In being an action comedy that’s centred around two women in their 50s — challenging preconceptions about the genre itself — would you say this is an empowering show?
HANNAH: Oh my gosh, it’s so empowering. And I hope every little girl from . . . what’s our age limit on this? Fifteen and upwards, walks away from their screen and just screams to the rafters that, “I can do it. I can do it all.”
In a lot of action comedies, the character aspect — the exploration of the characters, how they grow and evolve — is short-changed, treated as secondary to the action set pieces and the goofy hijinks. But this show is very much rooted in character, in exploring female friendship and the female experience for women of this age. Do you think it’s a bit of a tonal magic trick that the series is able to be a kinetic, exciting action comedy and a really satisfying character study at the same time?
OCTAVIA: Absolutely. Well, it starts with the script. If it’s not on the page, then it will not translate. We were very lucky that the person who got us to say yes on the very first date [creator Tessa Coates] was able to execute it when she turned the outline into pages. And because she understands that there’s a dearth of work for women, and certainly women who are over 40, she needed to ensure that we both had compelling storylines and things beyond the action — because you might come for the action, but you’ll stay for the friendship. At least, that’s what we hope.
HANNAH: Yeah, it wouldn’t have mattered how much we roll a car. It wouldn’t have mattered how many guns are shot or people are slain. It wouldn’t matter if we didn’t have this heart — the beating heart, and then the broken heart.
What was it like for you as performers balancing the action, the comedy and the poignant emotional beats — all these different genres, different sensibilities?
HANNAH: Tessa Coates has written such an immaculate script that we just had to honour it every day, and dig deep and make sure that we were keeping that balance ourselves that she’d already put there. We were very spoiled, really . . .
OCTAVIA: Yeah, we basically focused on the script and what was written. I think we knew that it had to strike a certain tone, but the thing about Hannah and I — and whether it was a scene with Hannah, whether it was a scene with Ed [Skrein, co-star] — the most important thing was always finding the truth. And out of that, sometimes it would be funny, sometimes it would be heartbreaking. We played what was real . . .
HANNAH: Yeah, it’s trying to not “comment” on the comedy or the drama, and just play truth.
Debbie finds out in the first episode that Judith, her dearest friend, has been lying to her for all these years about being an international assassin. Octavia, what intrigued you about that, as a mindset to dig into?
OCTAVIA: I think to learn a person that you have loved half as long as you’ve lived is not at all who you thought they were is destabilizing . . . you know, there are three relationships that are key to Debbie’s life: her relationship with Judith, her relationship with her husband and her relationship with her kids. Two of those relationships are failing, and I think Debbie starts to internalize that and wonder, how could she have been so wrong? So, there’s a lot of inner work that has to happen. But it’s much more fun getting to play it all out and actually have real conversations with Judith [after the revelation of her secret].
HANNAH: I would say the level of deceit for Debbie is so great because, if she was honest with herself, she probably already realizes that there’s trouble ahead. You know, you can tell yourself that a relationship is working . . . I mean, the wheels come off so deeply for Debbie.
In what ways did this show spark your creativity? How does it stand out from all the many projects you’ve both done in the past?
OCTAVIA: Well, as a producer, I love looking for things that probably wouldn’t have been offered. And to find roles like these . . . they’re not written. They’re just not written. To have someone write such compelling characters, build this world of subterfuge, and build it around two women — and two women who are over the age of 40 — was exciting for me.
HANNAH: And also, how clever it is for them to make absolutely two equal characters — going through such very different things in their lives, but total partners in crime, as it were. Not one feeding the other. That’s a tall order as well, to write two such completely loaded characters.
The show is an absolute blast to watch. Was it that much fun to film?
HANNAH: It was all just a massive privilege. It’s fun to make because we knew that we had something juicy in our hands.
OCTAVIA: Let me tell you something: when we heard the pitch, what the show was going to be . . . the first thing you don’t do is say yes in the room. You give yourself time to think it over. And then you’ll tell your team to say yes on your behalf. We both said yes right after we heard the pitch. We bought the idea of the show in the room — and so did everyone else that we took the project to. So, then we realized we had something special on our hands and we had to give it 1,000 per cent, whether it’s the comedy or the action. I mean, we’re both very committed to the project, but also very committed to each of our processes to ensure success for not only what we were trying to achieve with the show, but what it means for us — because these characters are complete departures for us.
HANNAH: And there was no space to go in half-mast. Both of us had to be at full-tilt all the time.
The show’s action scenes are stunning — and Hannah, obviously you do the bulk of the fighting. How much of the stunt work did you handle on your own?
HANNAH: All of it! I’m gonna shout it from the rooftops, because women can do amazing things when they feel the urge . . .
Well, the producers of the Bond films are looking for a new 007. Do you want to throw your hat in the ring?
HANNAH: No, I’m not the new James Bond. Don’t lean into that. No! Judith Burton. Let Judith be Judith.
OCTAVIA: We want Judith to be what everyone else aspires to.
HANNAH: Yeah, let’s get every female wanting to be Judith Burton.
Ride or Die, streaming on Prime Video
MEMORABLE ROLES:
A ubiquitous and indelible performer, Octavia Spencer’s breakthrough came in 2011, playing 1960s Mississippi maid Minny Jackson in The Help — a role that earned her an Oscar. The Alabama native has also appeared memorably in films like Hidden Figures, The Shape of Water and Ma. On TV, she led short-lived Fox medical dramedy Red Band Society and Apple TV mystery Truth Be Told. Hannah Waddingham, meanwhile, got her break in 2020, starring as football club owner Rebecca Welton on Apple’s zeitgeist-throttling hit Ted Lasso, landing herself an Emmy in the process. Since then, you’ve seen her in such buzzy flicks as Hocus Pocus 2, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning and The Fall Guy; you’ve also heard her as the voice of Greek goddess Deliria on Fox’s Krapopolis.
CURRENT GIG:
A heartfelt exploration of friendship that plays out against the backdrop of a globe-trotting action comedy, eight-part series Ride or Die follows Debbie (Octavia Spencer), the savvy wife of a rising U.K. politician (whose rise is due entirely to her own, unsung efforts). Her best pal is Judith (Hannah Waddingham), who claims to be an accountant, but is really an assassin. And alas, when Judith’s secret life is suddenly, bloodily exposed, both women are forced on the run as they untangle an insidious conspiracy.