When the evidence is overwhelming, and the jury has reached a verdict, the tense final moments in a courtroom make or break the future—when the decision is made, it’s damning. But what do you get when the prosecutor has secrets of her own? Chloe Pirrie, a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, channels the ruthless, yet secretive Merritt Lingard in Netflix’s new Scottish crime thriller, Dept. Q. Built upon the complex juxtaposition of deceptions and truths, the cold case presented in the nine-part series leaves the characters grasping for straws among the mystery. Scott Frank’s adaptation of the book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen has emerged as a harrowing tale of questions, theories, and seemingly unsolvable cases that thrusts the viewer into the courtroom mysteries of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Chloe Pirrie, an Edinburgh-native, found her way into the world of cinema from the stage of the Mary Erskine School’s production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. After her first role in the feature film Shell—an independent drama following a 17-year-old girl named Shell living and working at a petrol station with her father—Pirrie was awarded Most Promising Newcomer at the 2013 British Independent Film Awards and nominated for Best British Newcomer at the 2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards. Prior to Dept. Q, Pirrie has worked with writer and director Scott Frank in the award-winning The Queen’s Gambit as Beth Harmon’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) mother, Alice. Many of her past characters have embodied a poignantly human darkness, and Merritt Lingard is no exception—portrayed by an actor of deep complexity and an understanding of the character’s nuance and resilience.

In a series filled with drama, mystery, killings, and kidnappings, Dept. Q’s portrayal of the raw human emotions of each character resonates the most—with Pirrie’s performance leaning into Merritt’s inward journey from a ruthless, headstrong attorney to a woman broken by threats and paranoia. Merritt endures—not because she chooses to, but because she must to survive. Pirrie’s exploration of such a rich and haunting story solidifies her abilities as an artist and a force to be reckoned with.

But beyond the courtroom drama and detective work, Pirrie’s real-life journey from theatre to the big-screen—as an artist deeply in tune with her craft—spans intense emotional preparation and a fascination with human nature that manifests brilliantly in each of her performances. Reflecting on the process of bringing Dept. Q to life, Pirrie discusses her acting beginnings, her artistic procedures, and searching for creative inspiration both within herself and out in the world. 

You moved to London to study acting when you were 18 — was there a particular moment in your teenage years you knew you wanted to commit to performing long-term?

I have a strong memory of being on stage in a school play and feeling completely free and at home. Like I’d found a way to make sense of the world, of myself that was sort of undeniable and couldn’t be taken away from me. A way to contribute something that didn’t cause me intense anxiety which most things did back then! I just latched onto that feeling and decided that if I could still access that sort of joy of creative expression I’d be alright in some fundamental way, there wasn’t much of a plan. I still experience that feeling so I must have been onto something, a feeling of being my true self while exploring another person entirely. 

While developing yourself as an emerging actor, was there a piece of advice you received or a learning experience you had that you’ve carried with you through all your projects?

Learn your lines backwards. Listen and make it about the other person. Breathe. 

With Dept. Q, how did you prepare to breathe life into a character and a world initially developed on page?

When Scott first approached me the scripts were not yet ready, so I read the book to get a sense of the world of the story. I knew lots would change but you always get something out of source material of any kind. The prep then divided into different areas, lots of exploring the specifics of pressure chambers, speaking to a saturation diving expert and the effects and risks of pressure related sickness on the body. I read a lot of very affecting accounts of solitary confinement from organizations like ‘Solitary Watch.’ 

Once I had the scripts I focused on the text and the usual stuff I do on every job, identifying her kind of value system, who she is in different contexts with different people. She’s so guarded and controlled in her interactions that kind of felt key. I just kind of carried it around a lot, used the research as an excuse to watch a ton of documentaries and films about anything to do with diving, submarines, deep sea work but then it kind of just expanded into sci fi and space - sort of my fave cinema genres to be honest! It’s kind of limitless when you think about what she goes through mentally, which is ironic given that she’s confined. Where her mind can go, the potential for disintegration is so immense but also so is the fight to hang onto her mind. There was a lot I expanded into to just keep growing into her. I also did research about the Scottish legal system of course, and that working environment and culture. 

‍The show was also filmed in Edinburgh, your hometown. Did your experience growing up in Edinburgh ever intersect with the development of your character, or the shooting process? How so?

I would have to say yes, absolutely. Merritt is a prosecutor. The legal system in Scotland and Edinburgh specifically is rich in traditions and she’s a bit of an outsider to that. She’s not from the same type of background as most of the people she’s working with, nor does she pander to their expectations of her. Also we filmed in places I knew well, it was really surreal at times. The first scene I shot in the show was in princes st gardens, I spent hours there as a teenager, probably on the same bench. 

You’ve starred in several horror and/or thriller projects that deal with dark themes. Do you have a certain approach to embodying darker stories and making portrayals of emotions like fear and sadness come to life? 

I guess I just try and do as much preparation as I can so that I’m available to what surfaces in the moment, whatever the nature of the scene or material. I don’t try and stay in or hang onto one state, I think that in life the light and dark live in close proximity, so I’d rather embrace that than focus on one. I’m a horrendously emotional and sensitive person, so having a job where that’s considered an asset is a great relief to me!

How have you seen the realm of acting develop since you started, and how do you keep finding new sources of inspiration to evolve your craft? 

I think it's really tough for people starting out now because going into an audition room is relative rarity now, it's so much taping across the board. It’s democratized some aspects of being an actor but comes with its own issues. You have to fight so hard to not be affected by the adverse effects of being overly aware of your own face and what it's doing, not letting vanity truly give our full attention to what is happening between the characters. We are practicing that type of engagement less and less in life and it is a muscle. I can’t help but feel it affects people when they get on set. Before you’d go in a room and only really know what you did in the experience of the scene, that was all done by someone else, you’re only job is to be present with the material, not be in charge of choosing takes, reviewing footage, lighting yourself, finding someone to tape with, it can feel like a lot obstacles and hard to stay in touch with what is important. Doing anything over zoom I find very unnerving and challenging, all that dead space, you can’t read people properly!

In terms of inspiration, I think practicing anything creative away that demands long form attention is good for your craft, be it painting, reading or engaging with art in any way that is conscious, practicing the art of noticing stuff around you. I recently made a short film which I wrote and directed and that really felt expansive in terms of developing my craft, just something for me and my development and understanding of camera and storytelling. 

Also important for me is watching stuff purely for pleasure, being able to separate the toughness of the industry with why you started doing it in the first place! I also think resting is important, recognising your need to rest can be hard when you’re always worrying when you’ll ever work again.

What have you learned about yourself through inhabiting different worlds over your career, and are there any new layers of yourself you’re excited to explore with future projects?

I’ve learnt so much doing research on weird stuff over the years, human behavior is just endlessly fascinating. I’m not sure if I think too much about layers of myself I want to unearth so much as remaining curious about what is out there in the world. Basically I’m saying that I want to keep being fascinated by the craziness of other people, rather than my own! 

I’d love to do an epic Sci fi film like Solaris or Arrival or  ‘Contact’ (one of my all time childhood favorites.)

Or a submarine movie… I am absolutely obsessed with submarine films, I don’t know why, I can’t get enough of them. Something brilliantly unhinged in deep sea or deep space seems to be the yearning! I don’t know what that says about where I’m at in life, clearly I’m hankering for something that speaks to what I was transported by as a child when I’d get taken to blockbuster on a Friday evening. That’s a longing I’ve become more aware of recently. That would be cool…

Photographed by Josh Shinner

Styled by Fabio Immediato

Makeup: Amanda Grossman

Hair: Davide Barbieri