In “Lucky,” the new Apple TV crime thriller, most of the cast’s recognizable faces are on the wrong side of the law: Lucky (Anya Taylor-Joy) learned the art of the con from her dad John (Timothy Olyphant), a charmer who couldn’t stop grifting if his life depended on it. Lucky is married to Cary (Drew Starkey), and while they’ve had thoughts of going straight, there’s the little matter of the $10 million they stole.
It’s money that John swiped from Cary’s mother, Priscilla (Annette Bening), an upscale crook, who needs the money back to get right with crime boss (and former lover) William Fichtner. (Priscilla’s henchman, Dutch, is played by Clifton Collins Jr.)
But hunting them down is one relentlessly determined FBI agent, who has had Priscilla in her sights for years and will not back down, no matter what the cost. (The show, which began streaming on Apple TV on July 15, was adapted by Jonathan Tropper from a novel by Marissa Stapley.)
The agent, Billie Rand, is played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who has played her share of law-and-order-type roles, most notably in “Quantico.” But Ellis-Taylor, who has two Emmy and one Oscar nomination, has built a lengthy resume around work that explores the Black experience in America: “King Richard,” “When They See Us,” “Nickel Boys,” “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “The Birth of a Nation,” “The Color Purple,” “Origin,” and “Lovecraft Country.”
Ellis-Taylor spoke recently by video about what drew her to the role and how this fits in with her other work. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q. What drew you to this project?
Honestly, I had never done an Apple show before, and they do really interesting things that are off the beaten path. I like living in those worlds where you’re inventing as you go along, and I think Apple is doing that.
And I loved the idea that “Lucky” is a show where women are the heroines and the villains. I’m always looking for that – it gives a freshness and an excitement that’s different from when it’s just all dudes.
Q. So many of your biggest projects have focused on the Black experience in America. This one does not. Were you conscious of that when you chose the part?
I think in the book my character was a White guy, so I was interested in what happens when this is re-imagined in the actions and psychology of a Black woman. It changes everything, which is interesting. And I embrace that.
We worked with the producers, and they listened to us and respected the fact that the dialogue would change when it’s in the bodies of actors, especially because this character had been imagined initially as being played by someone else so there were residuals of that in the character and we had to work through it to make sure it was consistent with what was coming out of my mouth.
Q. When you’re doing a series, how much do you read ahead? Does it help to know your character’s full arc or do you prefer to stay in the moment?
One of my colleagues, Mo McRae, would ask, “Have you read the next episode yet?” and I’d say no. I didn’t do too much reading in advance. I’m really trying to concentrate on what’s in front of me and don’t want to play the results. So I was surprised by things that happened, which I think is beneficial when you’re doing a show like this – you don’t want to be winking at the audience, ‘Wait until the next episode!’
Q. We get Lucky’s full backstory but only a few tastes of Bille’s. Do you fill in the blanks with your imagination?
I’ve played FBI agents before, and I want to make sure what people see is not something that is homogenous, “There she goes again,” so I want some differentiation.
I’m really trying to convey some specificity about who Billie is and that history may not necessarily be on the page, but you’ve got to have it to have your own sense memory of who she is. That requires working out what she is like at home, when she’s not in action – who is she then?
Q. Were there props, like her sunglasses, or clothing that helped you get into character?
You know what I loved? I love the fact that what she wore was utilitarian all the time, down to the shoes I had on. There was nothing glamorous. That’s perfect for her. There was no effort to say, “We’re gonna put a dress on her in this scene.”
Q. Billie’s boss likens her to Ahab, forever chasing the white whale – in this case, Priscilla, who has largely eluded her grasp. Do you have some of that in you?
I like the idea of having a Moby-Dick in my life, or a few of them. One thing for me is the great work of other artists, whether it’s actors or in music or writing. I’m always trying to achieve what they have.
Q. You grew up on a farm in Mississippi. How did that shape you?
It’s a weird background. I grew up on a working farm. There were fields with peas and corn all around me. We had to put cows back in the fence. We had horses that we cared for. That was my childhood. I’m grateful for having had that relationship with the land. It affects the lens that you have on the world around you and expands your perspective. But I was on the farm but not of the farm. And I’m far removed from it now.