The Perfect Couple Star Eve Hewson Didn’t See That Ending Coming, Either

WARNING: Major The Perfect Couple spoilers ahead

Eve Hewson hadn’t read the 2018 Elin Hilderbrand novel that The Perfect Couple—upon which the frothy new mystery currently at the top of Netflix’s watchlist is based—when she was considering signing onto the series. But it didn’t take long for her to say yes to starring in the show. Already a fan of Perfect Couple creator Susanne Bier’s work, Hewson quickly devoured the “binge-worthy” script and was cast as Amelia Sacks, the grounding force (and bride) in a story about a lavish wedding weekend gone wrong when the maid of honor, Merritt Monaco (The White Lotus’s Meghann Fahy) turns up dead. Torn between her husband-to-be, Benji Winbury (Billy Howle), and her old flame Shooter Dival (Ishaan Khatter), Amelia has more than one dilemma to solve.

Set mostly in a secluded Nantucket mansion, the series follows a Big Little Lies-esque formula of bringing in each character as a suspect for questioning by folksy, down-to-earth local detectives (Donna Lynne Champlin, Michael Beach) who are at turns impressed and thwarted by the massive wealth and influence of the Winbury family, of which Nicole Kidman plays icy matriarch Greer. But The Perfect Couple is no prestige drama; instead, it toes the line between melodramatic soap opera and silly satire, with a ridiculous flash mob-style opening dance sequence keeping audience expectations firmly on the side of farce.

Already close friends with fellow Perfect Couple cast members Dakota Fanning and Jack Reynor, Hewson said finding out that Kidman was part of the ensemble (which also includes Liev Schreiber as Greer’s philandering pothead husband Tag) was “the cherry on top.” The daughter of U2 frontman Bono, 33-year-old Hewson is also set to star in the upcoming second season of pitch-black Irish comedy Bad Sisters, which films in her hometown of Dublin. “I like working at home because I’m a huge homebody,” she tells W. “I stay at my parents’s house and hang out with our family dogs.” Below, Hewson shares her theories about the series’s ending and which partner she’d choose for Amelia:

What was it like working with Nicole Kidman?

Crazy. Wonderful. Exciting. I’ve never seen anybody be that passionate about what they do or have that much energy. She’s constantly trying new things—no take is the same. I barely felt like I was acting when I was in a scene with her. All I had to do was react.

Did she give you any advice, or did you learn mostly by osmosis?

No, I never ask anybody any advice. I’m far too embarrassed to do that. There’s a reason why certain people are successful, and if you have the opportunity to work with someone as great as her, don’t waste your time. Watch what they’re doing and try and soak up as much as you can.

Why do you think audiences love stories about very wealthy people stumbling through life so much?

I think it’s a mix of people wanting to be both horrified and sort of titillated by that horror. A lot of people watch true crime because they want to spook themselves out. It’s comforting, in a bizarre way, because their life isn’t like that. Then there’s the element of it being aspirational—the big houses and the costumes and the beautiful people. It’s very pretty to look at.

Most of the cast played very over-the-top characters, but Amelia is the anchor of the show. She’s also dealing with grief the whole time. How did you connect with her?

It was challenging, because I wanted to have as much fun as everyone else was having. They were being these really nasty, horrible people with amazing one-liners. When you play the protagonist, you’re the eyes of the audience. But I prefer the bigger, wilder characters. I had the best time of my life on the show anyway, but while we were shooting, I was like, oh, I wish I was wearing that outfit or saying that line.

If you had to choose for Amelia: Benji or Shooter?

Neither. Neither! There’s a lot that Benji offers her on paper. But there’s a part of her that is not being satisfied. Shooter is more of the wild card, and there’s a wildness to her that she hasn’t discovered yet. She’s grasping at straws: who am I? What do I want out of my life?

What did you think of the twist in the finale—that the pregnant Abby (Dakota Fanning) killed Merritt? Were you surprised?

I knew what happened just from reading the scripts, but I did not think that it was going to be Abby. I really don’t think people will see it coming.

In the final episode, Greer finds Amelia at her new job at the London Zoo to apologize for undermining her, telling her she was just jealous. What did you make of that?

The interesting story between Amelia and Greer is that they’re polar opposites. Greer is obsessed with keeping up appearances and this idea of her lifestyle and the wealth, and the fame, and the success. Emilia is not interested in those things at all. She’s very free and not held back by all of those issues. ]

Do you think Amelia agreed to go to dinner with Greer?

No, I don't think so. I think she just hangs out with penguins.