Erin Doherty: on Adolescence, the dangers of toxic masculinity and the importance of therap

For me, the hope is in the human contact,

having the conversation, whether it's with your kid,

with your auntie, with your therapist, whatever.

Let's just talk and let's, like, get technology

out of the equation as much as possible.

Adolescence has been called

one of the most terrifying TV shows of our times.

Why do you think it's such an important drama?

I think I was lucky enough to just miss the intensity

of the whole social media moment,

but seeing a younger sibling navigate that world

and kind of grapple with the importance that we place

on this thing and how it can really

come home with you, figuratively and literally,

I think is terrifying.

And so, I just wanted to be a part of telling that story

and asking those questions and just getting stuck in

with raising our awareness about it, really.

And how did Steven approach you for the role?

I was lucky enough to be working with him at the time

on A Thousand Blows

I was just asking him out of curiosity what he was up to

and he started telling me about this project

that he was writing with Jack Thorne, and I was like,

That's gonna be incredible.

I was lucky enough to work with Jack Thorne,

it was one of my first stage shows,

so I just knew he's a genius,

but I didn't think anything by it.

And then a couple of months go by after wrapping,

he reached out and I was,

yeah, just absolutely flabbergasted

that he would want me to be a part of it.

And yeah, it was a no-brainer.

And why do you think that Steven and Jack

wanted to write about this topic

and choose to focus on the story on the male

teenage perpetrator as opposed to the female victim?

All stories are necessary.

Like, I'm a believer, I'm a storyteller,

so I think every aspect, every lens should be explored.

And it makes sense to me that through their particular lens,

they're going to look at this specific story

with regards to male rage and how that can impact

someone's journey through adolescents.

Like, I really do think it's a vital story to be explored

and I think it's not surprising to me

that that was the funnel that it came through from them.

And I think who better to get that on paper?

One of the most powerful and unique elements

of the show is that each episode is filmed in one take.

How does that even begin to impact your performance,

especially with such an intense episode?

The integral thing was doing the prep

and getting my frame of mind right

so I could just surrender in the moment and let it be,

because I think what this show is so successful at

is capturing the intensity of what these moments are

and that real kind of the danger in them

really jumps through the screen.

And you only get that by being present.

And so, our job as actors was to just do the work

so you could be there 100% with the other actor on the day.

I spoke to therapists that I'd worked with

just to try and really get in that head space

of what a day in the life looks like.

But apart from that, I learned my lines

and then I wanted to just be there with Owen

and he was incredible.

I mean, for a debut performance,

it is truly astonishing, right?

What was it like working with Owen

on such an intense episode?

His age never came into it,

and the fact that it's his first job never came into it,

it felt like working with an actor

who'd been doing it for 50 years.

Like, he's just unreal.

And I'd work with him for the rest of my days if I could.

I felt so supported by him as I hope he did by me

and I never felt like I was carrying any weight

or dragging us through any...

It was completely 50-50.

And that is, with any actor, that's an absolute gift

and you can't really take that lightly.

And he made it so easy.

You touched on it earlier as well.

How did you prepare for the role?

Did you speak to child psychologists

or meet any young boys who might have been exposed

to similar things that Jamie was exposed to?

I've got a younger brother, he's 11 years younger than me,

so I've definitely kind of grown up seeing

a young male navigate that world.

Even just school.

I think school is a very different environment

for girls and boys.

And so, I've only got an older sister,

so until my brother came along,

I'd never really appreciated the different pressures

in that way.

So, that really informed a lot.

But then, as I say,

I'm a big advocate for therapy in general.

I've done my time.

I've done many a year in that chair,

and so I kind of knew what that was,

but I wanted to really sit down,

as I say, with my previous therapist

and just kind of really know, I suppose,

the level of agility that you need mentally

to get through a single session, let alone a day.

So, I just really wanted to hone in on that

and that's what that gave me.

It seemed like a performance in many way

that your character was sort of engaged in.

You know, I wonder if that was you

deliberately making it seem

like she was engaged in a performance

so that she could separate herself from it?

I think it is.

I think that's the whole kind of battle of transference

and counter transference.

Like, as a therapist, you're constantly having

to keep your lane clear essentially and check yourself.

And there's no one else that's gonna do that for you.

So, it did feel that way.

And actually, it's quite similar to being an actor.

Like, sometimes, you do just have to pull yourself out

and really figure out what you're aligned with

and what energies you're tuning into

and whether or not they're for you

or if they're getting in the way.

And as a therapist, I think you're constantly having

to be your own sieve in that sense.

And so, there was a level of performance

professionally needed that I did kind of lean into.

And obviously at the end when you see Ryan

he's sort of sitting and having a moment afterwards.

How did you cope with filming

such an intense episode, personally,

especially without any cuts,

without any, like, room for breathing space?

Essentially, that moment was, yeah, it was real.

Like, it was the culmination of however long it was,

45, 50 minutes of that intense environment

just needing to escape.

And also, I suppose as a professional, having that hat on,

having the ability to put it down for a second,

and just feel what you needed to feel,

like, that was the challenge for me,

was actually keeping that bottled throughout the process.

And then actually, the end was a necessity

more than anything.

Like, it really is so draining.

I don't know how professionals do it.

Even as an actor, like, I feel like you can dip in and out

and there's a fluidity,

but there's such intensity being one-on-one,

especially with a young boy,

like, witnessing him go through those emotions

and really genuinely rooting for him as Erin,

the actor being like,

You can do this. We've got this.

But also as Briony, like, wanting Jamie to,

I suppose, give her a glimmer of hope

that he might be innocent in some way.

That was all kind of bubbling at the surface.

So, it just came out however it did.

Jamie speaks about the 80-20 rule in the manosphere

and I'd actually never heard of that before.

Had you?

Is that something- No.

No, I'd never.

I'd kind of crossed paths maybe subconsciously

with the kind of incel language.

I think there was something in the news that I'd seen.

That was kind of my only brush with the reality

of what this is in our world.

When this script came up and I did some digging,

it really did unveil a terrifying aspect

of what kids are going through,

let alone adults are, like, what we can brush up against

and be consciously swayed by.

It's, yeah, terrifying.

And the use of emojis even.

Yeah.

Like, the coding of- I know and, like,

the levels, like, the hearts.

Yeah. The colors of the hearts.

The colors of the hearts, I had no idea.

Like, that's what I mean by I feel so immensely grateful

that I kind of, like,

just bypassed that. Me too.

Like, I think I'd be terrified going to school every day

that I was gonna make the wrong move or send the wrong text

or, like, something would be interpreted the...

It was just none of that pressure.

Frightening, isn't it?

To think about bringing kids

into the world as well. Yeah.

That's ultimately where I'm at now, is I'm like,

Oh, my goodness.

Obviously, there's such glorious people on this job

and you kind of check in with them.

You get to hear their perspectives on it.

And I sat in a room with Ashley for a couple of hours

and he was like,

It's so tempting to obviously just be the dad that's like,

'No phones.'

Like, we are never gonna do this, but at the same time,

you have to grant them freedom.

But just, I suppose, hope for the best.

And also, I think what this show does

and what I hope it does is,

I don't think it provides us with any answers

on how to fix it, but it just kind of goes,

All we can do is open up the floodgates

to asking the questions and having the conversation.

And I think that's essentially all we can do

and hold ourselves accountable for.

Well, you say that-

Go on. Okay.

But obviously, Jamie reveals that in the buildup

to Katie's death involved the sharing

of non-consensual nudes of Katie.

Mm. Image-based abuse

is something that Glam Magazine

is currently campaigning the government to criminalize-

Yes. And we're having

a round table at the House of Commons last week.

Oh, my goodness.

So, why do you think it's so specifically important

to shine a light on this specific form of abuse

and obviously what it could lead to?

I think, as you say, it leans into the blurred lines

of consent and technology,

And actually, those rules should apply, regardless,

like, it's awful that we've had to get to this point

to be having these conversations.

But in a way, the fact that we're now

filling in those gaps is hopeful, essentially.

It's about consent and it's about filling in those gaps.

It's so heartbreaking that there were people

who fell through.

But now that we are clocking it,

we have to have the conversations,

hold ourselves accountable and go,

Okay, well, then this needs to be against the law.

There have been blind spots

that we need to now address immediately.

So, that's ultimately really inspiring

that that's happening.

What did you learn about yourself whilst doing this role?

I think that I couldn't be a therapist,

as much as I've wanted to be. [interviewer laughs]

Honestly, I think having gone through the process,

I've always been like,

Wow, maybe there's a world in which I would one day

try that hat on for size.

But I think honestly, the level of exhaustion

at the end of every day doing this for three weeks.

I tip my hat.

I just don't know how therapists do it.

As someone who cares about people,

that's like where I was like,

Oh, I'd love to do that and try

and, like, really contribute to people's wellbeing

and mental health.

But really, what this has done is peeled back

the layers and gone.

You're an athlete in your own sense,

like, to be able to pull that off.

And I'm so grateful to the fact that there are people

who commit their lives to that and do the work,

because I don't know where we'd be

without therapists. [chuckles]

You've referenced that you have done your time

in the therapist chair. Yeah.

Are there any other ways you look

after your own mental wellbeing?

Looking after yourself in the sense of physical activity,

like eating right, having, like, these conversations.

So, I think in a sense, like,

being your own gardener in, like, making sure the soil

is kept clean and that is self-care,

but it's also making sure that you're surrounded

by the right people.

Particularly in this industry,

it's quite easy to get swept up in the whole thing.

So, for me, it's about remaining connected to my family

and keeping your feet on the ground.

But, as I say, taking care of yourself

and also not trying not to be self-judging,

which that's what I battle with mainly with this job.

Inner critic.

Yeah, trying not to beat myself up too much.

What do you think the message of Adolescence is?

The show isn't there to provide answers,

it's just to ask the questions

and actually to shine a light on something

that is so necessary and quite scary

that actually what else can we do

but actually just look at it and go,

Look, this is really, really scary and terrifying.

But for our younger generation,

it's our job to bite the bullet and just lean into the fear,

because hopefully, through those questions,

we'll get to some level of clarity.

But also I think, for me, the hope is in the human contact

and it always comes back to that,

and this show, for me, is about having the conversation,

whether it's with your kid, with your auntie,

with your therapist, whatever.

Let's just talk.

Yeah. And let's, like,

get technology out the equation as much as possible.