Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain Talk “The Good Nurse” at TIFF
Eddie Redmayne, known for his portrayal of Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts saga, is arguably one of the most versatile actors in recent years. His latest project, Netflix’s The Good Nurse, is a bone-chilling retelling of real-life nurse and serial killer Charles Cullen.
As the story goes, Charles and Amy are nurses, coworkers, and friends working in a New Jersey hospital. But a series of suspicious patient deaths calls Charles into question, and authorities look to Amy to help them expose Charles for his gruesome crimes.
Redmayne costars in the drama with Jessica Chastain, who plays Amy Loughren, and the on-screen partnership will be one for the books. While attending the premiere of The Good Nurse at the Toronto International Film Festival, the two sat down with People to discuss their experience filming the project.
Redmayne and Chastain, who have been friends for years, were both excited to be working more directly with each other for the film. Chastain explained what it was like to work with Redmayne.
We’ve talked about wanting to work together for such a long time. Honestly, I was a little nervous because sometimes you can really like someone and then you meet them on set and especially if they’re playing a complex character, all of a sudden, their energy is different.
Redmayne also commented on the complexity of working with friends.
There’s a weird thing when you’re working with friends, where you’re like, ‘Maybe you don’t wanna work with your friends.’ I’ve heard stories about friends, and I’m like, ‘Oh no, maybe I don’t ever wanna work with you! I love you, [but] you sound like a nightmare!’
The fact that the two actors have a real-life friendship seems to make their character portrayals all the more dynamic and profound.
According to Deadline, Charles Cullen confessed to murdering 40 patients during his 16 years as a nurse, but experts estimate the real number is closer to as many as 400. Cullen is currently serving 18 consecutive life sentences.
While making the rounds at the Toronto International Film Festival, Redmayne and Chastain spoke with Deadline about the horrific reality of crimes like Cullen’s. Redmayne, who studied news footage of the serial killer to mirror his demeanor, said, “This guy was staggeringly damaged.” Chastain commented, “I couldn’t believe that something so terrible, happened [sic] especially in the medical industry, wasn’t so widely known.”
The Good Nurse will be in theaters on October 19 and available to stream on Netflix on October 26.
