'The Fall': Gillian Anderson Profiles Her Character Stella Gibson

When doing press for any role, an actor is asked to describe his or her character in detail, and often. For the first time in my entire working life, from the very first interview to the very last, I don't feel like I've been able to narrow down an accurate description of all that is detective Stella Gibson in The Fall.

But what is it about Stella — and why me? It has been said that she is cold. Is she? Am I? Is this a trait that The Fall's creator-writer Allan Cubitt saw in me and gave to her? I must ask him. She is cold. Particularly. And she can be warm. I can be cold, I have heard particularly, and I can be particularly warm. Surely this isn't unique in life, nor on screen?

She is, as has been said, enigmatic. Inscrutable, impenetrable, mysterious. Again, am I? I don't think I'm necessarily mysterious, but would my friends say that I am difficult to know? To get a handle on? Probably. I think that I am pretty clear about where she and I are different, and very clear about the fact that she is not me. Oh, to embody half of what she brings to the table! But still, what is it about her that seems to confound and perplex people?

The Fall: Gillian Anderson Talks Season 2 and the Continuing Hunt for a Killer

Picking up just a couple weeks after Season 1, the six new episodes continue to follow Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), a Senior Detective on the trail of a serial killer - Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), who was last seen at the end of Season 1 fleeing Ireland, where the series takes place.

I spoke to Anderson about Season 2, the depiction of Stella, the face off between Stella and Paul and more.

GN: What initially appealed to you about playing Stella?

Gillian Anderson: I think I was struck by the sparseness of Allan [Cubitt]'s writing to begin with and the fact that on the one hand, I completely got her off the page, even though there was not that much on the page of her. Which to me is always a mark of good writing. Even now, after finishing two seasons… Even though there are little bits here and there that you get a sense of her more than in the first season, she’s still just as mysterious and intriguing to me as ever. I don’t think I’d ever read a character like her before when I first picked up the scripts.

IGN: There is some great dialogue in the show about gender disparity and how people perceive actions differently based on if it’s a woman or a man. Stella behaves in a way we’re used to more male characters behaving, as far as not saying a lot, coming in and getting the job done. Even the whole picking up a random person and bringing them back to the hotel in Season 1 is more like what we’re used to with a male character, and the show sometimes talks about those themes.

Anderson: Our writer, Allan Cubitt, has definitely used this as a platform to explore issues and behaviorisms that he believes are a part of our world and our society today. He is a feminist and I think that he has put a lot of his own opinions and beliefs into the character of Stella.

Gillian Anderson loves to make fun of Jamie Dornan

Los Angeles - Gillian Anderson enjoys picking on Jamie Dornan.

The Fall actress says her co-star is "very easy to make fun of" because he doesn't take himself too seriously and they have great relationship on the set of the drama.

When asked about the 32-year-old actor, she said: "Well, it's funny because I pick on him a lot."

Gillian is particularly amused by Jamie's soaring status as a sex symbol ahead of the release of his upcoming movie Fifty Shades of Grey.

The 46-year-old beauty said: "He's very easy to make fun of and he takes the piss out of himself and he is very free at taking the piss out of everybody else. So it's quite a joy to be able to reciprocate, especially on that subject matter. We have a lot of fun with it."