‘Minx‘ is back for another season, and the feminist erotic magazine paving its way in the 70s is on a bigger level for Season 2. To chat more about the progression of the series and its two main characters, Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) and Doug (Jake Johnson), both actors sat down to discuss more about the sophomore go-around for this hit show.
What drew you into your characters and this show to make you want to sign on?
Lovibond: Primarily I was drawn in by the quality of the writing. The character resonated with me and she was just flawed and complicated and kind of funny without meaning to be. And it was an appealing character to play, and [I had] not seen a character like that on-screen—especially set in the 70s and the kind of allowance that would give us to explore the similarities between the seventies and now. But primarily the quality of the writing is what drew me in.
Johnson: I thought the material was really great, and I was excited that Ophelia was playing Joyce because I felt like it was a really tricky character. So if I knew somebody could keep that character likable, which is what she’s done and you’re rooting for her, I thought the show would work. And I think Doug was really rich and really fun.
Now in Season 2, because so much happened at the end of Season 1, what can audiences expect for what you’re going through? I feel like everything is on a bigger scale.
Johnson: We feel the same way. Season 2 gets a lot bigger, every character kind of gets pushed and challenged and we feel like the stories get way bigger. So, I feel like if you like Season 1, Season 2 is like Season 1 on steroids.
What about your character’s dynamics in Season 2? Your back and forth in Season 1 was so much fun to watch, but what’s in store for Doug and Joyce this season?
Lovibond: Frankly, you see a little less of it because that’s part of the arc for this season— Joyce is kind of more absent and she’s kind of out in the field, and she’s attending the parties and taking her eye off the ball a little bit. They do rub each other up the wrong way, but there is a begrudging respect for what the other gives and what they are able to bring to the table. Season 2, I think Joyce certainly loses sight of that a little bit, because she’s just enjoying the kind of trappings of success and is [infatuated] by it all.
And Doug’s going off and he’s got his own thing going on. So I think you see less of that this season, but when you do see them together, that dynamic is definitely still there. He’s got his approach of doing things, and it’s so different from her own and she just doesn’t wanna give in to his way of doing things. So you still see that friction and that humor come from that dichotomy.
Another reason why the show works so well is because all of the characters are interesting and on their own personal journeys. What are some other character dynamics you enjoyed exploring as Joyce and Doug?
Johnson: I really liked the Doug and Tina (Idara Victor) stuff, I think that was a really nice storyline. I felt like they had a really nice connection and Season 2 takes it in a new direction, and I’d be really excited to see what happens in Season 3. I don’t know how they could be finished with one another and it feels like there’s a lot to them. So I’m curious to see where that story goes, but that’s been really fun to do.
Lovibond: I like seeing Joyce in very different environments and she’s kind of learning more about herself. I like the kind of relationship that’s explored between Joyce and Shelly (Lennon Parham) and it’s Shelly that makes her realize that she’s being quite self-obsessed. She hasn’t meant to do that, she’s just been overexcited by the things that are happening. She’s lost sight of why she’s there in the first place, so, I love the dynamic between the two sisters.
With this season, I think Joyce loses her way a little bit because the people that have helped make this a success are the people she’s not spending enough time with. And I think you see her realize that by the end of this.
I also want to talk about working with the show’s creator, Ellen Rapoport. Reading up on how hard she pushed and how much she worked on getting this show made through a lot of obstacles, it sounds a lot like the plot of the show. What conversations did you have with her?
Johnson: She’s an excellent showrunner because she’s kind of the perfect mix of confident, very smart and she’s also very collaborative and very funny—but a lot of people have one side or the other. They’re either very collaborative and then you realize they’re so collaborative because they don’t have their own ideas and as an actor, you’re trying to kick the can around as much as you can to see what works. What’s nice about Ellen is that if you suggest something that works, she gets really excited. And if it’s not working for her vision, she knows it and she’s okay to say no.
Lovibond: In terms of Season 2 feeling kind of different and the bigger storylines and the way the characters go off, that was something that [I spoke] to Ellen about. She said you know, people are not one thing. Because Joyce, she’s quite different—she’s taking coke at parties and swearing, whereas before she wouldn’t.
But people are in different circumstances, they have different responses to them. There are different catalysts that will evoke a different response, and you are not just going to keep being the same person year in and year out. And she was sort of bold enough to build characters along that line, which is why I think season two has sort of shifted in line with that.
Lastly, this show is so much fun from the music to the fashion and everything in between from the 70s. What’s the most fun part for you about delving into that timeframe?
Johnson: For me, it’s the jewelry. I don’t wear jewelry ever apart from my wedding ring, so when I get to work and I throw on a necklace and a couple bracelets, a watch and some rings, it instantly makes me feel more like Doug and more like the world. There were also a couple scenes I’d done where I have high heels and I have platform shoes— and I love it, my legs have never looked longer.
Lovibond: For me, I think it was Chris Fulton [in the hair department.] It was like they had kind of scaffolding and its own postcode, it was all very large and flammable and brilliant. And just seeing it all of it come together, the hair and the makeup and the costume and those sets, you’re just completely transported.
Minx Season 2 is set to premiere on Friday, July 21, at midnight on the Starz app, all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms.
