An Interview with Pippa Bennett-Warner & Brandon Micheal Hall from ‘Chloe’

Pippa Bennett-Warner and Brandon Micheal Hall are a pair of talented actors with a bevy of television show credits under their belt. Currently they are starring as Livia and Josh in the upcoming Prime Video series Chloe, and recently were fortunate enough to sit down with both of them to discuss their work on this new show!
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John Betancourt: What was it, that attracted both of you to your respective characters?

Pippa Bennett-Warner: A ton of things, I mean, mainly Alice's world and her writing and the world that she's created, it was really kind of just really immediately interesting to me and then also Livia. I'm really into representation within representation. And I think the fact that this this character played by me, a black actress, exists, is really important because middle class black British women are rarely seen in this way. We’re always seen in, you know, buttoned up in suits and being bossy and things like that. So, to see a fully dimensional, flawed character, was really important. And also, I just feel like that group of middle class British black women, there was an opportunity for them to feel seen, which I think in today's society is really important.

Brandon Micheal Hall: Um, definitely the psychological thriller aspect of it. I love psychological thrillers; I love watching them and reading them. And also, the fact that it was my first-time filming in England, I've always wanted to film abroad. And so, when the opportunity presented itself, I was completely on board.

John Betancourt: Now this is a show loaded to the brim with incredible messaging on so many topics. What is the message that stands out for you the most when it comes to this series?

Brandon Micheal Hall: Mental health. Mental health is one of the like the many things there. It's one of the things that stands out the most to me, because other than the fact that it's a big topic right now that we're talking about, it’s something that needs to be… what's the word? It needs to be…

Pippa Bennett-Warner: Monitored?

Brandon Micheal Hall: No… people need help. Yeah, they just need help, you know, and social media doesn't make it any easier. You know, it creates more problems most of the time. So, I think, yeah, definitely, the dialogue about mental health is/was a big thing for me.

Pippa Bennett-Warner: I would agree, I would say mental health. And I also think the power of social media. And you know, a lot of people are out there using social media in a really positive way. But there are also a ton of people that are using social media in a negative way. And I think those are the conversations that people shy away from and I think this show will start a conversation about how we can use social media in a more healthy way, perhaps.

John Betancourt: What would you say you’re most proud of when it comes to your time on this show?

Pippa Bennett-Warner: I'm really proud of all the work that everybody did. I mean, we all threw ourselves into it. We all loved it. We loved the material, we loved each other, it was just a really happy place to work and during quite a stressful period, in time, you know, COVID. But. There was this just really lovely respite of knowing that you're going to work and you're working on great material with great people. And it was yeah, it was a love-in.

Brandon Micheal Hall: I second and ditto that. I mean, to work with such an amazing cast. And having Alice write such a dope script. That's what we're most proud of, and also the response that people are getting about it. You know, as film actors, you don't see the result until the audience tells you, you know, months later, so to know that the art that we created is being received in that type of way is very, very heartfelt.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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