Now whenever Billy feels Neil’s knuckles bruise his skin, he no longer thinks of himself. It’s El, the girl he saved and who saved him in return, that’s suddenly at the forefront of his mind. Her little face, her perfect smile, an angel in the dark. That’s why he stays in this godforsaken town, to protect her should the monsters return. That’s why he just stands and takes it whenever Neil decides to take his anger out on him. For her.
But El has had enough. She’s tired of watching this soft, loving man be bloodied and broken just for her. And she’s going to do something about it.
Did you and Millie do some prep work together to better understand the motivations of your characters? Or just to get more comfortable with one another, given the intensity of the scenes you share?
God, yeah, it was really intense. Most of the scenes I’m chasing her as opposed to working directly with her as two actors paired together, but it was still a significant mental challenge. Millie and I gave 200 percent in every scene we did together. It was easy to meet each other with that level of passion in the moment. While filming that final scene, we would scream at each other between takes to warm each other up, just trying to be emotionally connected the entire time. We were giving and receiving all of those emotions, and it was like that for the entire season. And we would both comfort each other after those moments. I would reassure her that we’re safe, we’re gonna be okay, and that I’m not gonna actually hurt her. —Dacre Montgomery