Mary-Louise Parker is back in the world of Stephen King adaptations, this time with the TV adaptation of his 2019 sci-fi novelThe Institute. Parker, known for everything from her Emmy-winning work in HBO’sAngels in AmericatoEmmy-nominated leading role in Showtime’sWeedsandREDmovie franchise, previously starred in the Audience Network’sMr. Mercedes, the adaptation of King’s Bill Hodges novel trilogy. More recently, Parker also found success with her turn in Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick’sColin in Black & White, playing the former NFL star’s foster mother.
Parker stars inThe Instituteas Ms. Sigsby, the director of the titular facility, which is home to a variety of teens who possess psychokinetic abilities. Having held the job for some time, and the organization itself having been open for decades, The Institute’s task is to heighten and extract the kids' abilities for nefarious purposes. However, while in the midst of dealing with skepticism from some on her staff, and those above her, Sigsby faces her biggest hurdle yet with the facility’s newest addition, Luke Ellis, a hyper-intelligent teen with telekinetic abilities who has no intent of staying there.
In honor of the show’s premiere,ScreenRantinterviewed Mary-Louise Parker to discussThe Institute. The Emmy winner opened up about her villainous character in the Stephen King adaptation, tapping into the “master manipulator” nature of Ms. Sigsby and how she gets through her job running the facility, as well as why she feels King’s works continue to resonate with both readers and audiences.
Playing Ms. Sigsby Requires A Complete Dedication To The “Logic To Her Madness”
“…She Believes She’s Doing The Right Thing.”
As is the case with many others running a nefarious facility like The Institute, such asMatthew Modine’s Dr. Brenner inStranger Thingsor Alice Braga’s Dr. Reyes inThe New Mutants, Ms. Sigsby brings an interesting mix of accessibility and ruthlessness to her work with the teens living there. Nonetheless, Parker confirms"she’s definitely a villain" given she “hurts people, and she hurts people ruthlessly and repeatedly without conscience”. Regarding what drives her forward, the Emmy winner explains that Sigsby “believes she’s doing the right thing”, and that “she doesn’t feel there’s anything nefarious in that”.
In looking at how she approached playing such a character, Parker described Sigsby as being “a master manipulator”, explaining that those who “are convinced that they’re in the right are really the most dangerous people”. Finding the villain to be “an edge off of being a true sociopath”,Parker found it important to tap into the “logic to her madness”, as that helped “it almost make sense” why Sigsby did the things she did over the course of the season.
“I just think that she’s so completely undaunted, and guileless, and would do anything for the job, and for the cause,” Parker explained. “I think she has some kind of chip missing. I think, also, it’s a product of having justified this level of bad behavior for such a long period of time. I think that you have to continually convince yourself to the point where you’re a little bit numb. I think it would probably eat away at your psyche.”
King Continues To Be A “Master Of Construction” With His Stories
“You Don’t Want To Take Your Eyes Off The Screen…”
The Institutenot only marks the latest series based on the author’s work, but continues Hollywood’s long-standing run of adapting Stephen King’s novels to the screen, with yet another version ofThe Standin the works from Doug Liman, as well asThe Long WalkandThe Running Mancoming out this year. In reflecting on why the iconic author’s works continue to resonate with both readers and viewers,Parker praised King for being “a master of construction"when it comes to “laying the foundation that creates this airtight reality that you just can’t exit from”.
You don’t want to take your eyes off the screen, you don’t want to put the book down. He just knows how to take this step, and then this step, and then unfold and lay down this card. It’s just a really, really amazing gift that he has.
Stay tuned for and check out our otherInstituteinterviews with:
The first two episodes ofThe Institutebegin streaming on MGM+ on July 13, followed by new episodes weekly on Sundays.
The Institute
Cast
A kidnapped prodigy with special abilities, Luke, ends up at The Institute, while Tim, a former cop, seeks a new life in a nearby town. Their fates are inevitably linked.
