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She does not care about your life at all, does she?
Condolences on the loss of Gemma.
Liking Niko did not go well for her.
[Laughs] Villanelle now ceases to be abstract in any sense for him.
Shes always been a shadowy figure lurking.
Shes gotten closer and closer to Niko, and to Eves relationship with Niko.
Hes responsible for Gemmas death, in a way.
He knew that bringing her into this world was dangerous.
But he was naive.
He thought he could just leave.
Villanelle says she was close to letting them go until he said he loved Eve.
She says Eve would never forgive her if she killedhim.
So did she kill Gemma to intimidate him?
Or was she just bored?Youd have to ask Jodie that question.
I think Gemma is collateral damage.
Because shes a psychopath, the normal rules dont apply.
So she uses a mix of pleasantnessandintimidation to try and get Niko where she wants him.
Obviously well, not obviously [Villanelle and Eves] relationship will come to a climax in due course.
Villanelle has already discovered Eve doesnt pay much attention to Niko.
Is he just a pawn in her obsession with his wife?I dont think hes a pawn.
I think hes an obstacle.
Not for what he does, but for what Eve feels for him.
that theyve started to not quite get each other.
But they still have this deep love thats evolved over time.
Villanelle struggles to understand the very normal, quite banal human connection that millions of couples have.
Niko and Eve have something that she kind of wants.
She doesnt understand why Niko is so important to Eve because she thinks hes dull and boring.
Niko was pretty menacing when Villanelle showed up in Oxford.
Where was that aggression in the storage unit?Weve developed quite an elaborate backstory for Niko.
But the situation that Villanelle puts him and Eve in sometimes allows that to come out.
Villanelle is the unseen catalyst in Niko and Eves sex life.
[Laughs] Unbeknownst to Niko when she sends Eve flowers.
But also when he confronts Eve about the stabbing.
He asks her if she wants him to love her or frighten her.
When she says she doesnt know, he opts for the latter.
The next day, Eve is exhilarated, but he seems disgusted.
Is he afraid of who hes becoming?Absolutely he is disgusted.
He is afraid of his potential to become something that he doesnt necessarily want.
He thinks leaving is a better option.
Personally, I think its slightly cowardly that he doesnt see it through.
But he has this terrible fear of becoming his father.
Its cowardly because hes not fighting for the marriage?Yes, but thats Owen McDonnells opinion.
Niko looks at it as, Youre asking me to cross a line that I categorically refuse to cross.
Ive done so much for you, and you’re gonna wanna come back.
But Eve doesnt because she has to follow the path shes on with Villanelle.
Shes such a chameleonic actress.
Doing scenes with her, you never know whats going to happen.
Both Jodie and Sandra arereallydown-to-earth, hard-working actors.
Theyre both fun to be around, but very different as well.
So it was a real joy.
How are they different?They have different ways of working.
So every take is very, very different.
The shows tone toggles from serious to humorous so quickly.
Villanelle knows that Niko provides things for Eve that she cant provide and doesnt quite understand.
This is one of those things.
It was tough to film because there was a lot of laughing, a lot of spoiled takes.
And yeah, Jodie is prone to a giggle every now and then.
But also, he is just trying to be a good man and its not enough.
What effect does that have on a person?
What does that do to your impression of yourself, your confidence?
As the series has progressed, their ability to communicate slowly falls apart.
They go from really getting each others quirkiness to failing to understand each other.
What else can I do?
Killing Evewas successful from the start getting renewed for a second season before the first one ever aired.
How has your life changed?Do you know what?
It hasnt changed a huge amount.
I dont get recognized in the streets.
People dont come up to me.
Because I dont have a mustache.
So in the sense of being recognized, it hasnt changed my life one iota.
Professionally, yeah, its definitely opened up some doors.
As Eve left Gemmas house, she patronizingly told Niko hed be happy there.
And he replied, I dread to think where youll be happy.
Now Eve is with the woman who left him locked up in a storage unit with his asphyxiated friend.
Can this marriage be saved?Their relationship is amajorunresolved issue, obviously.
The woman that Eve was jealous of is now dead by the woman that Eve is obsessed with.
It will be really interesting to see how this seismic event affects Niko.
It could destroy him; he could blame Eve; it could make him hunger for revenge.
He could become obsessed with the woman who killed his friend.
If he blames Eve for her death, how does that manifest itself?
Being in an extreme situation tests the foundations of a relationship.
Will it cause them to implode, or will it make them stronger?
Theres no defined way they have to go especially in this world where things always occur in surprising ways.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
