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‘It Wasn’t Just A Vanity Credit’: Ella Purnell On Turning Producer For Upcoming Serial Killer Comedy Sweetpea
In a recent interview, Ella Purnell spoke at length about stepping into the role of executive producer, apart from being the lead of serial killer comedy Sweetpea! The actress recalled the time she scared her neighbor prepping for the role!
Ella Purnell has turned producer with the upcoming serial killer comedy series Sweetpea. The actress who garnered fame for her role in Amazon Prime drama Fallout spoke to Variety about her project, sharing funny anecdotes about the show’s creative process. Purnell was searching for something she could get her teeth into creatively, having just directed her short film Junk Male.
She recalled scheduling meetings with creative people and one of them was Patrick Walters, executive producer of Netflix’s hit series Heartstopper. It started as a general meeting where she explained the type of content she desired to be a part of.
“He was pitching a few things to me, but ‘Sweetpea’ really stood out,” she recalled. Walters was open to bringing Purnell on board not just as the lead of the project — originally pitched as Fleabag meets Dexter — but also as an executive producer. The Arcane actress immediately knew she needed to take her designation seriously. It was important — really heavily important — to me that it wasn’t just a vanity credit,” she noted.
The story of Sweetpea revolves around an underappreciated girl Rhiannon (Purnell) who one day snaps and decides to murder those who have overlooked or wronged her. The Yellowjackets actress further told the outlet that the show creators were looking for an actor who could get involved in the project the way she did. That’s because they knew “it was so important to be inside this woman’s head in order to tell this kind of story.”
Purnell had seen several serial killer movies but a few focused on a female serial killer. She jumped at the chance to explore those facets because female and male serial killers would have a “very different” psyche. However, while researching for her role, she almost scared her neighbor who “literally moved” her baby away from her.
I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m actually researching, it’s part of my job… I promise you, I’m not a monster,'” she recalled. “But I’m not sure how convincing I was.” Despite being in every single frame of the thriller, Purnell took a major step behind the camera and was equally as invested.
Moreover, to expand her gigs as a producer she plans to set up her own production company. Although she doesn’t know when she would find her “creative community” in London. She would love to meet her creative soulmate with whom she could collaborate for a long time.
Sweetpea will be released on October 10 on Starz and Sky Network.
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