she said. Dept. Q is available to stream on Netflix now. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
Edinburgh Live
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh star Chloe Pirrie's life away from Dept.Q from romances to Hollywood ties
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Chloe Pirrie, the Scottish actress recognised for her roles in The Queen's Gambit and The Crown, is relishing working back in Edinburgh where she's been filming for the past six months for Netflix's new detective series, Dept. Q. Playing the character of solicitor Merritt Lingard and working along a stellar cast with Matthew Goode at the helm, she joins fellow Scots Jamie Sives, Mark Bonnar and Shirley Henderson. This homecoming project, led by Scott Frank who previously worked with Pirrie on The Queen's Gambit, has brought her not only to familiar grounds but also allowed for a reunion with Kelly Macdonald, with whom she starred in The Victim. Reflecting on being back in her hometown, Pirrie shared how meaningful it was saying: "I've got family there that I hadn't seen for a while so it was great to be able to spend time with them. A family member came to set - I've never had that before. That kind of stuff is really special." (Image: PA) Her journey into acting took off from her school days at Mary Erskine School, where after playing Anja in 'The Cherry Orchard', she began considering acting as a serious career path, reports the Express. Her acting journey began with a role in the Royal National Theatre's 2010 production of Men Should Weep, followed by appearances in the short film Solstice and the television soap Doctors. Her breakthrough came in 2012 with the Scottish film Shell, which earned her the Most Promising Newcomer award at the 2013 British Independent Film Awards. In 2013, she also appeared in an episode of Black Mirror titled The Waldo Moment, playing a politician. Her career took a significant turn in 2014 when she appeared in the BBC spy thriller 'The Game' as an MI5 secretary, acting alongside Brian Cox. (Image: Andy Buchanan/BAFTA/Shutterstock) The following year saw her take on roles in the television film 'An Inspector Calls' with David Thewliss, the Sky Atlantic crime series 'The Last Panthers' with Samantha Morton and John Hurt, the Oscar-nominated comedy-drama 'Youth', and the black comedy film 'Burn, Burn, Burn'. She also featured in the BBC's lavish adaptation of 'War and Peace' in 2016. In the same year, she graced the small screen in The Living and the Dead, Brief Encounters, and the television film To Walk Invisible, where she took on the role of Emily Brontë. Following her portrayal of Brontë, Pirrie then appeared as Eileen Parker in The Crown. When it comes to Chloe's love life the actress prefers to keep it away from the lime light as not much is known about her dating history. It's unknown if the star is currently in a relationship or if she has any children. All nine instalments of Dept. Q are now ready for streaming on Netflix
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside Netflix Dept. Q star Chloe Pirrie life from Hollywood link to romance
Chloe Pirrie is currently starring in Netflix's Dept. Q, the thriller series that has been adapted from the work of Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen Chloe Pirrie has a series of successful TV productions under her belt, which has seen her travel the world including filming in Canada beside renowned actors Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Yet, her most recent acting venture has taken her back to familiar territory as she has spent the past six months shooting in her hometown of Edinburgh. The Scottish star is currently featuring in the upcoming Netflix detective series Dept. Q, taking on the role of accomplished solicitor Merritt Lingard. Joining a cast headlined by Matthew Goode, Chloe shines among a host of Scottish talent including Jamie Sives, Mark Bonnar, Shirley Henderson, and more. Created by Scott Frank, who penned and directed the series, the Netflix show brings together Pirrie with both The Queen's Gambit creator and Kelly Macdonald, whom she appeared alongside in The Victim, reports the Express. Reflecting on her return to the place of her childhood, Pirrie, celebrated for her roles in hit shows like The Queen's Gambit and The Crown, shared: "I've got family there that I hadn't seen for a while so it was great to be able to spend time with them. A family member came to set - I've never had that before. That kind of stuff is really special." Before finding fame, Chloe started out in the acting world during her time at Mary Erskine School, where her role as Anja in 'The Cherry Orchard' sparked her interest in pursuing acting as a career path. Her acting journey kicked off with a role in the Royal National Theatre's 2010 production of Men Should Weep, followed by roles in the short film Solstice and the television soap Doctors. But the stars big break arrived in 2012 with the Scottish film Shell, which bagged her the Most Promising Newcomer award at the 2013 British Independent Film Awards. In 2013, she also featured in an episode of Black Mirror titled The Waldo Moment, portraying a politician. Her career trajectory took a significant leap in 2014 when she starred in the BBC spy thriller 'The Game' as an MI5 secretary, sharing screen space with Brian Cox. The subsequent year saw her juggling roles in the television film 'An Inspector Calls' alongside David Thewliss, the Sky Atlantic crime series 'The Last Panthers' with Samantha Morton and John Hurt, the Oscar-nominated comedy-drama 'Youth', and the black comedy film 'Burn, Burn, Burn'. She also appeared in the BBC's grand adaptation of 'War and Peace' in 2016. That same year, she made appearances in The Living and the Dead, Brief Encounters, and the television film To Walk Invisible, where she embodied the character of Emily Brontë. Following her portrayal of Brontë, Pirrie then featured as Eileen Parker in The Crown. As for Chloe's personal life, the actress prefers to keep it under wraps, with little known about her romantic history. It remains unclear whether the star is currently in a relationship or if she has any children. All nine episodes of Dept. Q are now ready for streaming on Netflix.
Edinburgh Live
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh actress says filming Netflix series Department Q was 'really special'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Edinburgh actress Chloe Pirrie says she was 'thrilled' after getting the chance to shoot a Netflix series in her home city. Chloe, who plays Merritt Lingard in crime drama Department Q, spent six months filming the show in the capital. The 37-year-old is one of several Scottish cast members who have helped push the series to number one spot on Netflix's TV section, reports the Scottish Daily Express. When asked about the Scottish fluency at swearing, she joked: "We're just good at it. It's like a national sport." Pirrie grew up in swanky Stockbridge but moved to London at 18 to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She said: "I've got family there that I hadn't seen for a while so it was great to be able to spend time with them. "A family member came to set - I've never had that before. That kind of stuff is really special." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Her Scottish co-stars include Jamie Sives and Mark Bonnar, back on screen together after starring in Guilt, as well as Hollywood regulars Shirley Henderson and Kelly Macdonald. Game of Thrones actress Kate Dickie and Leah Byrne from Call the Midwife also feature. The lead character is DCI Carl Morck played by English star Matthew Goode, and his on-screen character even enjoys some football banter with Sives' over the 1966 World Cup win and the 'goal' given by the Russian linesman. However, Pirrie - best known for roles in The Queen's Gambit and The Crown - says she didn't have time to let her hair down with the other cast members. Speaking on the red carpet at the show's premiere in London on Saturday, she said: "I didn't get to socialise with people as much as I probably would have liked because my schedule was so different to everyone else." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Based on a series of books by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, the series follows DCI Morck as he sets up a cold case unit while struggling with guilt over an incident that left a young police officer dead and another paralysed. He is reluctantly paired with rookie assistant Akram Salim, played by Swedish actor Alexej Manvelov. And Goode said the pair bonded during their time staying in the Scottish capital. "Most of the actors lived in Glasgow. It was only me and Alexej in Edinburgh," he explained, recalling a boozy trip to a French restaurant on their second day in the city: "We had lunch and were still there five hours later sort of six bottles of red wine down. If you become friends off-screen then it really helps on screen."
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dept. Q's Chloe Pirrie was left a ‘human husk' by dark new Netflix role
Netflix's new crime series Dept. Q centres on one profound mystery: who took Merritt Lingard? The prosecutor rattled cages and was not well liked because of it, which is why she's been hardly missed for the last four years. But that doesn't mean detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode) won't try to find her. Merritt, it turns out, is being kept in a pressurised container, and time is running out on her survival, with Chloe Pirrie performing almost all her scenes in the confined space. The actor tells Yahoo UK how six months in the challenging role did take its toll, with her saying she felt like a "human husk" by the time they finished shooting. When asked how easy it was to leave her character behind, Pirrie looks back with a laugh as she says: "I started out so well, [I was] being so like, 'I'm fine. I go in and I like it doesn't touch the sides. It's fine, I can switch it.' And then by the end of the shoot I was like a human husk. "Like I just have nothing and I've completely lost that [ability to detach]. I wasn't trying to, but it just inevitably happens and on a six month series. It's really hard to exit. "You have to really be like 'I need to make tell myself this isn't real and actively do stuff to counter this', but at the beginning I was really good [at brushing it off] like 'I'm fine.' Someone would ask 'are you okay?' I'd be like, 'yeah. It's a bit weird but okay', being very Scottish about it. But it can be a bit of a hazard and it definitely was on this." Pirrie found it "interesting" to perform so many of her scenes alone, saying it made her feel like Merritt's "problems were my problems". "I didn't have anyone to kind of work off or listen to," she reflects. "Well, I was listening to people at times but it's like her issues are my issues, her unknowns are kind of mine as well. And so [I was] trying to use that a little bit. But the camera's there and you do enter into a very lovely relationship with the camera when you're doing that kind of work. "It's very responsive and that's actually kind of lovely. But also there were so many days where and I was warned, Scott was like, 'it's gonna be here [in your face]'. The camera is so close to my face so much of the time and it's sort of amazing, and also terrifying when you think about it too much when you're doing it. It was an amazing thing to do." Pirrie worked inside a specially-designed container that could have different pieces taken out and moved depending where the cameras needed to be at any one time. The actors admits it was "very claustrophobic for the crew, quite hard going for them" because of how small the space was, but that they developed a great friendship on set through the experience. "In a way because it was such a small space and you were so limited in how many people could be in at a time sometimes when you're filming you'll be doing something quite small and there's not many people there," she says. "Actually the chamber is great because nobody could fit, so I got a lot of intimacy with the camera. I suppose it was helpful for the work I had to do." However there was a hazard with filming so many scenes in the indoor space: "I actually did come back with a legit Vitamin D deficiency. But it's also because I was living in a flat where I was on the ground floor and so I'd had to put the stuff you put on windows so people can't see in, so I basically didn't get much natural light during the six months I was there." Though Pirrie is quick to add: "I can't claim to have had it really bad. It was fine." Dept. Q takes some surprising turns over the course of the story, with it being revealed that Merritt was taken by the mother and brother of her teen boyfriend as revenge. They blamed her for his death decades earlier, and meticulously planned the kidnapping to the point where the brother, Lyle, posed as a journalist to gain her trust before taking her. The actor admits that she "had some idea" of where the story would go before she read the scripts as she was familiar with Jussi Adler-Olsen's crime novel series of the same name. "There are aspects of the book that are similar in the show," she says. "And so I had some idea, but actually that area of the story is quite different and I didn't really know where it was going so it wasn't until quite late on that I started to cotton on. It wasn't really 'til I read the scripts that I knew exactly what was happening." "It kind of just forces you to play everything as it is at the time and commit," she adds. "So yeah it was interesting doing something where you don't have all the information but you kind of have to get on with it." When Merritt learns of her character's identity she doesn't take the news lying she's angry. Angry that she's being blamed for her boyfriend's death when he was running from police after he attacked, and seriously harmed, her brother, and angry for being seen as the reason he went down the wrong path to begin with. "I love the fact that her responses are so unfiltered," Pirrie says of her character's bluntness in that moment. "I think something the show does is show people's true response, the response we wish we could all let out at times in our lives, to go full throttle. "So instead of what you might expect, given what she's been through, she's lost all hope that she will actually emerge from this, so she's like 'what's the point' and I think the rage, being allowed to kind of let that out, was really surprising. But in a good way, being allowed to let that out." One thing that Pirrie enjoyed most about Merritt was how similar she is to Goode's Carl. Both are outspoken, unafraid of getting on people's nerves or being seen as prickly or rude by speaking their mind. It was an aspect of the character that Pirrie found "super freeing". "It feels like you're getting to exercise a part of you that you don't get to do," she admits. "I'm definitely more for people pleaser than Merritt, I wish I could be like that. Maybe not for all of it, but it's always freeing to play people who don't care what other people think, or at least for a part of it. "But often there's a journey where they start to change in some way, but playing someone who isn't concerned with pleasing other people or contorting themselves to work out what someone else wants of them is so freeing. As a woman, it's really freeing thing to do." It's all about female rage, something Merritt is free to let fly over the course of the series which Pirrie enjoyed: "It's very cathartic and I felt so safe on set to let those choices fly. You know that you're in the hands of someone who's gonna use what works and what doesn't work, and so you can kind of fail it. "I am a terrible perfectionist so I find it really hard to feel like I'm not doing it right, but you have to make mistakes — you have to. "We make weird choices that might not work in order to find the way, and Scott [Frank, the show's creator] is so good at letting people do that and guiding you through so that you find it. A lot of those moments I was just able to leave it all on the set." Dept. Q is out now on Netflix.
