‘The Perfect Couple’ Killer Dakota Fanning on Killing Merritt, the Dance

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s limited series, “The Perfect Couple” and Elin Hilderbrand’s book, on which it is based.

Move over, Agatha: In Netflix’s new murder mystery “The Perfect Couple,” it was Abby all along.

The limited series, which takes place during an affluent July 4th wedding weekend in Nantucket, opened with the death of Merritt (Meghann Fahy), the maid of honor for Amelia (Eve Hewson). But why would someone want to kill the maid of honor, you ask?

Well, money really does make the world go ‘round, especially for the wealthy families that already have it –– and, in the case of Abby (Dakota Fanning), those who marry into it. Early on, it’s revealed that Merritt was secretly pregnant from her affair with family patriarch Tag Winbury (Liev Schreiber), something his wife Greer (Nicole Kidman) quickly caught onto. But it wasn’t until the finale that audiences learn a new addition to the Winbury family would delay Tag’s older sons from accessing their trust funds. This detail would definitely hurt eldest son Thomas (Jack Reynor), who is already millions of dollars in debt to his own mistress, Isabel (Isabelle Adjani). But in the end, the person willing to kill to stop this bump in the road is Abby, who detectives learn drugged Merritt before drowning her during a late-night swim.

The twist marks a huge change to Elin Hilderbrand’s book, on which the series is based. In that version, Abby merely drugs a drink she thinks belongs to the woman having an affair with Thomas (in the book, that character is named Featherleigh Dale). But the drink gets to Merritt instead, and she becomes disoriented enough to drown on her own.

Fanning tells Variety she learned she was the killer before she even read a single script. Director Susanne Bier called Fanning directly to offer her the villainous role, something the actor doesn’t often get the chance to play. One exception to that rule is her role as Jane, a key member of the Volturi vampire council in the “Twilight,” who throws a baby into a fire at one point. But Fanning doesn’t count that one.

“In ‘Twilight,’ sure, Jane the vampire wasn’t great,” she says with a laugh. “But she is a vampire, not a person. This was the first time I got to play the bad person, and I just loved it! I was so excited to be the crazy one.”

Crazy is one word for it, as Abby holds fast to her privilege even as she is being dragged away by police, screaming that they can’t possibly send a pregnant woman to prison.

In the wake of the eventful finale, Fanning talked to Variety about nailing the show’s campy tone, joining the “open rebellion” against the series’ now-viral dance number, and whether she thinks Abby has any remorse for drowning a fellow mom-to-be.

On one level, this show is a murder mystery. But there is also a real knowing comedy and humor to it. Did you all recognize and lean into that tone as you were making it?

Yes, for sure. I was definitely excited by that aspect of it, because it is something that I, personally, have never done before. This heightened, little bit surreal — but also real tone. It is very particular, and that got me very interested. I was also really fortunate to play a character that gets to be a part of that tone. I don’t have to be the straight man. I am one of the wacky ones in this world. And in general, we all knew the tone and relished in it, especially me and Jack. We just called ourselves “The Worst Couple.” We pretended like we had our own series going on, parallel to the show that was just us living in our own reality. So yeah, no one was fighting the tone.

Abby doesn’t hide her privilege either. She kind of wears it as a badge of honor in this Nantucket world.

She loves it! She has some really interesting things to say, and, as the actor playing her, there were some lines that just don’t come up very often. I was really thrilled that I got to be the person who says them.

Do you have a favorite Abby-ism, if you will?

There are a bunch, but I do love: “She dated my friend’s boss at Sotheby’s. He’s loaded and five-foot-six. They are very much in love.” That is such a great one!

Working with Susanne Bier, who I have worked with before, that is why I am a part of this. She called me, described the character and asked me to be in it. I would do anything that she asks me to do. I trust her implicitly as a person and a director. So when you have that safety net and that rapport, you are able to just let go and have fun. We just kind of let it rip!

Susanne told Variety it was her idea to have the incredibly entertaining opening titles dance number. But on the red carpet for the show’s premiere, some of your co-stars mentioned that there was initially pushback to it — and there was even a WhatsApp group chat about how to maybe get out of it. Were you among those initially skeptical?

Well, we always had the WhatsApp group. It wasn’t created for open rebellion against the dance. But yes, I was in that rebellion. But not because I didn’t get it! Like I just said, I would do anything for Susanne, so I was always going to do it. I was just scared I was going to look stupid, and I wouldn’t be able to pick up the moves. But once we got there and rehearsed it, and I realized I could do it, it was totally fine. And of course, speaking to Susanne and understanding the purpose of it, helped. At first, we didn’t understand where it was even going in the show. Like, what episode is this? Then, realizing it was the beginning and its intention was to set the viewer up for this heightened world and prime you to go somewhere you’re not quite expecting to go, it just made a ton of sense. Now when I watch it, it is so much fun and just as much fun to do.

How long did it take to film it? Were there a lot of takes?

It was actually one of the last things that we filmed. We did a rehearsal day and practiced, but we all picked it up pretty well. By the end, all of us naysayers were having the most fun!

You are front and center in the crowd, so it looks like you knew your moves and you were smiling the whole time.

Oh, you can’t fake a smile like that. The hardest thing to do in acting is smile and laugh. It is the hardest thing to pretend. So what you see in that dance is all real.

What did you first learn about who Abby was, and when did you find out she was the killer?

Right away. Susanne called and just said a bunch of things like, “I’m doing this show with Nicole Kidman, set on Nantucket, wedding weekend, Fourth of July, the character is pregnant.” It was just a bunch of bullet points, and the last one was, “And she’s the murderer.” She told me to read the scripts and let her know. But this was before I had read anything or even knew the title of the show. I couldn’t even look up the book. So I knew immediately she was the killer, and I was thrilled.

Your Abby is a far more active killer than the Abby in the book. What was it like shooting the scene with Meghann in the water, when Abby drowns Merritt?

When we shot the scene sitting on the little beach outside the house, it was so cold we didn’t get to do it many times. Then, there was a day in a big swimming pool. Meghann had a much harder job to do than me because she is eyes open, screaming, drowning underwater. I was really just there to support her, and look like I’m drowning her but not actually grab her that hard. I didn’t want to hold her down too long! But we had fun with that, too.

Across your career, you haven’t played the bad guy very often. Was this fun?

In “Twilight,” sure, Jane the vampire wasn’t great. But she is a vampire, not a person. This was the first time I got to play the bad person, and I just loved it! I was so excited to be the crazy one.

When Abby is exposed and is being carted away by police, she shoots Amelia this very pointed look. How did you play that look? Was it remorse? Was it anger?

I think it was like, “If you and your friend hadn’t been in the picture, then this wouldn’t be happening to me!” I don’t think she is remorseful at all. I think she is still wondering how this is going to get fixed now. She is still in her delusion. So yeah, I think that look is telling Amelia that this is her fault that Abby was pushed to this place. Like the real psycho she is.

How do you think Abby will fare if she is convicted and goes to prison?

She will probably be running the joint. If this is still the heightened world of “The Perfect Couple,” she is running the place somehow. She is just crazy enough to figure out some sort of way to get through it.

You seem to like playing the killer. Does this mean we should start suspecting you in everything moving forward?

Absolutely! I can’t do it too often or people will start assuming I am the killer all the time. So I need to wait a little bit. But when you least expect it, I’ll be back.

This interview has been edited and condensed.