The fourth and final season of Servant on Apple TV+ is finally upon us, and the cast and creators gathered at a red carpet event to commemorate the show's impact, appeal, and unique combination of domestic drama and supernatural horror. Ever since Servant premiered back in 2019, everything's been building towards a thrilling and shocking conclusion to the beloved show.
Servant follows a married couple (Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbel). After their child dies in a mysterious accident, they undergo a form of specialized therapy, replacing their lost son with a lifelike doll. To maintain the illusion in service of their mental health, they hire a nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) to babysit the doll. Then, and only then, do things finally begin to get weird. As the show went on, it slowly introduced new variables, from Leanne's supernatural powers to her past in the mysterious Church of Lesser Saints cult.
At the premiere event in New York City's Lincoln Center, Screen Rant took to the red carpet and spoke with members of the cast and crew, including Rupert Grint, Boris McGiver, Barbara Kingsley, Mathilde DeHaye, and Ishana Shyamalan. They discuss their work on the show, working with the legendary horror auteur M. Night Shyamalan, and their thoughts on the show finally reaching the end of its journey on Apple TV+. Read on for some selected quotes from these artists:
Screen Rant On The Servant Red Carpet
Screen Rant: Did Servant shape up to be everything you dreamed up when you first signed up four years ago?
Rupert Grint: I've always been a huge fan of Night, and this genre in particular. I was psyched to do a psychological thriller situated around a family. And these people are just insane! It's a real glimpse into absurd privilege. There's a lot of comedy in there, as much there is as the horrible, disturbing tragedy, too.
Screen Rant: How do you collaborate as an actor with M. Night, and how did you get to influence your character beyond what was in the script?
Rupert Grint: That started happening on the first season. Fortunately, the writing was so good, he jumped off the page, it felt like I knew him instantly. Then, as the show developed, we don't get the scripts all at once. We're drip-fed all this information, you're building as you go. I found it a fascinating process. It's been great!
Screen Rant: You were there at the beginning, you're here at the end. Is it comfy, is it cozy returning to that set?
Boris McGiver: As an actor, it's always been comfortable. That's what's great about working with Night and everyone. That's never changed. That's always been great. The story becomes so wonderfully, almost spiritually convoluted this year, which is kind of a weird thing to say, because it's so weird!
Screen Rant: Well, cults are nothing if not spiritual in their way... How has your role changed over the years?
Boris McGiver: I became more informed about what my role was. I guess I was a lot more in charge than I realized. My overlord became less and less in charge of me, or I was at least able to take things into my own hands.
Screen Rant: As an actor, do you like receiving direction?
Boris McGiver: I absolutely prefer direction. I'll do whatever the director tells me. As long as it's safe!
Screen Rant: What can we expect from Snake this year?
Mathilde DeHaye: Hopefully I fulfilled their expectations! I was bringing what I was bringing, and every director was different. Every director knew the whole picture, but so much was held from us, but we adjusted. We worked with it! I think what was expected from me was to follow what I was doing and to trust it.
Screen Rant: I get the sense there was a lot of trust on the set, that actors could carry the baton and take it where they felt it needed to go.
Mathilde DeHaye: There's a scene where we're using a bunch of masks and it's Halloween. On the page, there's my dialogue, but there was nothing in terms of what I was actually doing. So I did something wild with it and the director was very happy with that, in terms of movement. And last season, when I had to close the gate and be with Sean and all that, none of the movement was written. We had the lines, and then we created the physicality of making it come to life.
Screen Rant: There's a misconception that working in the pandemic is the same, except you must wear a mask between takes. But there's a lot more to it than that, right?
Mathilde DeHaye: Communication is the biggest thing we have. When we first started the season, it was really hard for me. I have experience with TV and stage. Even though I have nerves, I am usually comfortable in the moment. But I was very closed off, and I felt a lot of resistance and needed to let it go. But I wasn't pressured to do things a certain way, so I relaxed. I did my throat chakra and the yoga helped, but because of the mask, because of being closed off in a sense, everybody is scared, and that impacted me as an artist, definitely. I was frustrated, I was scared of taking chances. And if you're thinking about that, you can't act well. It was hard, but I was able to open up.
Screen Rant: How have you changed as a director and filmmaker since you started on the show?
Ishana Shyamalan: I think this show raised me completely. Coming in, I was very afraid for my first episode. The crew was incredibly supportive, and the cast was incredibly supportive, and it allowed me to hone my skillset. Now, when I walk onto set, I feel much more confident and have a strong sense of my creative voice, I think.
Screen Rant: Now that you have the experience under your belt, you can firmly say that you are the definitive, preeminent Shyamalan filmmaker. Should your dad retire?
Ishana Shyamalan: (Laughs) No! Never, never! He's obviously a legend. Getting to learn from him is incredible.
Screen Rant: Of course, I'm only kidding. Did you ever feel pressure to do things more like him, or maybe less like you think he would?
Ishana Shyamalan: There's certainly always an expectation coming in when people hear my name. However, I've been really lucky to be in really supportive environments where I get to discover my own style. We get to explore how our tastes differ and overlap, and it's a perfect setup for me to get to create a new voice.
Screen Rant: What would you like to do next? Do you have anything lined up?
Ishana Shyamalan: I do, actually! I have my first feature, that I'm prepping right now, we're going to be shooting very soon. I'm very hyped about it.
Screen Rant: Tell me a little bit about your role in the show. Spoil everything!
Barbara Kingsley: I'm known for spoiling everything, just ask my kids! So, Bobby and Bev are a pair of nurses who become live-in nurses, caretakers. Bobbie is very close to my heart. First of all, my mother is 90 years old, and she was thrilled because the character's name, Bobbie, is what they call me back home. She said, "You don't even have to act, you can just be you!" I thought, I guess so! It's that caring. Bobbie's a little wacky, she's a little off-center, but she's always honed-in on caring. She's really good at reading people.
Screen Rant: You're not gonna believe this, but I'm a caretaker too. I take care of a 90-year-old woman when I'm not hanging with stars like you!
Barbara Kingsley: Oh my God! You do? Good on you!
Screen Rant: Now I feel like I should ask you if I'm doing a good job!
Barbara Kingsley: You are!
Screen Rant: What makes a good home health provider?
Barbara Kingsley: Listening. Always asking. Always giving permission.
About Servant
Following the suspenseful season three finale, season four will bring the final chapter of the Turner story to an epic and emotional conclusion. Leanne’s war with the Church of Lesser Saints heightens, threatening Spruce street, the city of Philadelphia, and beyond. Meanwhile, the shattered Turner family must not only confront the increasing threat of Leanne, but the certain reality that Dorothy is waking up. As the Turner family brownstone continues to crumble, questions are finally answered: who is Leanne Grayson and who is the child in their home?
Check out our other interviews for Servant season 4 here:
Servant season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV+.