Aurora Perrineau on bringing Kaos into her life
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Tori Time
When Aurora Perrineau appeared as C on the fourth and final season of the critically acclaimed HBO dystopian, sci-fi TV series, Westworld, she had fans in a frenzy. ‘Who is C?’ was the question on all their minds as they tried to uncover the mysterious identity of her character, a rebel determined to uncover the truth about her missing father while saving humanity from the mind-controlling hosts. Another question that emerged was “Who is Aurora Perrineau?”. Her captivating performance as C alongside Aaron Paul, Daniel Wu, Thandiwe Newton and Jeffrey Wright, was a necessary emotional anchor amidst the unraveling of complex narratives, packed with exposition and explosive action.
Newly minted fans of Perrineau found that the young actress–taking after her father, Harold Perrineau—had been slowly but surely making her name for herself in the industry, with roles on procedural drama Prodigal Son and Netflix’s gut-wrenching dramatization of the Central Five Park victims, When They See Us. In 2024, they will see Perrineau in another Netflix TV series, Kaos.
Created by Charlie Covell, who is behind the beloved TV adaptation of graphic novel The End of the F***ing World, Kaos imagines how the gods of Classical mythology would rule over their mortal subjects in the modern world. This dark comedy follows three humans who defy the rule of these corrupt and arrogant gods. In this world, Perrineau plays Riddy, wife to Killian Scott’s world-famous musician Orpheus—suggesting a unique and thrilling retelling of the ancient tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, where the former journeys to the underworld to reclaim his love from Hades. In this interview, we speak to the actress on how she prepared for her role in this highly anticipated series.
ZUE WEI — A lot of children grow up loving stories of Greek gods, demi-gods and the mythological creatures they encountered. Did you have a Greek mythology phase growing up?
AURORA PERRINEAU — No! Growing up, I unfortunately knew very little about Greek mythology and now, I completely get the obsession. I wish I’d read these myths when I was younger.
ZUE WEI — Westworld and Kaos are fictional worlds that are immersive and very rich in their own lore. What was it like stepping out of C’s world and into the universe of Kaos?
AURORA — It was a fun transition to go from a hardened desert dweller to the wife of a rockstar but both of them were in a similar headspace. C was yearning for a love lost too soon, while also fighting for a bigger cause, whereas Riddy is maybe yearning to have the courage to get out of something that feels loveless. The characters kind of intercept through their goal of hoping to save humanity.
ZUE WEI — How did you approach your role as Riddy
AURORA — I really tried to tap into a younger version of myself who had a lot of the same feelings that Riddy had and approach it as truthfully as I could.
ZUE WEI — Tell us more about your experience working with Charlie Covell and the stellar cast. What was your favorite part of filming?
“Maybe I’m a masochist but the darker the material, the more excited I am by it.”
AURORA — Charlie is brilliant! They’re an amazing writer and all around creative. I’ve been a fan of theirs since End of the F**ing World. I had a blast working with Charlie and the whole cast and crew. I feel really lucky to have experienced something like this with all of them together.
ZUE WEI — Can you tell us about the biggest challenge you encountered while filming Kaos?
AURORA — If I had to pick, I think it would be laying in a casket all day. Firstly, I’m intensely claustrophobic. Poor Killian (Scott) had to hold the casket shut with his fingers in it so I didn’t have a full freak out. Secondly, there’s something about sitting in a casket all day not doing anything except hearing your funeral go on that’s very disturbing.
ZUE WEI — Looking at the films and TV shows you’ve worked on, a lot of them deal with heavy, dark themes. Even with Kaos, the stakes are high for your character Riddy as she interacts with the gods. Your co-star Janet McTeer describes them as “brutal”. As an actor, how do you preserve your mental and emotional health in these roles?
Hair
Tiffany Daugherty
Makeup
Alexandra French
AURORA — The gods are brutal. I think if you can handle the ups and downs of real life, stepping out of a character is the easy part. There’s definitely been days where I don’t want to see anyone and just need, like, three days to rot in my bed. Maybe I’m a masochist but the darker the material, the more excited I am by it.
ZUE WEI — You also spent a considerable amount of time in Spain for the filming of Kaos. Did you manage to get downtime to explore the different cities and enjoy the local culture?
AURORA — I’ve spent a load of time in Spain! The days I did have off I would spend in the city where I was shooting. We were extremely lucky to go to so many places and experience the culture and different foods in the region. We also had an amazing Spanish crew who would take us out often.
ZUE WEI — And what’s next for Aurora Perrineau?
AURORA — A film I did, Crossword (directed by Michael Vlamis), will hopefully be out this year, along with another film called Abraham’s Boys (directed by Natasha Kermani).
ZUE WEI — A last question. If you could be involved in any project, past or present, what would it be? What kind of character would you play?
AURORA — I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again. Denzel Washington in Training Day. Does one even need to explain why? Definitely not!
ZUE WEI — What if you could manifest any future projects? Who would be the dream cast?
AURORA — As far as the future? Anything Alex Garland (the director and screenwriter behind Ex Machina and Civil War) puts his hands on. I love the way he tells stories about women. I’m also itching to be a villain at some point. Dream cast? I have too many people to name so I’ll just say a few: Julia Garner, Harold Perrineau, Javier Bardem, Josh O’Connor… The list goes on!
Koas is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer below:
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