Meghann Fahy is in her crime period. And there’s a big connection between her recent binge-worthy offerings.
Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen 2022 yet White Lotus season 2: In the Sicily-set season of Mike White's HBO series, Fahy's character was the one who discovered a body washed ashore. The premiere scene kept the identity of the person a secret, setting off a season-long mystery that ultimately exposed Jennifer Coolidge as the deceased.
And now, a spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't started binge-watching Netflix yet. Perfect couple: That series, which released all episodes on September 5, begins with Fahy being found dead in the water, sparking another season-long mystery about who killed her character. (For the reveal, go here.)
“I feel like it’s working,” Fahy told Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight's show (below), to orient themselves towards the genre. “So from here on out, for me it's just bodies in the water.”
During her late-night appearance on Tuesday, she opened up about the process of making a Hollywood movie, which involves pretending to be dead. Both she and Fallon agreed that it was OK to ruin the show's premise, since Perfect couple It became a streaming hit within two weeks of its release.
“It's called lifecasting,” he explained of the makeup and special effects process to double his dead body. “They, very, very slowly over the course of six hours, pour two different types of silicone all over your body. They do it in two sections. [the lower and upper half]. And then they put plaster on it. The worst part, though, was when they did the head.”
She and Fallon showed the makeup department photos of Fahy’s modeling process, which created a very lifelike stunt double. Fahy even brought a photo with her to the set of herself and the stunt double.
“It’s an indescribable experience,” he said of the double take. “It’s very strange to see your body in real space.”
When we talk about her White Lotus scene with a dead body, Fahy revealed that he accidentally hit his co-star Coolidge in the face during filming.
“I felt so bad,” she said. “They wanted to do an underwater shot of my foot coming into contact with her body, but I couldn't see where her body was, so it was like she was floating, waiting for my foot to come into her general space. And I accidentally hit her in the face, and she came up out of the water and I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm so sorry.' And she was like [in a Coolidge impression]”Hey buddy, you just gotta do it. Don't worry about me.”
Fahy also talked about the choreographed dance sequence that opens Perfect coupleadmitting that it was very difficult to learn the dance moves. “If you can’t beat them or join them, just do your own thing,” she said of the move she offered during the sequence. She then taught Fallon the choreography, which the cast performed to the tune of Meghan Trainor’s “Criminals.”
Susanne Bier, who adapted Elin Hilderbrand's crime novel for Netflix, recently said The Hollywood Reporter that the musical opening, shot in an hour and a half, was conceived to convey to viewers the comedic tone of the series, despite the fact that there is a murder at its center.
“I thought the title sequence should be something that suggests that the audience is allowed to have fun with this show,” he said. “There's something joyful about a lot of people dancing together. And with all these characters, who aren't necessarily likable, having that moment, it just felt right.”