‘The Leftovers’ Exclusive Interview: Emily Meade Talks Character Aimee, Dealing With Loss, & Sexual Tension On HBO's New Rapture Series : MStarsNews

The Leftovers is set to be HBO's biggest hit of the summer and most likely years to come thanks to creators Tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof's incredible way of telling a harrowing story. Two percent of the world's population has disappeared in what many believe was the Rapture, but how do those that remain on Earth deal with life?

We got the amazing privilege of talking with series star Emily Meade (Boardwalk Empire, Sleepwalk With Me) about her character Aimee, one Mapleton teen that has managed to handled the strange occurrence from years ago a little better than most. We asked the rising star if she could help us understand Aimee a bit more, and what we got was some amazing, educated insight into what The Leftovers is all about at its heart.

The Leftovers season one, episode two airs Sunday, July 6 at 10PM EST on HBO. Check out our episode preview right here!

Emily told us that television roles are something she usually "runs from like the plague."

"I've always said, you know, with a movie, it's whatever," she explained. "It's one thing to date someone temporarily, but with TV it's kind of like getting married. You really, really need to love it ... But as soon as I read the pilot, I actually wanted to know what happened next. I was really involved. I had such a vivid image of the world and the characters. Obviously, the people involved are top shelf, which definitely helps. In TV, you are committing to living in a world you do not have control over, but this world just really appealed to me. It was exciting, the idea of living in it and seeing where it went."

Are you as in the dark as the viewers are about what exactly happened with this "Rapture" event? Do you have any theories, more as a fan than a series star?

Yeah. Obviously, I've read all of the script; which is really nice, because a lot of TV shows do not let you read the whole thing. What I think is awesome about this community is that every cast member gets every script. So obviously, I have a little more insight, considering I've read every episode. But, it still is a very confusing world. That's kind of the whole subject of it. The fact that everybody on it is so confused and nobody understands what happens, so that in itself, it lends itself to the audience not knowing what happens if the characters don't know what's happening. It's been a little confusing. I still don't know what happened, or what the answer to all of it is. But I guess I have a little more clarity because I'm reading the script.

Despite the fact that this insane occurrence happened with 2% of the world's population vanishing in somewhat of a "Rapture" event, Aimee seems to be going about her life in a normal way - just dealing with high school and trying to have some fun. Is there more to Aimee than just this image of a "party girl?" Is there something deeper going on with her?

Yes, absolutely. I talked to Damon a lot before we started filming the pilot because that was kind of my concern. I really didn't want her to just be the sexuality or the party girl. So Damon and I talked about what he thought Aimee's history was. We talked about how we thought she's had a really hard life. Her mom was possibly already gone before the Rapture. She had an abusive or unfit stepfather. She's kind of already lost her family and any sense of security, safety, or control. I think, since a really young age, she's had to accept lack of control and safety. She's kind of felt like this orphan in a way. I think, with her she's already adjusted and accepted that; and she's found a way to cope with that. Everybody else is getting the floor ripped out from underneath them and freaking out, where she's already learned that life is hard and you have no control.

Weirdly, I think she's getting to be a part of a family more than she has in a long time, because she is kind of becoming part of the Garvey family. For her, she's almost getting something out of this that she didn't have before. I think on the surface she's confused and still young. On the inside, I think she's a scared little girl. On some level I think she kind of has a kind of wisdom to her, or an understanding of pain and acceptance that a lot of the adults don't have. For her, she's just trying to live life like it's almost over anyway. So, this is all part of the course, as far as she's concerned.

From watching the pilot episode, viewers might be rushing to judgment on Aimee, but to me it seems like she's really Jill's main support system during this time in a "do your own thing" sort of way. Do you agree with this? Is Jill as important to Aimee in the same sense?

Yeah, I think it's a common psychology in real life. I think Aimee has had to mother herself in real life. On one hand, she's what could look like a bad influence to Jill by pushing her to party and have fun. But I think in truce, she does have this protectiveness over Jill. She also sees a lot of herself in Jill, but the parts that she doesn't show because she's developed this persona of being this wild and fun girl. I think Jill almost represents that introverted part of Aimee. And Jill is going through losing her mother and going through lost, and going through something Aimee has already gone through. So I think that Jill is very important to Aimee. I think Aimee is there to mother and take care of Jill in a way that no one was there to take care of her, which I think is very common. I think Jill is really important to Aimee, and Aimee is very invested in making sure Jill is okay.

I have to ask: Is there something going on between Aimee and Chief Garvey? There was at least one instance in the premiere where eyelashes were batted at Justin Theroux. Am I reading too far into this or what?

I don't think you're reading too far into it. I don't think I can confirm or deny that. Mr. Garvey is a very attractive father, obviously. He's more attractive than your average dad.

Are there any similarities between your own personality and that of the character? She seems a bit wild given the circumstances - is this something you can relate to?

Yeah, I don't know if it already existed in Aimee, or if I just brought it to Aimee ... but, yeah, I wasn't raised religiously or with any specific beliefs; but I've always had this sort of trust in the universe. Any time I faced anything difficult, or any sort of pain or fear, as a little girl I always had this belief that everything happens for a reason and that it would be taken care of. I don't know if it comes with experiencing pain, or if it's just something you're born with. But I definitely relate to how Aimee has grown up fast in spite of how wild and reckless she is. I think I was a bit of a mini-adult; especially as a teenager who wanted to present that I gave way less of a shit than I actually did. Yeah, I think Aimee is way more confident than me about her wildness. I think I was out there and wild and acted like I didn't care but I still had that, but I still had more insecurity than Aimee does. She definitely has this sexual prowess and confidence that I wished I had at that age. But yeah, I relate to her in a lot of ways.

How do you think you would handle this incredible situation?

I don't know, people have asked that a lot in this whole process. It's hard because you don't know how you would react to anything that shocking. But, I would like to think that my innate understanding of the universe, belief, and trust would help me. It would also depend on who and what I lost. Obviously, if you lose your whole family, God only knows how you would react. I think I would have it similar to Aimee; my instinct would be to take care of other people. That has always kind of been my way of taking care of myself indirectly. I've always had the need to save, help, or take care of people. I feel like that where the majority of my energy would go. I would hope I would maintain my trust in the universe, but who knows?

On a less serious note, what would you do for fun?

I don't even know. I think what's stopping everyone now is the fact that everything's being recorded and documented. There are pictures of you doing anything illicit. That puts more fear on people than it used it. In the show, I think people would be freer because it wouldn't matter as much anymore. I think in any time in history where people are dying or feeling like it may be the end of the world, you're obviously living less for your future and you're living more in the moment. I don't know if I would do anything that differently, I am also not on social media so I try to avoid that anyway. I don't know, I think ... you know what I would do? I would probably spend more money. If the world was going to end, I wouldn't be concerned with saving money. I would just travel the world as if you're going to wake up tomorrow and the world is going to be over.

Besides appearing in The Leftovers this summer, Emily will next be seen in Max Landis' Me Him Her, a film that Emily says is "by far the closest to my heart. I really, really care about that movie."

Follow the director's Twitter account for more on this film!

Also, Emily appeared in the independent film Bluebird, which premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.