Fans of high-brow literature and low-brow teen dramas alike are intimately familiar with the premise of Dangerous Liaisons, which pits two scheming lovers against each other when their games get too hot to handle. But the latest iteration of the story, set to premiere this weekend on STARZ, takes a new approach to a classic tale by serving as a prequel to Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' iconic epistolary novel. The slow-burn story of Marquise de Mertreuil and Vicomte de Valmont's rise to infamy and fall from grace has already been renewed for a second season, leaving plenty of time to weave intrigue into the ranks of the French nobility.
Alice Englert (The Power of the Dog) and Nicholas Denton lead the cast of Dangerous Liaisons as Camille and Pascal, whose youthful love turns bitter when Camille discovers that Pascal's heart is not hers alone. As she claws her way out of the poverty that has held her back and finds herself under the protection of the current Marquise, Camille seeks a control that only Pascal can offer. Many characters are caught in the crossfire, but one of the most intriguing is Jacqueline de Montrachet (played by Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones). A pious woman in a loveless marriage, Jacqueline harbors a secret that connects her to Camille in a rather surprising way.
Screen Rant spoke to van Houten about how she approached Jacqueline and Camille's rivalry in Dangerous Liaisons, what drew her to the story, and how costumes and makeup boost the authenticity of the series.
Carice van Houten on Dangerous Liaisons
I'm loving Dangerous Liaisons so far. Was there anything that drew you in particular to the original novel, or to this version of the story?
Carice van Houten: I've never read the novel, to be very honest with you. But I, of course, did see the movie back in the 90s [with Glenn Close and John Malkovich]. That was still quite fresh in my head, but I was curious when I heard that they were doing this again. I was like, "Why? Why?" It just is a good question to ask yourself.
And then it was so clear to me that the way they were going to do this was seeing [it] from a female perspective and with a great sense of humor. There's a lot of wit in this show; it's very subtle. It was also actually a female director that was so full of passion about this, and also the main cast. I was like, "This show is on fire, I need to be part of this because this is something new, even though we're telling an old story."
Jacqueline and her backstory are also new components to the story, especially her cold war with Camille. Can you talk about bringing that dynamic to life with Alice, and what your way into the story was?
Carice van Houten: The character actually doesn't exist in the book, so it was also a great opportunity for me to build the character together with the director. I actually quite like the fact that, even though we're very different and there's obviously tension between the two women there, they also have things in common.
A lot of women, in fact, have things in common in this show. The fact that they are living in this patriarchy, [which] we still do—so not a lot has changed, unfortunately. They, in a way, have things in common. Because of their past that I can't really spoil, there's a lot of tension, but there's also love underneath. And that's why it makes it quite complicated.
I also love the layers that Jacqueline has. Camille is our way into the story, and she's obviously set against your character, yet we see your character doing good deeds and wanting to benefit the children in the community. What is it like playing both sides of that?
Carice van Houten: I think any character that I ever played, to a certain extent, must have both. We are both the Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood; we all have that in us. There is no good and bad, and people can do terrible things but be a very a great parent. There's so many examples of this, but this is for everyone who feels [that].
I quite liked the fact that she's dressed in white, and she has that innocent look about her. And she does good things, but she's carrying around a big sadness and big secrets, and that weighs very heavy on her. The fact that she's in a completely loveless marriage doesn't help either. Yes, I do like to play with where the sympathy and the shifts [are], and to make people a bit confused about that.
I love seeing the costumes and settings. How much fun is it for you to step into 1700s France? What is the most challenging aspect of it?
Carice van Houten: It is amazing, the locations that we've been to and the costumes. It's all so detailed, and I think what makes the show so very strong is that it's very authentic. Even the way the blush is on the face is the way they did it in the 1700s, not our modern take on blush. There's a whole choreography of makeup as well, so I think that the fact that there's so much detail in that authenticity makes this also quite stand out.
But from a personal point of view, [it's not great] to wear costumes that much. It's not a nice feeling. It definitely helps, build a character because you're a puppet, but it also makes you think. This is, for us, a few days. Back then, with the hygiene and the fact that the dresses were so heavy, there was no way that you could go to the bathroom. You can hardly breeze. The hair they did, there's a lot of effort that went into the look. And now, we can wear whatever we want. It just feels like, "Why did they have to go through this?"
That is a really interesting way to look at it. They were in every aspect of their life, even clothing.
Carice van Houten: They're in prison.
About Dangerous Liaisons
Dangerous Liaisons is a bold prelude of Laclos’ classic 18th-century novel focusing on the origin story of how his iconic characters, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, met as passionate young lovers in Paris on the eve of the revolution. This modern take on a classic story takes audiences through wonder and terror, beauty and degradation, seduction and deception in pre-revolutionary Paris.
Driven to right the wrongs of their past, the young couple’s survival depends on their skills of seduction and manipulation of not only the French nobility but of each other. Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton portray the notorious lovers: Camille who is taken in by the current Marquise de Merteuil (played by Lesley Manville) navigates her own path in a world of men, using the power of secrets to take back control, and Valmont who will stop at nothing to regain the title that was recently taken from him. Their on-again, off-again love story is the heart of the series. It’s not love… it’s war.
Read our other Dangerous Liaisons interviews here:
Dangerous Liaisons premieres November 6 at midnight on the STARZ app, and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.