Patti Harrison’s character in Poker Face Season 2 has taken a thrilling turn, showcasing her journey from audition doubts to a pivotal role.
Patti Harrison’s Journey in Poker Face Season 2
SPOILERS: This post contains details about the Poker Face, Season 2 penultimate episode ‘Day of the Iguana’
Patti Harrison‘s character, Alex, has become the latest suspected killer on Poker Face, marking a significant milestone for the comedian.
In a conversation with Deadline about her character’s development in the latter half of the Peacock series’ second season, Harrison expressed surprise upon learning that director Clea DuVall had recommended her for the role of the quirky new friend to Natasha Lyonne‘s Charlie Cale, despite her doubts about her audition for the 2023 pilot.
“Wait, I didn’t know this. What did you hear?” Harrison asked, following my interview with Lyonne and series creator Rian Johnson at the season’s start.
Johnson mentioned that they had been considering various character types for Charlie’s sidekick role, saying, “Patti came in and was the Watson to her Holmes,” while Lyonne added that her casting was suggested by DuVall during the filming of her episode with Method Man.
After portraying Charlie’s sister Emily in the Season 1 finale and starring alongside Lyonne in the 1999 film But I’m a Cheerleader, Johnson dubbed DuVall “the casting whisperer,” stating, “I discovered she has this skill, and I would check in with her, and she was just like, ‘Oh yeah, cast Patti.’ And she’s awesome.”
Harrison shared her excitement ahead of Season 2’s two-part conclusion, saying, “I’m literally learning this from you. Clea! She’s so nice. … That is, like, liquefying my mind, body and soul right now. That is so nice. I really just got the email and an offer. I didn’t audition for it.”
See More ...
Harrison’s thrilling arc in the final four episodes follows her feelings of inadequacy regarding her audition for the January 26, 2023 pilot ‘Dead Man’s Hand’. Initially, she auditioned for the role of Charlie’s best friend, Natalie Hill, which ultimately went to Dascha Polanco.
“I didn’t hear back for what felt like years because I think I was in lockdown during the audition process,” she recalled. “Then I got the offer email, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I was truly mortified because it’s my dream to work with Rian Johnson.”
“After those first auditions, I felt I had done such a bad job that I thought they’d be upset, thinking, ‘that dumb ass can’t act,’ and I’d never get the chance to work with them again. So, when I got the email, I was ecstatic and dove right into the show,” Harrison added.
Harrison debuted as the awkward yet entrepreneurial Alex in Season 2’s ninth episode, ‘A New Lease on Death’, becoming a rare friend and ally for Charlie, who struggles to settle down after being on the run.
In the penultimate episode, ‘Day of the Iguana’, directed by Ti West, an assassin (Justin Theroux) frames Alex for the murder of the groom (Haley Joel Osment) at a wedding where she and Charlie are catering. The finale, ‘The End of the Road’, directed by Lyonne, will be available for streaming on July 10 on Peacock, where the duo faces the FBI and the mob while uncovering the shocking truth behind the hit that framed Alex.
