Brittany O’Grady and Nat Wolff Discuss ‘The Consultant’ Season 1 [Interview]

Amazon’s newest series, The Consultant, is a dark comedy thriller centralized in the workplace of a gaming company that continues to deliver twist after twist. Based on the book of the same name by Bentley Little, The Consultant follows Elaine (Brittany O’Grady) and Craig (Nat Wolff), two employees at a top-tier game-developing company called CompWare.

When their boss dies unexpectedly, and all seems lost, in comes Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz), a consultant who swears he’s working on behalf of their deceased boss. From beginning to end, Patoff discovers new ways to push these characters to their wit’s end while a looming mystery surrounds the man.

I recently had the chance to speak with O’Grady and Wolff to discuss what makes the series stand-out amongst the vast sea of streaming television and working with some real Patoffs in the industry. (You can watch the full video below.)

Wolff said he was enamored with the script almost immediately, from the premise to the characters.

“There was this mysterious sort of oddball energy I thought was really interesting, and then the twist at the end of the first episode — I screamed in my apartment. I was like, ‘I have to be part of the show. I’m going to be so jealous and so pissed off if some other actor gets to play this part. I need to.’ It was just so odd, interesting, and so my taste. I was so excited to be part of it,” Wolff said.

For O’Grady, it was being able to push the limits in her career and take on a challenge while being able to paint the picture of real-life scenarios actors have to endure.

Watch the full interview with Brittany O’Grady and Nat Wolff:

“I was really excited to take that next step as an actor and play a woman that is driven, finding her way, and kind of reflective of a lot of situations, scenarios, and emotional stakes that my other peers have in the workplace. To be able to play a character like Elaine was very enticing to me,” O’Grady said.

As for why the series is sure to be the talk of the town, the relatability hits too close to home. “I think that there’s these points throughout the whole existence of this story that’s so whack, that so many people are going to be able to relate to it and kind of put themselves in the shoes of at least one of the characters, and why they choose to make the decisions that they do.”

“It is kind of a psychological thriller for those who have this everyday workspace, and what are we willing to do to climb the ladder at our job? Or the pressures that we feel? Or how does it impact our personal life? So, that’s something I’m really excited for viewers to connect with,” O’Grady continued.

“And I think we’re constantly presented with TV shows that are designed to make us feel comfortable and just sit at home and watch them. I love those shows, too, but this show is not made for that,” Wolff added.

“It’s made to disorient you, destabilize you, and in that way, it can make you grow,” he continued. “When things are too comfortable, you don’t grow. I think what Patoff is doing to the characters, hopefully, the show does to the viewer. You know, it subconsciously hits you in a way where you go, ‘wow, how in my daily life am I ethically compromised or morally compromised?'”  

The first viewing experience for The Consultant can be quite jarring because of how relatable the material is. For everyday working people, it’s not uncommon to deal with an irrational boss who seems like they’re out to get you or could have a darker side to them.

Working in the entertainment industry is no different, but the abuse comes in various forms, something that Wolff said he’s experienced plenty of in the past. “I’ve worked with some real Patoffs in the entertainment industry, and, you know, they, like Patoff, get away with it because of their charisma. They can be incredibly challenging, so I had a lot to draw on.”

O’Grady has only been in the industry since 2014, with her first prominent roles being in 2015 – 2016 with her portrayals of Nadia Garcia in Messengers and Simone in Star.

Nonetheless, she’s quickly taking over the acting world and becoming a household name everyone knows, especially with her breakthrough role as Paula on The White Lotus.

What drew O’Grady to The Consultant was the realism of the series and the ability to take on a role she could relate to.

“I love that we were kind of in this real place. The set felt like a real office, and there were these real stakes and these outlandish scenarios. So, I loved how jarring, relatable, and internal that experience was for me as an actor because the horror is quiet for Elaine. It’s consistent, numb, and a very sophisticated script,” O’Grady said.

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The Consultant will be available to stream on February 24th on Prime Video.

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