Emily Hampshire on The Rig SE2: ‘The Ancestor’s the other – it’s queer, in a way’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Emily Hampshire has had an extraordinary 30-year career in acting, starring in everything from sci-fi TV drama 12 Monkeys, to cult cinema classic, Mother! by Darren Aronfonsky. However, she is best loved for one of her more recent projects: the role of the sarcastic and dry everywoman Stevie in Schitt’s Creek.

Now, after a stint filming in the Scottish Highlands, Hampshire returns alongside screen stalwarts Ian Glen and Martin Compston, in season two of Amazon’s smash thriller, The Rig. Attitude asks her about working on big budget television, her love of musicals and the struggles of being LGBTQ when in the spotlight…

You have just been to the premiere of season two of The Rig. How are you feeling?

It was an amazing experience. As an actor, filming doesn’t always turn out the way you expected. You can love making a show and then you watch it and you’re like, what’s happening? So it feels so good to watch the new season and be so proud of it. It’s my first thriller and I turned to Ian and said ‘It doesn’t stop!’ I’m sat at every twist and turn thinking  ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’

What first attracted you to the original script?

There was one line – a description of Rose, the character I play in the show – and it said, ‘She doesn’t care about being liked.’ And I was like, I need that in my life. She’s all work and no play, where I find work to be play – but we are both obsessed with our jobs. We are driven people!

But you are such a bundle of energy compared to Rose…

I like that she’s very different to me. Rose doesn’t care about being liked and I can take things and grow from that. It’s funny, even with Schitt’s Creek, whenever people recognise me, they expect Stevie, someone chill and cool. I am not cool or chill at all. These characters are a vacation from being me.

How did you transform yourself into such a boss bitch?

I created a Rose playlist full of female empowerment that I listened to as I got ready. I made it back a few years ago before filming. Billie Eilish. Beyonce. Taylor Swift.

What can viewers expect from the second season?

If season one is thematically about the sins of the past, season two is about looking forward to a new future. And where before Rose is very much on the side of the company, and the crew and her are at odds, now, she is one of the crew and is learning to become a leader.

And of course, the mystery of the Ancestor will be explored further, I hope. What does the Ancestor symbolise to you?

The Ancestor is the other. It’s queer – in a way. Before homosexuality was normalised, people who had never met a gay person named them paedophiles, as aberrations. But I believe in trying to understand others as opposed to trying to destroy them. Cope wants to kill the Ancestor in the show, but we have to try to understand it, to make a connection, just as we should with those different from us. Empathy is key. And ultimately, we are insignificant. Working in the Scottish wilds, I would drive to set and I’d look out the window and [think], we are so tiny and insignificant; we’ve been around for a second and we think we have all the answers. But we don’t.

You film alongside a phenomenal cast. Were you a fan of your co-stars before?

Well, what was really funny was that when I met Ian, we were both on Zoom and he said ‘Oh, big fan of Schitt’s Creek’ and I replied, ‘I love Game of Thrones!’ Then, halfway through shooting, Ian asked ‘If I wanted to see your favourite episode of the show, what would it be? And I asked where I should begin with Game of Thrones. We were totally unfamiliar with each other’s work. But that’s acting – it’s a very busy life. We are always creating. The irony is that you work together – especially during the pandemic when I was in a bubble with the gang – you become like family.

Like Stevie, you have previously said that you identify as pansexual… What does it mean to you?

Well, I fall in love with who I fall in love with – who somebody is as opposed to their gender. And I am happy to offer visibility and represent if that helps others. But really, 
for me the utopian ideal would be a world where I wouldn’t be labelled as anything. I just want to love who I love.

Schitt’s Creek not only took you to a global audience, but has been very embraced by LGBT+ people. How does that feel?

I have always been surrounded by LGBT+ friends and colleagues – they have always been my family. And now it feels like I have been embraced by one huge family. It’s amazing.

A highlight of your time on Schitt’s Creek was the Cabaret sequence. Would you do a musical in the West End?

Well, I had always wanted to play Sally Bowles. And of course, I love to perform – I’m an actor – but I’m not a great singer, I’m definitely not a dancer. The choreographer on Schitt’s Creek literally had to teach me to walk first! But no one will commit to a musical moment more than me – I actually pitched the musical episode idea to Dan Levy originally. Perhaps that was my musical dream come true! That said, I recently saw Company and I am obsessed with the song Being Alive, so you never know…

Do you have any teasers of life moving forwards? I hear you have been writing…

It’s a world away from the red carpets! I get to stay at home but it’s still like acting – I get to play all the parts as I write… I’m working on a very exciting project for [trans actor and icon] Elliot Page. I can’t tell you much more but it’s very exciting!

The Rig returns to Prime Video on 2 January 2025

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