Search Party: Interview with Meredith Hagner who plays Portia

6 August 2018

For those unfamiliar with the show, explain a little bit about Search Party.

It’s a millennial murder mystery, led by Dory and her four clueless friends. Throughout seasons one and two, they kind of get in over their heads in various psychological ways.

 

You play Portia – what is she like?

I love and hate her at the same time. She’s an actress and narcissist and a good friend – she’s an amalgamation of a lot of different people I’ve known in my life. She goes through a really bizarre journey in the first two seasons of the show, where she ends up figuring out a lot about who she is as a person. She goes through a bit of a transformation, which is so fun.

 

She’s pretty despicable, but you can’t help but like her. Is it important to you that she’s likeable?

I just find it more interesting. I don’t really think about making her likeable, but I don’t think most people think they’re being bad people when they’re being bad people. I think she’s just a product of a time and a family that has left her this way. I actually just try and find the humanity in her, and the things about her that feel like they move me and interest me. I don’t try to make her likeable, but I try to make her human. I find her so sad, because I don’t think she’s a bad person. I think if she’d been raised in a different family, she’d be a truly wonderful person. But she truly is a product of some bad things that might have happened to her. I like working on her from that perspective. And she’s such a good friend, as well as being a total narcissist. She vacillates between being a narcissist and being one of the greatest friends you could ever have. I like that about her. And I like that she wears a mask, and decides who she wants to present herself as.

 

Do you meet a few Portia’s in the acting profession?

There are a lot of Portia’s in the acting profession. I find the psychology behind being an actress so funny. I see so many things that make me cringe and make me laugh. That’s partly why I was so excited to get to play her.

 

It would be easy to portray Portia as a terrible actress, but she’s not, is she?

No. I really struggled with that, and we discussed it a lot early on. I don’t think she’s really bad at all. She’s actually got some natural ability there. In season two it’s really fun getting to play her, because she’s in a play, and there’s this cathartic element to the show she’s doing. She taps into something more raw, and she actually becomes really good. She breaks through this wall while she’s playing this role, in this cathartic state, and it makes her way better. It’s all a bit meta and weird for me at moments, to be an actress playing an actress. But it’s really fun.

 

She’s best friends with Elliott – how did you enjoy working with John Early?

He really has become one of my closest friends. He’s a comedic genius, and above everything he’s such a truly wonderful person. I feel like I’ve learned so much from him. The effortless way in which he engages his comedy, and can make completely mundane moments and transform them into something deeply funny is a beautiful skill. I think that’s the thing about the whole cast that makes me so proud to be on board – no one is alike on this show – each of these actors are so uniquely and fiercely themselves. It’s so great to watch.

 

How big is Search Party in America? How has it been received?

It wasn’t shocking that people loved it as much as they did, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise. The ay that we made this, it kind of felt like an independent film. In the pilot, all of the actors kind of did it for free. It was a pilot presentation that TBS later bought. I’ve done a few independent films, and I love working in that vein, where it’s just fun and not stressful. And we made this is a very relaxed fashion, with people who became our friends, and now it’s become something that a lot of people have enjoyed and responded to. It’s cool to be a part of something that I would watch and enjoy if I wasn’t in it. It’s been great.

 

It’s not exactly a flattering depiction of the Millennial generation. Do you ever get people who object to it?

No-one I’ve met. Also, people have to be able to have a sense of humour about these things. It’s too spot on! There needs to be a little self-awareness there. But I’ve not come across anyone who has an issue with it.

 

Could that be because the precise type of people who it’s portraying are unaware that it’s them being portrayed, so they don’t realise they’re laughing at themselves.

[Laughs] I know! I definitely feel this funny thing, because I’m an actress playing the part of an actress, maybe I’m just like my character. But whenever I meet people, I’m pretty quick to tell people I’m not really like that. But I’m sure there are ways in which we all kind of are.

 

Portia craves success and fame. As someone who is a good deal further along that road than her, what would you say to her?

I don’t know that I’m that much further along than Portia. I feel so happy that I get to do what I love. I think it’s a thing with a lot of actresses that it’s so easy to wrap up your identity with your career, and there’s so much of that in her character, to me. It’s an unhealthy lack of separation. By virtue of being an actress, you’re putting yourself put there, and every job gives you not only creative satisfaction but it also pays your bills. I would encourage Portia to do something that satisfied other sides of herself. I think she would benefit from going on a fascinating trip, or learning a new skill. She needs a lot of therapy.

 

Series two is also available on All 4 – is it fair to say that it is darker than the first series?

Yeah, it really does! And it’s such a dream to go down that route. It adds whole new psychological aspects to the characters, it’s so spot on! Watching people grapple with really big issues, and how it affects their psychologies, it’s fascinating. I can’t believe I get to play such an interesting role.