‘HTGAWM’ Q&A: Liza Weil Talks Bonnie’s Surprise Hookup, Darkness, and ‘Gilmore Girls’
On a show completely populated with broken, flawed people, it’s truly saying something that Bonnie has become How to Get Away With Murder‘s MVP (most volatile player). What began as the iciest character in Shondaland has since become a complicated, heartbreaking, occasionally terrifying object of sympathy. But despite all the murder cover-ups, corrupt lawyering, office romances, and outright manipulation, Bonnie’s remained fully human all the while due to Liza Weil’s simmering, occasionally volcanic performance. The repressed, vulnerable counterpart to Viola Davis’s soulful steamroller, Bonnie can’t help but provoke instant sympathy in the audience — when she’s not casually murdering a loose end.
This week we spoke to Weil to discuss the most talked-about moment in “It’s About Frank”: Bonnie’s surprise hookup with her on-the-lam bestie hours after he murdered her pedophile father, only for him to abandon her at a cheap motel. (Have we mentioned this show is dark?) And you better believe we asked her about Netflix’s Gilmore Girls movies, which will find Weil’s Paris Geller returning for more neurotic messiness.
Related: ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ Recap: Autumn Rock Bottom
We already knew Bonnie was pretty damaged, but this episode really underscored how tragic she is.
I don’t know if I look at her as a tragic figure. I think that she is someone who works very hard to overcome her past. … She’s been very desperate to move away from the life that she was in. She never felt like she deserved friendship or companionship, and there’s such a need with all of these people — Annalise, Sam, Frank, Bonnie — to create this family.
I think Bonnie’s main motivation going to Coalport was to restore that. She wants to bring this threesome back together. The death of Bonnie’s father, though a relief, is still a loss to her. Bonnie hasn’t felt stable in Annalise’s house with Frank being gone all season, and she’s probably surprised by how powerfully she’s felt his loss.
And yeah, I think it’s very upsetting that Frank abandons her there, and I think that that certainly is going to make all these destructive feelings that Bonnie has bubble to the surface. And that Frank did that knowing very well that that is a huge trigger for her — it’s deeply upsetting. But I do think that she’s still got some fight in her.
Many people were rooting for Bonnie and Frank to take it to the next level at some point. Were you as well, or were you surprised to see that happen?
I think it certainly made sense in terms of the story and where we are now. But yes, it was still very much a surprise. As an actor, I’m not used to playing romantic scenes very often. That is not my forte. I think that Charlie Weber [Frank] and Karla Souza [Laurel] do that really beautifully in a way that is a little daunting for me. There are some very die-hard #Flaurel fans out there, and I have to say I’m a little worried about what kind of blowback #Fronnie will be getting. But I do think that it’s a great story, and it definitely tracks for me psychologically, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing how that plays out for the rest of the season.
This show is dark as hell. Is darkness your comfort zone?
Yes. I think that as a person I tend towards the dark, so I think that ends up coming through [laughs] in some of the characters I’ve played. I think that as an actor it’s always interesting for me to sort of dig into the motivations of people and what people are. I think I’m always fascinated by the idea that all of us are sort of fighting private battles every day that nobody knows about, and it informs a lot.
A lighter question for you: What did you like better in Season 2, your flashback wig or your flashback sweater?
What about the corduroys!
Those were great, too.
I think they really all worked as a trifecta. You really need the corduroys, the wig, the sweater. And the loafers.
Flashback Bonnie was pretty great.
Yeah, Flashback Bonnie’s come a long way, baby.
I’ll be thrown in jail if I don’t ask about Netflix’s upcoming Gilmore Girls movies. Are you allowed to say anything about them at this point?
Storyline-wise it’s being very much protected, and I know it’s highly anticipated. I will say that I had the best time going back, and I did not realize how much I missed being Paris again. [Executive producers] Amy [Sherman-Palladino] and Dan [Palladino] really outdid themselves in terms of what they came up with for Paris. I think people are going to be really, really happy with the world they’ve been able to create. It’s all there, it’s all intact, it’s wonderful to be able to catch up with what those people are like now. And yeah, I’m very much looking forward to seeing it as well.
It was probably a welcome break from the darkness of this show.
Yes, it was nice to be a little broad. I recorded some ADR for Gilmore Girls a few months ago, and Amy and Dan came in the room and there were a few lines I had to do, and I kept turning around like, “This performance is too big, right?” and they were like, “Nope!” [laughs] “Keep doin’ it!”
How to Get Away With Murder airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of HTGAWM for free at Yahoo View. Netflix’s four-part Gilmore Girls revival premieres Nov. 25.
