Page 116 - Katherine Ryan press pack 2015-20

AH: That, or you use her character to present new ideas for

jokes, like the bit about Brexit and immigration in Glitter Room.

It doesn't do or say anything negative about her. It's just a
stepping stool.

KR: When she comes home and says, "Mommy, there are people coming

into the country. I've heard about this. They're coming in and taking all the
jobs." It's so sweet because that isn't Violet being right-wing. That's her

repeating something she's heard. It's not a reflection of her. It's me telling a

story about children coming home and saying crazy things. It's a joke about

entitlement, about how someone just happens to be born on a piece of land

and, as a result, feels they deserve public health services while others don't.

I used one little thing she said after school to illustrate a greater political
idea.

AH: Switching gears, how are things going with your upcoming

scripted series, The Duchess?

KR: We're in pre-production right now. I love working on The Duchess.

And again, like winning over an audience, it has been a challenge. I've never

been a screenwriter before. In America, you have writer's rooms, but not in

the U.K. They just stick you in a closet where you have to stare at a wall and

write an entire series all by yourself.

But it's great. It's obviously a collaboration and I'm getting plenty of help,

but it's been really good. It's a very specific show. It's a little bit Eastbound

& Down, in that it's about a destructive person — specifically, a destructive

woman. Anytime I see a mother like that onscreen, I'm sorry to say that in
my experience, she's either promiscuous, a drunk or really sad about her

circumstances. This woman is a bad person, yes, but a really good mom.

She loves being a mom. It's high fashion for her. It's really glossy and fun

and it's a celebration of her unique family. But, yeah, she's an asshole. She's