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Adolescence: What Made Erin Doherty Agree For Therapist’s Role in Netflix Show? The Crown Actress Reveals
Erin Doherty shares why she took on the role of a psychologist in Adolescence and how the intense one-take scenes brought her theater roots to life.
Erin Doherty didn’t hesitate when she got the voice note from Stephen Graham about joining Adolescence. Known for her role as Princess Anne in The Crown, Doherty jumped at the chance to play Briony Ariston, a psychologist assessing a 13-year-old boy accused of murder.
“I’m just really avoidant of the phone, and he knows that,” Erin Doherty said with a laugh during a Zoom interview with W. The British miniseries has become a global hit since its release on March 13, breaking Netflix streaming records and sparking debates on social media's impact and toxic masculinity.
The show’s success reached beyond the screen. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested the series should be shown in schools, and the writers were invited to Parliament to discuss raising the minimum age for social media platforms.
In Adolescence, each of the four hour-long episodes was shot in a single continuous take. Doherty’s first scene with newcomer Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie, was filmed this way.
“I was just gagging to have my piece of the [one-shot] pie, and it didn’t disappoint,” she said. “The minute they called action, I could just be Briony. It was so freeing.” The cast rehearsed and shot two takes a day over five days, with the final version chosen for the show.
For Doherty, this filming style felt like a return to her theater roots. She stated that it was a beautiful marriage between theater and film.
Even though the CCTV footage confirms Jamie’s guilt, Doherty said that Briony enters the session with hope, knowing the truth but still wishing for the best. By the end of the session, however, Briony accepts the reality. Doherty stated that at that moment, Briony is grieving the loss of everything she had hoped the boy could be.
To prepare for the role, Doherty reached out to her former therapist and studied therapy methods. She mentioned that she wanted to avoid portraying a stereotypical psychotherapist and aimed to bring more nuance to the character.
Doherty mentioned that she is still at the beginning of her journey in screen acting, describing it as the early days of her fascination with the medium. She said there are so many stories, personas, and sides of human nature to explore that she doesn’t want to limit herself to just one type of role.
Reflecting on Adolescence, she felt fortunate to be part of a story that has connected so strongly with audiences. She stated that while the subject matter is terrifying and unsettling, the show sheds light on an important shift, society is finally recognizing the need to better protect and support the younger generation.
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