Sep 07, 2026 10:15pm IST
‘Furious’ Actor Quincy Tyler Bernstine on Playing an FBI Agent, Working on a Women-Led Set and What Makes Her Furious About the World Today (EXCLUSIVE)
Actor Quincy Tyler Bernstine is angry about several things and wishes she had more time to enumerate it all. She channels some of it for her character on the breakout Hulu series “Furious,” about an FBI agent (Emmy Rossum) hot on the trail of a female serial killer. Bernstein plays FBI Agent Nora Washington, who heads the sex crimes division, looks at graphic and violent imagery all day and must mentor and facilitate Rossum’s Alice Black in a workplace full of alpha men who think women can’t handle it.
In an exclusive chat with Variety India, Bernstine talks about her biggest challenge playing a half-drunk, half-hungover character, why she enjoys working with heavy subject matter and whether women-led sets are different than male-led ones. Excerpts:
What has been your favorite aspect of playing FBI agent Nora Washington and your biggest challenge?
She's just so big, bold, surprising, and singular, in addition to being layered and textured. It's been the greatest gift to play her. It was like Christmas every day going on set and playing Nora. My biggest challenge was playing this character who is always a little drunk and hungover at the same time. In my experience as an actor, it's much easier to play someone who is wasted or sober, but it's finding the nuance in the gray area that was challenging but fun to figure out!
Related Stories
How did you and series creator Elizabeth Meriwether flesh out Nora? Was all of it on paper, or were you inspired by any characters you'd seen on screen before?
Nora was on paper from the minute I got the audition material. She was so clearly drawn and felt vivid to me. I was inspired by real-life FBI agents and law enforcement who do this work. I had the great privilege of having many conversations with people who do what Nora does, and I tried to draw from them. We also had consultants on set with us. But I try not to emulate what I’ve seen on screen, because I want it to be my own interpretation of the character that I'm creating.
One of the series’ most pivotal scenes is in Episode 1, between you and Emmy Rossum at the hospital, when Nora tells Alice about women's horrifically violent destiny in this world. As an actor, how do you get into the headspace to deliver such harsh lines, and then how do you switch off from it?
That is actually the first scene I shot. So I was kind of thrown into the fire. But I have to credit Liz Meriwether’s writing, and all I had to do was trust her words. Also, I don't know what it is about me, but the heavier the subject matter and material, the harder the job, the lighter and happier I am. I just find such joy in those challenges. People do ask, ‘Was it hard to let Nora go at the end of the day?’ No, because I wanted her to be with me always. I missed her when I wasn't playing her. I don't know what that says about me, but I think it speaks more to Nora and how incredible a character she is.
‘Furious’ is a set led by a woman, with women playing out characters and situations that are a universal experience for our gender in the workplace. As a woman of color, do you feel the industry that you're in has made progress towards inclusivity and equality?
I feel like there's always more work to do. But I was so inspired being on that set every day, watching Liz create this world and Emmy Rossum not only be the star of the show but also executive producing on the side. They’re both mothers, and I was just blown away by how they were able to not only manage everything, but create a magnificent piece of art.
I would say the set that we worked on was gentle, and I don't know if that has to do with the fact that there were women at the top or not, but it was a very loving set. Even though the subject matter is very dark at times, it was a joy to be there.
As a woman on a show about female rage, what is something that makes you furious? Additionally, what do you hope the audience takes away from ‘Furious’?
Many things make me furious. I wish we had more time because there's just too much to enumerate here. I think the world is a bit broken right now, and that makes me angry. I don't understand how we got to this place. I do hope that we can work ourselves out of it.
Before the series aired, I thought I wanted people to be entertained and curious and want to know more about sex trafficking. But I've learned from people who have reached out to me that the show has been quite meaningful to them and has changed their lives in various ways. And that's ultimately all an artist can ask for.
All episodes of "Furious" Season 1 are currently streaming on JioHotstar. The series has been renewed for a second season.
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.