Accused Season 2 Stars Cobie Smulders & Vella Lovell Talk Joining FOXs Hit Courtroom Anthology Series

Accused season 2 episode 6, “Val’s Story”, continues in the anthology series’ fashion of opening on a criminal defendant and exploring their story through a mix of flashbacks and a court case. In this episode, Val is a mother struggling to get back on her feet after a contentious divorce from an abusive ex-husband. When her ex-husband is found dead, Val becomes the primary suspect.

Val is played by How I Met Your Mother and Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran Cobie Smulders, who leads a cast that also includes Dina Shihabi (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), Eric Johnson (The Knick), and Kai Kirton. Val’s defense attorney, Marta, is played by Vella Lovell. Lovell is well-known for her work on comedies like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Animal Control, the latter of which will soon enter its third season. “Val’s Story” airs Tuesday, November 26 on FOX.

Screen Rant spoke with Accused stars Cobie Smulders and Vella Lovell about their work on “Val’s Story”. The actors discussed how they approached their respective roles on the anthology show, the importance of highlighting the issues at play, and their own personal connection to their characters. They also shared some of their favorite moments about working with one another.

Cobie Smulders & Vella Lovell Discuss Getting Into Character On Accused

Smulders Aimed To Be As Real & Respectful As Possible, And Lovell Flexed Her Dramatic Muscles

Screen Rant: Cobie, this episode represents a version of something that happens all the time and is very serious. Did you feel a sense of responsibility jumping on the show and taking on the role of Val?

Cobie Smulders: Of course. Maile Meloy, who wrote and directed the episode, and I had a lot of discussions about making this as real as possible and playing around with the dramatics of it. It was really interesting breaking down and trying to analyze the human behavior and emotion behind it, and the real struggle and the PTSD of somebody going through that experience. It’s a horrible, manipulative, dark subject matter, and when entering into something like that and portraying somebody like that, you want to make it as real as possible and be respectful as possible. So, we were, with every step, monitoring that.

Vella, when your character and Val meet, it’s like you’re so pragmatic to the point where we almost don’t know if she believes what Val is saying. What can you say about how your character, Marta, views what’s going on?

Vella Lovell:

It’s interesting. As a defense attorney, it is that question of, “Do you believe, or do you have to just get your client the best outcome possible?” I chose, as an actor, to believe Cobie also. How can you not? She’s so honest and open, and so it was kind of hard to not go on that journey with her. But to me, this whole script—which I think Maile did an amazing job on—is kind of the domino effect of what happens when you believe a woman who comes forward and says something like this happened to her, and what can happen when the reverberations of that trickle down.

I guess I could have chosen to not believe her, but I thought it was a more compelling choice to just really go on the journey with her. But it does kind of have to happen pretty quickly. [In] that first scene, when I meet her, it’s like you have to get on the horse and go. I think she’s pragmatic, but it’s an instinct and she goes with it.

Cobie, as Vella was just saying, Val is such a sympathetic character. You can tell how much she cares and how much she’s trying to be present for her kid. Was there an aspect of her personality that you found easiest to relate to?

Cobie Smulders: I’m a mother, myself, and when you’re a parent, you’re trying to do everything you can to protect your child. I think when Val was in this abusive relationship, it was about protecting her son, and she hit a place where she said, “I have to now protect myself and find a way out.” Because the law was more on the husband’s side, it was a constant dance afterward of law and being present. I think the thing that Val has playing against her is [that] she used substances to try to stay afloat. When it came down to it, that was sort of her downfall when trying to get custody of her son. So, I certainly relate to the fight to provide the best life for your child, and I think she’s a really smart woman. I’m not saying, “So am I,” but I think that there are ways she is trying to get herself out of her situation that are very inventive but come from a place of survival, which I can certainly relate to.

Vella, I first found your work from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. You seem like somebody to whom comedy comes very easily. What made you want to take on something like this, which is very much the opposite side of the coin?

Vella Lovell: What do you mean? I thought it was hilarious [Laughs]. I feel like—I’m sure Cobie can relate to this as well—if you are using one muscle over and over, you start to feel really good in that muscle. Then, as an actor, you’re kind of like, “There are other muscles that I’m not using.” [There are] other parts of the human experience that I think you are drawing on when you’re doing comedy. I always find my way into comedy with, “What’s actually real and sad about this?” It feels like it’s the same with drama.

You’re kind of looking… I really tried to find one joke in this episode. I don’t think there are any jokes, but that’s just my sense—it’s like looking for water. You’re looking for comedy in the drama, and you’re looking for drama in the comedy. I’ve been really, to use the water metaphor, thirsty to do something that’s a different tone, so I jumped at the chance to do this.

Also, Dina Shihabi, who plays Jordan, is one of my old friends from my New York theater days, which is so crazy. That never happens, where you get to act with your friends. It was a real pleasure to get to experience that with her, and to meet Cobie, who is just so talented and amazing. So, it’s kind of a no-brainer to do something like this as an actor.

Smulders Talks Val’s Relationship With Her Son’s Stepmom, Jordan

Jordan Is Played By Dina Shihabi

Cobie, I really appreciated the dynamic between Val and (Dina Shihabi’s character) Jordan in this, and I think that was one of the more surprising parts of the episode. What was it like working with her on creating that dynamic?

Cobie Smulders: Honestly, we liked each other immediately. It’s hard not to like Dina, so we just fell into a friendship immediately, and it played out in the episode where there was something really fun. When I grew up, I had a mother and a stepmother, and it’s just such an interesting dynamic. So much more than 15 minutes should be spent on explaining that dynamic, and I think Dina and I only really had two scenes where we got to play into that dynamic without the covering of this event happening. I think we started with that on the episode, and it was a really fun energy to play.

There’s a lack of communication that happens in the episode between these two characters, and also a lack of point of view looking at each of their lives. It was interesting playing this game of, “What is your experience? Why are you covering your experience? Why can’t you see my experience?” and seeing these two women sort of fighting against each other and then, in the end, coming together was a really wonderful thing to play.

Dina had to carry so much. She had to carry so much of the emotion and so much of the weight of this situation, and she just did it so beautifully. But it was very easy. It was very easy to act with her, and with Vella. They’re wonderful human beings and fantastic actresses.

Vella Lovell: I don’t know if this was your experience, Cobie, but the little experiences or projects you can do where it’s an all-female team are so cool and so special. Especially working on this, it felt so great to have Maile at the head.

Cobie Smulders: It is a really female story and it’s about female relationships. It was great for all of us to be on the same team.

Lovell Enjoyed Doing Her First Dramatic Courtroom Scene

Her Reference Point? Legally Blonde

Vella, without giving things away, I feel like the dramatic courtroom reversal has been an iconic element of TV and film for decades. Was it fun for you to get to participate in something like that at such a key point in the episode?

Vella Lovell: Yeah, completely. Of course, I’m a comedy person. I was really thinking about the Legally Blonde scene, which is—that’s terrible. That’s a terrible reference. But you’re right. There are so many pivotal courtroom scenes. It’s almost a trope that we know, so it was really interesting. And [it was] such a pleasure to get to do this with a friend, with Dina, and I feel like we found something that I wasn’t expecting.

When I read it, I thought it was going to be kind of explosive. I haven’t seen the episode yet, so I don’t know which take they used, but I think the way we ended up going was not super explosive and super A Few Good Men. It was a little more of a different route [that] we found, which I think was an interesting take.

It was so cool and so challenging to get to do a courtroom scene. I’d never done one before, and we all know them so well. It’s really fascinating to find yourself inside of that container and to try and figure out how you’re going to do it while also serving the story.

Smulders & Lovell Reflect On Working With One Another

“We Had Such An Amazing Team”

Do each of you have a favorite thing about working with each other in this episode?

Cobie Smulders: First of all, I love hanging with Vella, but adding to what Vella was just talking about, it’s very easy to turn an episode like this, which has very high stakes, into this hysterical, really dramatic moment. Because Vella is so talented, and Dina as well, we were able to make something that could be somewhat over the top feel grounded. We had such an amazing team to put it all together. We were also all in Toronto, so it was really fun to just get out of LA, hang out, and get to know these two lovely women.

Vella Lovell: Everything that Cobie said. Cobie’s so lovely and talented and funny and grounded and amazing, so that was such a pleasure. But I’m going to say this thing: Cobie, I don’t even know if you remember, [but] we were figuring out this one scene and I gave this pitch or this idea, and I was like, “This is a bad idea,” and you were like, “Don’t say it’s a bad idea. Just say it’s the first idea.” And my mind was blown. It was a really great insight that you gave. Again, being with an all-female team was an eye-opening learning experience—from her, from Dina, from Miley, from everyone. That’s a little nugget I’m going to take with me.

About Accused Season 2

Accused is an anthology series that explores how everyday people are caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Each episode focuses on a different defendant in court, with the nuances and details of their stories told through flashbacks. Season 2’s cast includes William H. Macy, Ken Jeong, Debra Winger, Mercedes Ruehl, and Mike Colter.

Accused season 2 airs Tuesdays on FOX.

Accused is a legal drama series that delves into the complexities of criminal cases from the perspectives of both the accused and the accusers. Each standalone episode presents a new case, exploring the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by the characters involved. The series aims to offer a nuanced portrayal of the criminal justice system, highlighting the intricacies and challenges inherent in each case.

Cast

Abigail Breslin , Malcolm-Jamal Warner , Jason Ritter , Keith Carradine , Molly Parker

Release Date

January 22, 2023

Seasons

1

Creator(s)

Howard Gordon , Jimmy McGovern

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