‘Tell Me Lies’: Grace Van Patten On Toxic Relationships And Ensemble Acting [Interview]

Based on the novel of the same name by Carola Lovering, the new Hulu drama “Tell Me Lies” follows the toxic relationship between Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten, “Nine Perfect Strangers”) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), over the course of eight years, starting when they first meet during college. Meaghan Oppenheimer (“Queen America”) serves as showrunner for the racy series, with Emma Roberts executive producing with her partner Sarah Preiss under their Belletrist Productions banner. 

The show’s star, Grace Van Patten, first got the taste for acting in an episode of “The Sopranos” directed by her father Tim Van Patten. She has since starred in films like Noah Baumbach’s “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)” with Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller, David Robert Mitchell’s “Under The Silver Lake,” with Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough, and most recently Karen Cinorre’s “Mayday” with Mia Goth and Juliette Lewis. Last summer, she played Michael Shannon’s daughter in David E. Kelley’s limited series “Nine Perfect Strangers.” 

The Playlist spoke to Van Patten over Zoom about what drew her to the project, what she learned about toxic relationships, and why she enjoys acting in films and TV shows with large ensemble casts. 

Had you read Carola Lovering’s book “Tell Me Lies” before joining this project?
I was waiting to read the book until I knew I had it because I knew if I read it, I would fall way too in love with it and want to do it so badly. So I waited until I found that I got it and then I just fell in love with it even more than the script. It gave a lot of insight into the character. The show definitely takes its own path, so there’ll be surprises even for fans of the novel.

What drew you to the character of Lucy originally and what was so exciting about playing her?
I think it’s rare that young people get these characters that are so layered and deep. Lucy goes through such a journey within these 10 episodes, and you just rarely see that. I was so intrigued by her journey and how it’s a slow burn with the unraveling of her emotions and psyche. I related to it a lot.

You’ve played a wide range of characters so far in your career. Is there something that you specifically look for when you’re thinking about your next project?
I’m really drawn to deep characters and no specific genre really. I feel like every character I’ve played has such deep trauma, which I think is what makes a character more relatable and real. I’m definitely drawn to somebody whose complicated and deep emotion I can explore, not just surface level. 

More from this interview on the second page.