'The Sinner' Cast: Jessica Biel Says Playing a Dark Character Is 'Like a Drug'
Jessica Biel's newest series, "The Sinner," premieres on Aug. 2 at 10 p.m. EDT on the USA Network. The show marks the actress' return after putting off TV work for years.
Biel, who left a mark among viewers as the pastor's daughter Mary Camden in the '90s family drama "7th Heaven," is playing a dark character this time around. As Cora Tannetti in "The Sinner," viewers will get to see Biel in the role of a bad girl.
Biel told Marie Claire that playing a murderer on TV allows her to explore a dark side.
"It's like a drug, like an adrenaline rush. There's a real catharsis," she said.
Biel also described her character as "terribly complex and complicated," as per Variety.
In "The Sinner," Cora, who is a mom and wife, commits an act of violence after a triggering rage, which has piqued the curiosity of Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman). What made Cora do her crime and what has she been hiding?
Biel said her character seems relieved after she lands in jail but when the detective starts poking at her past, then Cora becomes troubled.
"Her past is such a place of shame and of fear," the actress said.
"The Sinner" is based on the book of the same name written by German novelist Petra Hammesfahr. Biel, who is also an executive producer on the show, said that as she was reading the source material, the story shocked her "every step of the way" and that doesn't usually happen to her.
"I wanted to play (Cora) and be little nuts," she added.
A preview for the pilot episode of "The Sinner" ran at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. Reviews, so far, have been mostly favorable.
The mystery behind Cora's action in "The Sinner" will be unfolded in eight episodes. The show also stars Christopher Abbott as Mason Tannetti, Abby Miller as Caitlin Sullivan and Dohn Norwood as Detective Dan Leroy.
