You might think twice about overlooking the office wallflower after watching Ella Purnell play a sad sack gone sadist on the new Starz dramedy “Sweetpea.”
The British actress, who is also an executive producer on the series, plays Rhiannon, a shrinking violet who develops a thirst for vengeance after her childhood bully resurfaces.
Purnell, 28, is best known for playing a high-school princess on Showtime’s teen survival drama “Yellowjackets” and a sheltered innocent on the postapocalyptic Prime Video series “Fallout.” Now she’s traded their perkiness for pent-up rage. She called Rhiannon “a case of arrested development” during a phone interview in September from Los Angeles, where she’d attended the Emmy Awards ceremony the day before.
“She’s stuck in the past and unable to move on,” Purnell said, adding that she’s the opposite in real life. “I really love processing things. You can’t just stuff things away in a little box in your brain and not think about it. It will find other ways to come out if you don’t feel your feelings.”
Still, there are some things Purnell — a self-described creature of comfort — won’t let go of.
“I like to do the same things every day. I like to eat the same things every day. I get hyper-fixations,” she said before discussing worn-in footwear, a miraculous beauty product and the American meal she craves. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Breville Espresso Machine
I spent a lot of money on that machine; it’s not going to waste. I used to work in a coffee shop, so I have experience tamping down and getting the right grind size and pressure. Sometimes, before I go to bed, I think about how good my coffee’s going to be in the morning.
Games
My family is big on any kind of fun, imaginative, competitive joint activity. There’s very few things that make a person shed self-consciousness, and games do that. My top three: Pictionary, Twister and Watch Ya’ Mouth, where you put a bit of plastic in your mouth that makes it really big, then you try to say a phrase and people have to guess what you’re saying.
After-Party Flats
Heels on the red carpet, because I like the way they make me look. But I can do heels for maybe an hour or two. They hurt my back and knees. I took my shoes off during the Emmys and walked barefoot to the Governors Ball — I would rather get glass in my foot than wear high heels the entire night — then changed into rubber sandals that don’t go with that Paco Rabanne dress.
Rot Sessions
It’s important to limit your brain activity sometimes, especially in the culture that we have right now. Everyone is a workaholic. I need my comfort, and where I want to be is on the sofa, eating something like ramen or mac and cheese, sitting with my friends from “Sex and the City.” People call it self-care. I call it “rot.”
A Wake and Late Breakfast Burrito
I’ve had it probably once a week for the last four years [in Los Angeles], and it’s the best thing I’ve ever had in my life. It’s avocado, eggs and bacon, and I love that they put tater tots inside, and they somehow stay crispy. Breakfast burritos are not a thing in the U.K. I never had one before I came to America.
House Plants
I have a lot of golden pothos, a Dracaena tree that’s seven years old and massive, a lot of string-of-pearls, monstera and snake plants. There’s something about raising a plant that just makes you feel real good.
Dr. Martens
I’ve worn them every day for the last, maybe, 10 years. There’s something about stepping in shoes that just perfectly fit your feet. They’re grungy, beaten up and comfy. They also have a bit of a wedge — I’m quite short, and they give me a little height.
Pimple Patches
Remember when we didn’t have them, now we do, and how much better everything is because of it? Rael is my favorite brand. These things are amazing because they hide the pimple and the pain. They get rid of a pimple in like eight hours. I don’t know how — it’s magical. You go to bed, you wake up, it’s gone.
Therapy
I’m a believer that everyone should go to therapy. I think it could benefit most people — improve their lives and relationships, make them a better, happier person. You don’t have to be depressed to go to therapy. You don’t have to have experienced a huge trauma. Just go to learn a little bit about why we are the way that we are.
Spotify Playlists
I make a playlist for every character I play. On Rhiannon’s, I have “Loser” by Beck, “Creep” by Radiohead and “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson. What’s funny is my mom and I share Spotify, and she’s a yoga teacher. There’s nothing worse than being on the aux at a party and your mom’s crazy yoga mix comes on!
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