‘War’ Star Archie Panjabi on How ‘The Good Wife’ Inspired Her to Join the Legal Drama

If you thought the cast of War was impressive, it became even more so with the arrival of Archie Panjabi‘s Baroness Prudence, who is the barrister batting for Cathcarts & Sons’ client, Morgan (Dominic West), in the courtroom. Warning: Spoilers for War Season 1 Episode 7 ahead!

Introduced in the unforgettable sixth episode, Panjabi’s Prudence went head-to-head with Taylor & Byrne’s barrister, Budgie (Celia Imrie), in the ongoing proceedings between Morgan and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Carla (Sienna Miller), in this latest instalment titled “The Juicy Bit.” While mole Johnny (Archie Renaux) was forced to find proof of Carla’s honeytrap for Morgan to secure a legitimate job with Cathcarts & Sons, the action was much more formal within the walls of court for Prudence and the firms.

In the lead-up to that onscreen moment, though, what led Panjabi to pursue Prudence’s onscreen journey? “I had worked with a lovely George Kay on Hijack,” the star explains to TV Insider. “I love working with him. I think he really knows how to write for audiences and to keep them on the edge of their seats, which Hijack proved, and so does War.”

Sky / HBO

There was more to it, though, for Panjabi, who also cites her time on The Good Wife as inspiration for taking on the role. “I spent so many years on The Good Wife watching those lawyers perform in court, and I always had such admiration for those guest artists that came in and were thrown into the deep end with these long speeches. So I think I secretly always wanted to play a lawyer. So I was quite thrilled that I was about to play a Baroness.”

That certainly helped Panjabi when it came to finding the theatrical rhythm of the courtroom scenes, which, despite being rather subdued, are directed and edited in such a way that kept the moments thrilling. And it helped that Panjabi prepped by stepping into real courtrooms and observing the way barristers handle cases. “There were a couple of barristers that I was recommended to speak to on the show, and I watched a couple of cases in court, and what really fascinated me is just how many things are happening at once,” Panjabi explains.

“You’re delivering a complex argument, but you’re also watching the judge, you’re reading the opposing counsel, noticing their body language, and you’re thinking three steps ahead. It literally is like playing chess while performing Shakespeare.”

Sky / HBO

And what more formidable opponent is there than Imrie’s Budgie? “When you watch the exchange between Prudence and Budgie, what I love is she has such a mischievous look on her face. We were both really keen to not make us dislike each other,” Panjabi shares. “So you can see there was a mutual respect between these two women, because there’s nothing more boring than having two women in such powerful roles that are often associated with men.”

During filming, Panjabi reveals that she and Imrie “Spoke about how these two will probably go and have a bottle of whiskey after they finish and talk about the case.”

While Prudence and Budgie may not be enemies outside of the case, the question about whether Prudence believes Morgan is the innocent party in this divorce is another beast. Does she believe in Morgan, or is she operating with the sole goal of winning for Cathcarts & Sons? “I think that’s the million dollar question about the whole profession, isn’t it? Whether the truth and the winning argument are always the same thing.”

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Panjabi says she once asked a friend in the field about the subject, “They just said that you have to look at the facts that are presented to you and your job is to present the best case possible within those facts, and I think that’s what both Prudence and Budgie do.”

While court proceedings have wrapped until the finale arrives on November 19, fans will finally uncover the fate of Morgan and Carla’s divorce case and Johnny’s fate after his mole work forced the opposing firms to come to an agreement to keep a lid on the honeypot and espionage to move forward.

On a lighter note than the high-stakes case, Panjabi recalls, “Whenever [Archie Renaux] was in court, both of us would just get up, not knowing which Archie they were talking about, which is very bizarre because I’ve never worked with anybody called Archie.” Onscreen, no such mistakes were made, at least not when Prudence was driving a scene.

Stay tuned to see how it all concludes when the finale arrives next week, and stay tuned for more on War as we look ahead to the show’s future.

War, Thursdays, 9/8c, HBO and HBO Max