This horrific Adolescence episode was “genuinely scary” to film according to star

There are plenty of horrors in Netflix’s hit miniseries Adolescence, but star Erin Doherty has revealed why she found Episode 3 “genuinely scary” to experience.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know everyone is talking about Adolescence. The new Netflix show is a four-episode long one-take wonder that explores what happens when young boys are exposed to misogynistic ideals.

The show has already received plenty of praise for its harrowing portrayal of a complicated issue, and nobody experienced the intensity of the story more than the cast, who worked tirelessly to perfect each one-take episode.

Erin Doherty, who plays child psychologist Briony Ariston, has since revealed why her episode had the ability to scare her for real.

Jamie’s turn in Adolescence Episode 3 scared star for real

While Adolescence is climbing the streaming service‘s charts, one episode is standing out among fans: Episode 3. The hour focuses on Jamie’s session with a child psychologist while he’s being held before trial, and unpacks his emotional state as she unpacks the details that led him to commit murder.

Throughout the episode, Jamie switches between personalities. He’s childish, remorseful, confused, and most notably, furious. Multiple times, he snaps and throws his chair or screams at Briony.

Netflix

“It was genuinely scary,” Doherty explained [via Variety]. “It’s every actor’s dream to get to a place where you forget yourself and you are in this strange reality that you’ve created. It sounds bizarre, but you genuinely do believe it in the moment.”

Reflecting on the experience of filming alongside 14-Year-Old Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie, Doherty praised his ability to amp up his performance and get comfortable with losing his cool.

“To think about that kid versus the one that turned up in that 11th take, and push those buttons and pushed himself, I’m just so proud,” she said.

But for as difficult as the episode gets, there was one moment Doherty described as the “easiest part” of the process: when Jamie is escorted from the room, and Briony is finally left alone.

“Getting through the hour and keeping a lid on these things was the task for me. Whereas the minute that Owen left, I was like, ‘Thank God.’ I got to breathe,” she said.

“It is quite frightening, and that was all it was. It was like an emotional vomit.”

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix now.

For more, find out why Adolescence Season 2 will never happen. You can also take a look at why Jamie killed Katie in Netflix’s Adolescence, and the Adolescence true story.