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Steven Soderbergh's highly anticipated new television series, The Knick, premieres tonight (Aug. 8) and it's safe to say that expectations are high. A dynamic cast of characters makes up the staff of The Knickerbocker, but one in particular is the shining light among the dark and bloody atmosphere: Cornelia Robertson, the daughter of the hospital's benefactor. We had the privilege of talking to the actress taking on this role - Juliet Rylance - about Cornelia's hardships, her relationships with the rest of these characters, and what we can expect as season one turns into season two!
Known mostly as an acclaimed stage actress, Cornelia tells us she jumped at the opportunity to work with Soderbergh once she got her hands on the script. The pilot episode, entitled "Method and Madness," allowed her to fall in love with Cornelia just as audiences are sure to do as the series advances.
How did you get involved with The Knick?
My agent sent me the script and said, "You have to read it!" ... But I was really busy at the time, so I put it off for a week. But when I finally read it, I realized I should've read it immediately. So I read it and I sent in a tape and then literally a day later, Steven asked to meet with me.
I met with him in a hotel bar and about 45 minutes into the meeting he said, "Well actually I have all of the producers and writers around the corner. Can they meet with you?" So they all piled in and I came out of the meeting with the job! It was nice and quick!
What attracted you to the role of Cornelia Robertson?
It's such a fascinating role to play, especially in that time because she's, on one hand this society girl who is in a position of power and is able to kind of command her life to some extent; but on the flip-side she's completely under the thumb of her father - and a woman in that period! So it's a really interesting geology to the character, which I love!
With all of the obstacles like women's rights not really being a popular notion at the time and a strong-willed Dr. Thackery (Clive Owen) going up against her - what is your/how do you approach to your character?
She really wants to do something with her life and make a difference - I think that's the starting point in my approach to Cornelia. She's an idealist and she really thinks she can make a difference at the hospital. So I think she comes in with that notion, and is met with a very male-natured world and very, very strong characters. These doctors used to be treated like stars, having complete autonomy. So I think for Cornelia, she, in one sense, is incredibly strong-willed and determined - she feels that she will win in some way [laughs]. I think that she has no idea how difficult it will be to make a change at the hospital.
Growing up for a society girl at that time - in 1900 - she's grown up in a wealthy family and has a lot of New York's society at her fingertips. I don't think she's ever been in a position where she hasn't got her way, in a sense. She meets her match with Dr. Thackery at the hospital. I think as the show progresses she becomes more and more aware of feeling what she's able to do and what she's able to achieve as a woman in that period.
It's a really fascinating dichotomy!
How would you describe Cornelia's relationship with Dr. Thackery?
He's obviously a brilliant genius, really, and pioneering medicine at that time. I think she has a huge amount of respect for what he does but - as you find out in the pilot - he's arrogant, brisk and doesn't really listen to anyone. I think that drives Cornelia crazy [laughs]. That's where they begin - butting heads.
It's really interesting to see how that changes and grows as the season goes on. I don't think he takes her very seriously in the beginning and perhaps does a little later!
How about her relationship with Algernon (Andre Holland)?
There's a very deep bond between the two of them. They had this incredibly unusual upbringing of being allowed to grow up side by side. In one sense, Cornelia's father Captain Robertson is very progressive. He has his servants' child sent off to Harvard and basically grow up alongside his own children.
It almost, in one sense, could be considered a brother-sister relationship at the beginning of the story. I think Cornelia has a deep, deep love and respect for Algernon and obviously its made even more interesting by the fact that, at the beginning of the pilot, he's just come back from being away at Harvard and then Paris. So, although they've grown up together, they've had this period of time just before the pilot begins where they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
Cornelia's fiercely protective of Algernon and stands in his corner all the way. I think that has as much to do with him and who he is as it does with the fact that she sees some of her own journey in his struggles.
We had so many scenes together and it was such a joy working with [André] every day.
How did the second season order of The Knick - before the pilot even aired - make you feel?
It feels great! To have that confirmation for Steven, the rest of the creative team, and of course all of us as actors - it's just wonderful to be in that position. It takes a little bit of the pressure off of worrying whether it's going to work. I feel that if they picked it up, it's clearly working. So that's good!
What else can we expect for Cornelia as this season progresses and maybe what you hope to see happen in season two?
I think in this season what you're going to see - and not just with Cornelia, but with a lot of characters in the story - is the thin line between two worlds that they walk between. For Cornelia, that's a big one. Trying to change the old way and bring in a new way is a huge part of what she's at least attempting to do and as this season goes on it becomes more and more difficult for her to do that because of the restrictions of what's expected of her. To get married; to have children. Do charity events and definitely not have a job or work at a hospital.
At the end of this season, Cornelia's got in far deeper she might be able to handle and I think that's going to continue into season two. I think it gets very dark for her and she gets embroiled in a lot of stuff that she doesn't know how to handle at all.
Coming from a very, very strong, sort of together place at the start of our journey with her - I think that's sort of turned on its head.
Are there any other projects you are working on or have coming up?
I did a film called Days and Nights, which is a modern-day retelling of and inspired by Chekhov's The Seagull. I play the Nina character. It has an incredible cast: Katie Holmes, William Hurt, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Michael Nyqvist, Ben Wishaw, Mark Rylance, Russell Means ... Christian Camargo directed it and I'm really proud of it. It's going to out in theaters in September.
Also, I've been reading through Shakespeare's entire canon last week and now I've moved onto contemporary playwrights, trying to pick what the next big project will be [for stage].
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