Sep 04, 2026 9:30pm IST
Emmy Rossum on Filming ‘Furious’ with Intimacy Coordinators on Set: ‘The Industry Has Had a Reckoning with Our Responsibility for Safety’ (EXCLUSIVE)
“Furious” is one of those dark-horse shows that was suddenly everywhere. The eight-episode Hulu series streaming on JioHotstar, about an FBI agent named Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) in pursuit of a female serial killer, Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew), has earned rave reviews for its portrayal of female rage in the face of a world where violent crimes against women are rampant. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, the series has already been greenlit for a second season.
In an exclusive chat with Variety India, actor and executive producer Emmy Rossum decodes how a neo-noir film inspired “Furious,” what about the story appealed to her as a woman and as an actor and why the industry is finally waking up to the importance of intimacy coordinators.
Excerpts:
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A loose inspiration for “Furious” is the 1987 Neo-noir film, “Black Widow.” What reeled you in about this story, and how did you work on adapting it for a post Me-Too era?
Four summers ago, I was looking for a character in a story rich enough for television, and I watched a lot of old movies. I was looking for a character that would offer an opportunity like the one I had on “Shameless.” When I saw “Black Widow,” I thought it was the perfect skeleton because it was ripe for adaptation and reimagining. Many of the story's structures were fascinating and highly applicable to the modern world.
The FBI agent in that film existed in a very male-dominated world and a misogynistic workplace. I felt she had to go rogue because nobody believed in her. She was underestimated because she was a woman. So that was a fascinating entry point for a character, and one that felt refreshingly contemporary as well. The second half of the film starts as cat-and-mouse, but it’s really about these two women—this FBI agent and this serial killer. I was thrilled when Liz Merriweather wanted to adapt this because she is such an incredible voice and writer of female characters. I was overwhelmingly certain that she would take it to a whole other level, and she did.
You’ve previously spoken about the discomfort of filming without intimacy coordinators on “Shameless.” As the lead and executive producer on “Furious,” a show that has both intimate scenes and scenes of abuse, did you put any specific set mandates in place for the crew’s physical and mental safety?
The industry has had a reckoning with our responsibility for how we handle these kinds of sensitive situations, which need more care than other, more traditional scenes. We have stunt coordinators for dangerous scenes, and we have intimacy coordinators to help actors and facilitate the best performance, while also taking into account that people have sensitivities and things they might feel uncomfortable voicing in front of a large group of people or their boss.
For us, on set, it was the incredible Claire Parkinson, who was a real voice for our crew and actors. It is incredibly important to have that person there. I have also had the opportunity to direct and employ intimacy coordinators, and I just can't imagine doing it without them.
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As an EP, it's important to know that, given the kind of subject matter we’re tackling, the crew will have feelings about it. We're all in it together. So it's important to have professionals there who are dependable in a human way and facilitate getting us the best product we can get, while taking into account the mental and physical health of the performers and the crew.
That being said, we must remember we are playing pretend. It isn't real, right? These are going to bring up real feelings while we're doing them. But we're not making a documentary, right? I am not Alice Black, and this did not actually happen to me. But it is real to say, “This might remind us of things that have happened to us, of traumas that have happened to us.” It's our job to make sure that we stay professional and safe while we're doing it.
How easy or difficult is it to find male leads for female-led projects? Do you also feel a marked difference in sets run by women?
I think nobody knows what you're capable of, except you. You shouldn't set any boundaries or limits on the imagination of what you can create and what you can make. Of course, it takes people to say yes and to write the checks to make those projects happen. You have to do a lot of work to earn that gift of being able to make that show and tell that story.
I love working with women. I also love working with men. I don't want to invite only girls to my party! I love working with great creative people who are aligned on what they want to make and how they want to make it. I want to stay focused and have fun while I'm doing it. So, I think you just have to make sure that you're aligned in terms of the stories that you want to tell and the experience that you want to have when you're making it.
All episodes of "Furious" Season 1 are currently streaming on JioHotstar.
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