Meaghan Rath Likes That Her ‘Accused’ Character Is ‘Not a Perfect Victim of Anything’
Q&A
Divorce can be messy, but usually it doesn’t get as bad as it does in the April 11 episode of Accused.
Meaghan Rath and Christopher Gorham guest star in “Morgan’s Story.” Rath plays a teacher who, as she’s going through a divorce, is arrested under suspicious circumstances. So what led to that moment? Is there anything she could have done to change what happened?
Rath previews the episode and talks about working with Gorham.
What stood out to you about the character of Morgan and the story when you read the script?
Meaghan Rath: The themes of the episodes are themes that we see a lot, unfortunately, people that are in situations like this. But I responded to Morgan. I felt like I could bring something kind of three-dimensional to her, show a well-rounded person. I like that she isn’t perfect. She’s not a saint. She’s not a perfect victim of anything, and I thought it was an opportunity to bring something kind of fresh to her.
How is Morgan and Jason’s marriage when the episode begins? Is anything going right?
No, I don’t think anything’s going right. Things had been deteriorating for a really, really long time. There’s a level of getting comfortable in the situation that you’re in, not wanting to rock the boat because you have a child, and I think that’s her priority. And I think when Kashir comes into her life, it sort of sparks something for her. It’s sort of like a ray of hope a little bit and shows her a potential of a life that she could have beyond this marriage on the other side of it, that there’s a chance at happiness.
Robin Cymbaly/FOX
I was going to say, it’s kind of understandable why she’s trying to find something outside of Jason, just the more that she talks about their history. So how much of that though is why she’s drawn to Kashir, do you think? Or is it also a lot of who he is?
I think she was lucky enough to find Kashir. He’s obviously an amazing guy. I do think that things work out with them after, but he really was a catalyst for her in the story that he comes in and shows her what things could be, what a healthy relationship looks like, that there are men out there that are kind and gentle and respectful. So I think he’s really just something that comes in that shakes her awake.
Who is she outside of the marriage? How much does she know about herself before things take a turn?
I think she does know herself a lot. Because things had been going badly for so long, she felt isolated for a really, really long time. It felt like she was on her own for a long time, especially when it came to raising Ari, her baby. I hope that we get a glimpse of who Morgan is outside of Jason, of the shadow of Jason. I think she is someone who’s actually independent, who has her own dreams and values and interests, and I hope that does come through.
What can you tease about what leads to her being arrested?
What I can say is her being arrested really shows the kind of person that her husband is, the lengths that he would go to in his misery to ensure that he hurts somebody else.
Considering Morgan ends up in a courtroom, does she have any regrets about anything that leads to that? Or is there nothing that she could have changed?
I was thinking about this when we were working on it — what was the decision that she made that led to her to where she is? — and it’s not super clear. I think asking for a divorce from her husband is something that was inevitable. It needed to happen. It was beyond time. But I don’t know that there’s any mistakes that she made that led her there besides the people that she surrounded herself with, the person that she’s married to, honestly. She really was following her heart and her own path, and she didn’t do much that was wrong, in my opinion.
Oh, I agree. That’s the thing that’s so heartbreaking about it.
Yeah. It’s not necessarily one of those stories that are black and white where you can really pinpoint where things took a turn.
Robin Cymbaly/FOX
Talk about working with Christopher on building and essentially destroying this relationship. Because without getting into spoilers, there are a couple really intense scenes.
I luckily have known Chris for a really long time. We met, I think, 10 years ago. But Chris as a human being is such a lovely, wonderful person. So it made things easier doing those really emotionally and physically intense scenes with him because you knew that between takes, you’re in good hands, you’re safe. I always felt taken care of by him and it’s such a gift to be able to have that in a scene partner, especially when you’re making yourself so vulnerable and physically vulnerable as well.
What else should people know about Morgan going into the episode?
Hopefully people see her as an individual outside of Jason. I think that that comes through luckily because in the flashbacks and you get to see her happy a little bit at the same time. It’s like two parallel lines running at the same time. It’s Morgan in her marriage, but also what Morgan looks like happy and kind of in love and after she’s met somebody. So it’s almost two realities simultaneously. So it’s an effective way to paint a picture of who somebody is.
And I like what we get to see of her as a teacher.
Yeah, exactly. That’s her passion. It’s obviously what she cares about. It’s something Jason criticizes her for because she doesn’t pay the bills, but it’s something that she cares about.
What was your favorite scene to film?
It was all difficult, if I’m going to be honest. They were all really challenging. And that’s not to say that I didn’t like them. I really do like that. That’s why I like doing what I do. But they weren’t fun scenes to film because they were so emotionally demanding. The subject matter was really intense and really dark. And then also technically — the entire episode was shot at night. We did night shoots for all of them. So on top of all of it, you’re completely exhausted and sleep deprived, which actually helps. I always find I act better at when I’m exhausted because all the bulls**t of everything kind of gets stripped away because you’re so tired. So your emotions are kind of right at the surface, which worked in our favor, I think, for everybody.
Is there a scene in particular that you felt especially satisfied after filming?
I really like the scene where Morgan comes in and asks for a divorce because we filmed it a whole bunch of different ways because we weren’t sure how we wanted her to come off. We did versions where she was scared that he was going to hit her at any moment or we did versions where she was in complete control of the entire scene, that she wasn’t scared of him at all and kind of everything in between. So it definitely was an exercise in trust. Milan Cheylov, our director, is also an actor, so he really sort of understood what we needed, how we needed to be directed. And he was amazing because your job ends when the camera is cut because the edit is completely out of your control. So it’s a scary thing trying so many things because you never know what they’re going to piece together. But I was really happy with it, and I really liked what they crafted.
That was such a good scene.
Yeah, it was a nice mix of control and vulnerability and strength, I think.
And it was so clearly what she needed.
Yeah, it definitely felt like a release.
Accused, Tuesdays, 9/8c, Fox
