Natasha Lyonne, known for her sharp wit and quick delivery, is taking on a new challenge in her latest role in the Peacock series “Poker Face.” The show offers her the opportunity to play a character with a personality trait she’s never explored before: someone who genuinely likes people.
Lyonne’s character, Charlie, is still clever and has her signature zingers, but she’s also inspired by Jeff Bridges’ iconic character The Dude from “The Big Lebowski.” According to Lyonne, Charlie is “a person a little bit set back who’s got a sunny disposition” a stark contrast to the city-slicker characters Lyonne is known for playing.
The creator of the show, Rian Johnson, explains that Charlie’s openness and positivity is a new challenge for Lyonne, and he believes that her natural sarcasm and wit combined with the character’s sunny outlook will make for a compelling and entertaining performance. He said “The natural kind of acidity and sharpness of Natasha’s personality, combined with a character who has a genuinely sunny outlook…I find it’s super watchable.”
This new role in “Poker Face” is a departure from Lyonne’s usual characters and will showcase her range as an actress and her ability to play a character with a different type of personality and it will be interesting to see how she will bring this new character to life.
“Poker Face” is a brand new mystery series that is sure to captivate audiences with its thrilling storyline and talented cast. The show is written and directed by Rian Johnson, known for his work on the hit films “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion.” Johnson’s expertise in the mystery genre is evident in this new series, which promises to be a hit with audiences.
The show’s main character, Charlie, played by Natasha Lyonne, has a unique ability to automatically detect when someone is lying. After events in the first episode send her on the run from a ruthless mafia boss and his enforcer, played by Benjamin Bratt, Charlie sets out on a journey to escape and stay one step ahead of her enemies.
Each episode of “Poker Face” is a standalone story, with Charlie encountering new people and getting caught up in a new mystery with each stop along her journey. As she encounters a murder and uncovers lies, Charlie becomes determined to figure out what really happened. With a talented cast and an expert storyteller at the helm, this series is sure to be a hit with audiences. It’s a story of survival and deception, full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Johnson explains that the series follows a consistent format in each episode, starting with the murder, flashing back to show where Charlie was during the murder, catching up with the investigation, and ultimately solving the crime. He believes that this procedural consistency is a big part of what makes the series so compelling, as it offers audiences the comfort of hanging out with familiar characters and a familiar format every week, while still providing new thrills and surprises. He said, “Keeping that procedural consistency was a big, big deal to me because when I tune in to TV, part of what I love is hanging out with the same friends over and over. It’s a comforting pattern of getting a new thrill from something that I know what to expect from every single week. There’s great joy in that… I embrace it completely.”
Johnson’s approach to the series is sure to keep audiences hooked, as it offers a unique blend of a procedural and a howdunit series, with a talented cast, a consistent format and a thrilling storyline.