Mischief,
Annabelle Wallis says, is my favorite word.
The Oxford-born actor stars in the Netflix film, which was released September 25 and quickly shot to number one on the streaming platform. Within the picture, Wallis portrays psychoanalyst Christiana Morgan, who shared the directorship of the Harvard Psychological Clinic and participated alongside Dr. Henry Murray in experiments performed on a youthful Ted Kaczynski. Alternating between the 1950s—when Kaczynski attended Harvard—and the 1990s as the FBI commenced its investigation into his murders, the film shifts back and forth across these two distinct eras. According to Wallis, the project was in development a few years back and was officially greenlit the day the Luigi Mangione case took the nation by storm.
Wallis Embraces a More Nuanced Role and Academic Character
Wallis views the film as a chance to explore a more nuanced role and satisfy a desire for academic characters. I think what’s been difficult in the career is that I look very much like the girlfriend, which are all those great parts, but I have real mischief and wildness within me through the life I’ve led,
she noted. Having also worked on action projects like Mutiny back-to-back with Unabomber, the actor described the experience as a dream combination of different worlds. I have big words, to be able to use them,
she added.
Amid her promotional tour, Wallis has recently welcomed her first child with partner Sebastian Stan, describing the current phase as a balancing act between satisfying work commitments and spending time with her baby. Meanwhile, she has observed global reactions to her latest release. And I’m getting texts from people in India, in South America, in parts of Africa that are all watching the same thing,
she said, adding that audiences are fascinated by a story they thought they knew and realizing there was more to learn.
Wallis Builds Career Playing Alongside Distinct Alpha-Male Personas
Wallis is also known for her roles in The Tudors, Peaky Blinders as Grace Burgess, and the horror spinoff Annabelle, as well as starring alongside Tom Cruise in The Mummy and Russell Crowe in The Loudest Voice. Throughout her career, she has developed a reputation for working well with actors who possess distinct alpha-male personas. Her career breakthrough came at the end of 2013 when she debuted as an undercover Irish cop opposite Cillian Murphy in Steven Knight’s BBC series, and she later reunited with her The Mummy co-star Crowe in 2019 to play Fox News booker Laurie Luhn in Showtime’s The Loudest Voice.
I want to connect to who they really are in their essence, and you can’t avoid it with me. There’s no escaping it,
Wallis explained regarding her approach to co-stars. I will etch away at their being until they give me that kernel of humanity.