Stephanie Laing (‘Physical’ director and EP) on the consequences of Sheila’s inner voice: ‘She has to have a fall’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

When Stephanie Laing began work on “Physical” Season 2, the director and executive producer knew she “wanted it to be bigger.” The sophomore iteration of the Apple TV+ series ups the stakes for its main character Sheila (Rose Byrne) by providing her with massive success at the top of the season before a dramatic decline. “She has to have a fall” explains Laing, noting that they had to “show her spiral” out of control. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

The director knew that she could pull off a more ambitious approach to Season 2 because of Rose Byrne’s skill in the lead role. “She’s fearless,” says Laing of the actress, noting that Byrne isn’t afraid to dive into truly dark places. Over the course of the season, Sheila faces obstacles building her fitness empire, is blackmailed by a former coworker, and struggles with fallout from an affair. All the while, she must negotiate the constant presence of the voice in her head. It acts like a tiny devil that instills self-loathing.

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That inner saboteur, brought to life in direct voiceovers from Byrne, is used by Laing to showcase the duality which exists in the character of Sheila. “It’s sort of taken over,” notes Laing on the growing strength of that voice, “so it gets more aggressive.” In order to get an organic reaction from Byrne, the voiceover lines are read aloud when filming a scene. “She’s a master of micro expressions, so much happens with her face,” explains Laing. Bringing the voice into the shooting process helps the director capture the subtle expressions in Byrne’s eyes as Sheila takes in the negativity.

Sheila meets her match this season with Vinnie Green, an eccentric aerobics guru with a bigger brand, played by Emmy winner Murray Bartlett.  Sheila’s inner voice ensures she remains firmly envious of his success. Her quest for mentorship from this flourishing businessman culminates in an epic jazzercise duel between the two characters. They leap, kick, and pump their way through the oversized rooms of Vinnie’s mansion. It’s a hysterical moment that soon bubbles over with tension when the pair start admitting their darkest secrets to one another in a dysfunctional bonding moment.

Laing wanted to expand what was on the page for this scene by taking it all over the house instead of confining it to a single room. “Almost like they can’t help themselves” but to move, she suggests. The long takes required for this type of sequence are intense. “It’s a very point-of-view show,” notes the director, “we are 95% steadicam.” But the end result is worth the effort, as the mix of freedom and tension in the moment encapsulates the essence of the characters, and the genre-defying tone of the series itself. “It felt very authentic to their characters. They’re able to show themselves while they’re moving,” explains Laing. “That’s the way they would do it. Them just sitting down and having a conversation, it would never come out”

Laing is a two-time Emmy winner. She won her first Emmy as a producer “Tracey Takes On…” in 1997, and would earn two additional bids for that show in Best Variety Series. She then earned four nominations in Best Comedy Series for “Veep,” winning on the fourth try. As a writer she was nominated at the 2015 Gold Derby Awards in the Comedy Episode of the Year category, for the “Veep” episode “Convention.”

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