The Big Picture

Clive Owen was attracted to A Murder at the End of the World because of its fresh and ambitious take on the murder mystery genre, especially with a young, smart girl as the lead character. The series explores the topical and concerning subject of AI, which Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij tackle it in a relevant and thoughtful way. Owen found working with Marling, who also acted and directed, to be seamless and credited her commitment and discernment in handling both roles. Marling and Batmanglij have a healthy and intertwined collaboration as co-creators.

Written and directed by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the seven-episode FX limited series A Murder at the End of the World (which is streaming at Hulu) follows amateur sleuth Darby Hart (Emma Corrin), as her past collides with her present and she becomes determined to solve a murder mystery with a growing body count. When the tech-savvy hacker is invited to a retreat at a remote location in Iceland, she’s impressed by the caliber of the other attendees until their reclusive billionaire host (Clive Owen) makes them all wonder if something else is really going on.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Owen talked about getting excited by the ambition of Marling and Batmanglij when it came to this project, not being a tech guy himself, his own feelings about AI, being in the remote locations for this shoot, his character’s very complicated marriage, understanding his character’s motivations, shooting that dinner scene, and how he felt about the ending. He also talked about why he wanted to play Sam Spade in the upcoming AMC series Monsieur Spade.

A Murder at the End of the World Darby Hart, a Gen Z amateur sleuth, attempts to solve a murder at a secluded retreat. Release Date November 14, 2023 Main Genre Drama Seasons 1 Creator Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling

Collider: Everything that Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij do together seems to have a bit of an air of mystery and their own twist to it. How was this series presented to you? Did they share much about what they were looking to do, what the story was, and who these characters were? How much did they tell you about?

CLIVE OWEN: I can’t remember how many, but they sent just a couple of the scripts, and then we jumped on a Zoom and we talked it through. It was very much pitched like they wanted to do a murder mystery, but a very fresh take on it. They’re very exciting and ambitious, both of them. Talking to them about the show, they were reaching really far. They were trying to do something really ambitious and reinventing a genre that we think we know, trying to do the murder mystery with the flashbacks of Darby when she was younger. What I thought was one of the most exciting and fresh things was that it’s a young, super smart girl that takes you through the story. The murder mystery genre is one that we’re very familiar with, but we rarely see a young, very smart girl as the lead character. That feels very fresh and very modern, and I loved that about it. I was excited about that.

Image via FX

Owen Is Not the Tech Guy His Character Is
Were you surprised to find yourself playing this kind of tech guy? Are you someone who would be interested in this sort of tech? Does it feel very foreign to you?

OWEN: I certainly wasn’t attracted to it because I’m Mr. Tech. I have no social media. But I was fascinated by the part and by what they were using it in this story. I was attracted to that more than the fact that it was set in the tech world.

I do find the distinction between alternative intelligence and artificial intelligence in this to be a very interesting one. Did you have any of your own thoughts or feelings about AI prior to doing this? Did that different way of talking about it give you a different perspective on it at all?

OWEN: Sure. AI has become hugely topical because we’re already beginning to see the enormous potential of it. It’s something that is concerning everybody and scaring everybody because the potential is so enormous. And I love the fact that Brit and Zal are embracing and tackling this as a subject. I am sure that in a few years time it will have already moved into realms that we didn’t even realize it could go to. It is a hugely relevant and topical subject, at the moment.

This world that your character has created for himself and for his family looks very elaborate. What was it like to be in these locations, both indoors and outdoors? There’s such an interesting look and feel to this whole series.

OWEN: Yeah, I think it was absolutely beautifully shot and it’s stunning to look at. The Iceland exteriors were absolutely stunning. We were remote places and it was breathtaking. It was a really incredible environment. And then, similarly, the sets were beautifully and substantially built. It can sometimes feel a bit like you’re in a studio and on a set, but these were built so substantially that you felt really supported. They were really beautifully made.

Image via FX

The Relationship Between Andy and Lee is a Very Complicated One
This guy had very specific reasons for wanting to build a remote hotel in Iceland, but it definitely doesn’t feel very homely. Do you feel like this design, which is a bit cold, detached and unfriendly, reflects who he is personally, since that also feels like the way that you could describe him?

OWEN: I think he’s built this as a statement of something more than it is. It’s certainly not particularly cozy. Saying that, when I walked around the hotel, I thought, “If this were a hotel, I think I’d stay here.”

The dynamic between Andy and his wife appears a bit scary at times, primarily because he is quite an intense and commanding person. How did you view their relationship? What was that family dynamic like to explore?

OWEN: It was really complicated and confused. There’s genuine affection and love there, but he’s also very controlling and very paranoid about her and her potential. I would imagine, similarly with lots of people who become extremely powerful, they’re always looking over their shoulder for who’s possibly going to betray them. When we join them, they’re in this very weird place where there is obviously a love and respect and admiration for each other, but he’s also very, very paranoid and controlling, as well. It’s both things at the same time.

What was it like to work with Brit Marling on this? She’s co-creator, she’s co-written this Zal and they were trading off on directing episodes, but then she was also acting alongside you and in some fairly intense moments. How did you find that experience? What was it like to act with her while also being directed by her?

OWEN: It’s full credit to her that when we were actually acting the scenes, I didn’t feel that observing eye of a director watching it. She was very committed to doing the scenes. I always think that when you’re directing yourself as an actor, it must be very difficult, knowing when you’ve got it or knowing when to move on. But she was very discerning in that way. She was very, very smart about when she wanted to do something again and when we’d move on. I just didn’t feel the rhythm of the shooting change because she was both acting and directing it. It went as smoothly as when she wasn’t doing both jobs. That’s full credit to her. Both her and Zal are so committed to creating worlds. They’ve thought about it so much, and before we’ve even turned up, they’ve really wrestled with the world and what they’re trying to do. They’re very on top of what it is they’re trying to achieve.

Image via FX

Marling and Batmanglij Are Collaborators with a True Partnership
Are things very seamless between her and Zal, when they’re trading off on directing episodes, or do they have very different approaches when it comes to directing?

OWEN: They’re very intertwined. Even when Brit was directing, Zal would be around, as well. They really are co-creators. They write together, and they felt very much like they’re proper collaborators. They’re a partnership, and that’s good. That felt really healthy.

Darby seems like such an interesting character for Andy because she is clearly not someone who likes to or is going to do what she’s told, in any way. How does Andy feel about her? What was it like to find that dynamic with Emma Corrin?

OWEN: There are two things going on, at the same time. There is an aberration. He very quickly realizes that she’s very, very smart, very feisty, and possibly a threat. And then, he brings her close, which people often do. The best way for him to keep his eye on her is to bring her close and make her an ally in some way. He realizes that, out of everybody there, she could be a threat to him.

Was there a key to understanding this guy for you? He feels like someone who’s hard to get a read on. Was he someone that you wanted to understand better, and did you feel that you needed to understand him better? What was the key to him for you?

OWEN: You always just have to try to find out what motivates your character. He is obsessional. All those hugely successful people are really obsessional and committed to their thoughts and ideas and projects, and he is that. His world has become more and more insular and the obsessions become stranger and more complicated, especially with the boy, Zoomer, and his partner. It’s all starting to get very strange. So, it’s really about trying to find how somebody in that place could get paranoid and possessive and as weird as he becomes.

Being a Film Noir Fan Led Owen to Sign on For Monsieur Spade
One of the scenes that stood out the most was the dinner that everybody shares together before everything starts to happen. What was it like to shoot that scene?

OWEN: It’s great, but you know it’s going to be long days because there are a lot of characters. It’s always a struggle when you have a really big dinner scene where you’ve got a lot of people sitting down. There’s no easy way of doing that really, in terms of it having to be covered. It’s gonna take a while because everything needs to be covered, but it’s important and you know it needs to be done.

What was your reaction to how this story ultimately came to its conclusion? Were you told about the ending of the story from the beginning?

OWEN: From my memory, no. I think they held the last couple of episodes until then they really honed in on what they wanted to do with it. It was interesting, in that way. It was something that they held close until very near the time of shooting and they were really ready to reveal that. I loved it, as an idea.

We recently got a tease of you as Sam Spade, which is another character that seems fascinating. What made you want to do Monsieur Spade and play that guy? What interested you in telling that story?

OWEN: I’m a huge film noir fan. I’m a huge fan of Humphrey Bogart. I’ve got an original Maltese Falcon poster on my wall. That was when Scott [Frank] came and asked me to do that. It was a gift from somewhere. He didn’t have to ask me twice.

Did it live up to the fantasy of it?

OWEN: Yeah, and beyond. It really did.

A Murder at the End of the World is available to stream at Hulu.

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