{"id":426280,"date":"2026-05-01T03:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T03:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/426280\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T03:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T03:53:12","slug":"imperfect-women-killer-reveal-reworked-until-the-end-says-corey-stoll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/426280\/","title":{"rendered":"Imperfect Women Killer Reveal Reworked Until the End, Says Corey Stoll"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of Imperfect Women<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

\n\tIf you\u2019re a fan of prestige television, then your antenna was probably raised during the first few episodes of Apple<\/a> TV\u2019s Imperfect Women, as House of Cards and Billions alum Corey Stoll took a backseat. But it soon became clear<\/a> why an actor of this caliber was needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey gave me the first four episodes, which was just a real tease; there wasn\u2019t that much,\u201d Stoll tells The Hollywood Reporter after the finale of the limited series<\/a>. \u201cThen they sent the next few episodes, where it was clear this was a fun, challenging role. The character has to do some pretty crazy right angles, and with another cast, in another situation, it might feel a little scary to do that where I\u2019d feel sort of exposed. But this was such a strong cast, I knew that they would all go for it and not be shy about making these bold moves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBased on Araminta Hall\u2019s 2020 novel of the same name, Imperfect Women opens with the murder<\/a> of socialite Nancy (Kate Mara<\/a>). In the aftermath<\/a>, her longtime friends Mary (Elisabeth Moss<\/a>) and Eleanor (Kerry Washington<\/a>) search for answers, including the identity of the mystery man who Nancy was having an affair with and who she\u2019d begun to fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tEpisode five, \u201cLouise,\u201d finally brought Stoll\u2019s Howard to the forefront. Mary\u2019s husband and father of their three children is a professor and author who has been out of work, and, essentially as a favor to Mary, Nancy hires him to provide historical information for the program notes of the ballet production that she\u2019s helping put on. An unexpected bond begins to blossom between Nancy and Howard, eventually turning into a steamy affair.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Nancy\u2019s death, Mary\u2019s suspicions arise when she finds a passage from Howard\u2019s book in her late friend\u2019s belongings, realizing it\u2019s the same one Howard gave to her when they had an affair during Howard\u2019s first marriage. She tears the house apart and stumbles upon Nancy\u2019s ring, prompting her to seek out Howard\u2019s ex, Jenny (Sandrine Holt), who said he\u2019d been abusive to her. Just as Mary is suspecting Howard is Nancy\u2019s killer, she gets a call that her young daughter is in the hospital, having swallowed some of Mary\u2019s illegally obtained Adderall. It becomes clear to Mary that Howard purposely poisoned their child to ruin Mary\u2019s credibility and keep the kids in his custody. As she sneaks into the house to get more evidence, Howard successfully manipulates her, denying the accusations involving Nancy and offering to take Mary back into their family.<\/p>\n

\n\tMary relents, only for Eleanor to pull strings to have Howard brought in for questioning. But, in the opening of the finale, \u201cThe Bridge,\u201d he\u2019s released when footage shows Scott Reid (Wilson Bethel), the former boyfriend of Nancy\u2019s mother, near the scene of the murder. Upon being arrested, Scott asks to see Eleanor and Mary, telling them that Nancy called him because she was afraid of Howard and wanted Scott to rough him up. But Scott showed up too late, catching a glimpse of Howard standing over Nancy\u2019s body. \u201cYour husband killed your best friend,\u201d he says to Mary, \u201cwhat the f\u2014 are you gonna do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an emergency custody hearing, Jenny speaks out against Howard, and the judge rules that children will not be allowed with either parent. Howard responds by kidnapping Mary, planning to stage her death as a depressed woman who killed herself after losing her kids. As they reach the same location under a bridge where Nancy died, the episode flashes back to the murder. Howard wants Nancy to be with him, arguing that she\u2019s never been more alive than with him. She says things between them are over, and she\u2019s going to tell Mary. When Howard contends that Nancy doesn\u2019t care about Mary, Nancy slaps him, and he responds by shoving her into a cement wall, and the hit to the back of her head kills her. \u201cShe would be alive if it wasn\u2019t for you,\u201d he tells Mary back in the present. A struggle ensues, and Howard stabs Mary in the shoulder and then strangles her. Likely believing she is dead, he goes to grab the knife, but he\u2019s then run into by Eleanor\u2019s car. He manages to get up and engage in a fight with Eleanor, until Mary comes back into the picture and repeatedly stabs him to death.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe final episode<\/a> and final scenes were written and rewritten so many times,\u201d Stoll now reveals. \u201cIt really wasn\u2019t until we shot it that we knew what it was. [Creator] Annie Weisman was really open to our opinions and respected what we had to say about what is believable for this character. From the beginning, the idea was that it was this crime of passion and that the coverup was worse than the crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith Imperfect Women\u2019s whodunnit mystery resolved, THR chatted with Stoll about his unexpected research and the iconic film character that Howard\u2019s evil reminded him of, below.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tI knew early on that something had to be up with Howard because you don\u2019t hire Corey Stoll to be the random husband who pops in every now and then! Was it interesting to be slow played at the beginning?<\/p>\n

\n\tI feel like every job should be like that. A nice slow on ramp where you get to come in, learn everybody\u2019s name on set, see what the vibe is and then slowly build up. So it was actually a really great situation.<\/p>\n

\n\tHow was the character first pitched to you? Did they tell you right out of the gate that you were the killer?<\/p>\n

\n\tThey gave me the first four episodes, which was just a real tease; there wasn\u2019t that much. But I was intrigued, and I was excited to work with Kate [Mara] and Elisabeth [Moss], and a little bit with Kerry [Washington], and with Leslie Linka Glatter, who was directing the pilot, and who I had worked with before. Then they sent the next few episodes, where it was really clear this was a fun, challenging role. The character has to do some pretty crazy right angles, and with another cast, in another situation, it might feel a little scary to do that, that I\u2019d feel exposed. But this was such a strong cast that I knew that they would all go for it and not be shy about making these bold moves. I was hooked.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNancy (Kate Mara) with Howard (Corey Stoll) in Imperfect Women.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApple<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve played plenty of guys who live in the grey, but, in going this dark, did Howard seem like something new for you?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt did. It\u2019s interesting because he\u2019s more soft and low-status than a lot of characters I play, and that was really attractive. Especially in episode five, where he\u2019s really kind of this dork. Then your job as an actor is to be the main advocate for your character, and that was being challenged as it went on. When it came to poisoning my child to frame my wife, I was like, this is the most evil character I\u2019ve ever played. It brought to mind William H. Macy\u2019s character in Fargo, who is culturally sweet and friendly, but when he\u2019s cornered, every choice he makes is selfish and stupid.<\/p>\n

\n\tHoward is described at one point as being \u201cinsidious\u201d and a \u201csociopath,\u201d and you mentioned him literally poisoning his own daughter. How did you try to get inside his head?<\/p>\n

\n\tI was reading this book about MDMA and the whole history of it, and for people who are real proponents of psychedelics, there\u2019s this sense that, if I gave everybody this drug, everybody would just love everybody else. But that\u2019s not really how it works \u2014 there are groups of neo-Nazis who take MDMA! What it does is it just gives you love within the prescribed circle that you consider your family. So, for Howard, he felt so threatened that his circle got so small that it only included himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTerms like \u201cnarcissist\u201d or \u201csociopath\u201d aren\u2019t so helpful for an actor. Because those are ways to describe something from the outside, and I have to be able to identify it, and I\u2019m pretty sure I don\u2019t have narcissistic personality disorder or sociopathy. So instead of trying to not have empathy for other people, I tried to find how I could do it. Everybody is capable of evil, we see that throughout history. It wasn\u2019t about a lack of love for his children, it was an overabundance of love for himself and his own safety.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe hear in Nancy\u2019s voiceover that she never thought much of Howard before the events of episode five, but do you think he\u2019d long been intrigued by her? We know that Howard and Mary were roleplaying as Robert and Nancy.<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t think so. I think he saw Nancy as so unobtainable and out of his league that he didn\u2019t imagine they could have any sort of future. That was how I played episode five. It really did take him by surprise. And what took him by surprise was a real connection. This wasn\u2019t a coldhearted seduction or ulterior motives. He was really most excited about having a job!<\/p>\n

\n\tThe way he begins spiraling, leading to the violent end, do you believe that was because he was truly in love with her, or more about the rejection and what that did to his ego?<\/p>\n

\n\tI was playing it that he was in love with her. Yes, the rejection is what drove him to violence, but he could view this whole other life [for them], and he was already sort of planning it out \u2014 and it was deluded.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat do you think it is about Howard that appealed to women? Obviously he used his influence as a professor and author on someone like Mary, but he also had these relationships with Nancy and his ex-wife. We do get his Jenny saying, \u201cHoward has this way of charming you through repulsion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s very smart and curious. His academic life comes from being really turned on by ideas, and, for the more academically-minded women, there\u2019s an obvious connection. Then for Nancy, who has entered this world of status and image, she encounters a guy who is really turned on by ideas who takes her seriously. At first, I think Howard didn\u2019t take her seriously. He sees her as this dilettante who is acting as an intellectual or an artist, and then he sees that she really does have this sensitivity and talent, and he reflects that back to her. And that is really irresistible because she\u2019s not getting that at home.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tHoward (Stoll) with Mary (Elisabeth Moss).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe scene at the house late in episode seven between Howard and Mary is really when Howard clinched his position as the ultimate gaslighter. What was it like tapping into that kind of manipulation and figuring out how this guy would operate and try to salvage what he could in this situation?<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was a really challenging scene, and one of the most fun to play. The plan originally was to shoot it day for night inside the house and block off windows, and then the director was like, \u201cNo, I think we need to be able to move through the house in these long shots, so we\u2019re going to shoot this at night.\u201d I thought that was a really smart move. It was a great location for this cat and mouse game, because there were all these ways you could cut off her exit. So we got to really use the space and block it like you would block a scene in a play. There\u2019s the intellectual threats and the implied threats, and then there\u2019s just my physical presence and how I use that to intimidate her or lure her in. And Lizzie is just so game. She\u2019s such a natural actor, so we could really just work off each other.<\/p>\n

\n\tA couple years ago I wrote a story titled, \u201cWhen will we stop terrorizing Elisabeth Moss?\u201d<\/a> And that\u2019s because she had been so good in roles like Handmaid\u2019s Tale and The Invisible Man, and here we go, another man is terrorizing her. Now having had a front row seat, what makes her so good at being put through the wringer?<\/p>\n

\n\tShe has a very thin membrane between herself and her emotional life, and she has very easy access to it. It doesn\u2019t appear that she\u2019s working herself up to it; she really just imagines the situation and is there. And then you say \u201ccut\u201d and we\u2019re laughing, and she doesn\u2019t seem to hold onto it in that way. So it makes it really fun to play, because I think actors have to have both a very adult, responsible consciousness, where you hit the mark and you say the lines, and this incredibly open and childlike frame of mind, where you can play and unexpected surprising things can happen. And so she has an incredible balance of those two things.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was your reaction to finding out how this was all going to come to a head in the final moments of the finale?<\/p>\n

\n\tThe final episode and final scenes were written and rewritten so many times. It really wasn\u2019t until we shot it that we knew what it was. But I felt I was part of that. [Creator] Annie Weisman was really open to our opinions and respected what we had to say about what is believable for this character. From the beginning, the idea was that it was this crime of passion and that the coverup was worse than the crime. I haven\u2019t seen the last episode, so I can\u2019t remember what we ended up with at the end, but I just remember lots of emotion and fighting.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a moment where Mary tells Howard to just let her go and make a run for it, and it feels like he briefly considers it. Did you want to convey it that way?<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, if he thought that that would work, he would take it. I think the only thing that stops him from doing that is the realization that he will be hunted for the rest of his life, and he just can\u2019t accept that. Not that the choices that he makes are that sensible. At this point his judgment is completely fried by his own terror and self-loathing. I think part of him wants to get caught and be punished.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a lot of stunt work in the climax, between Howard getting hit by a car and him tussling with each of the three women.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe had stunt people doing a lot of it, especially me getting hit by a car, which was an incredible stunt. The stunt guy only did it once, and then, like he\u2019s supposed to do, after he fell, he just stayed still. And there was definitely a moment before they said \u201ccut\u201d where everybody was like, \u201cIs he going to get up?\u201d It was a really hard impact. And I was very glad that he was the one who did it and not me. But everybody was really game with this show, and there was a real sense that everybody was excited to play.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tImperfect Women is now streaming all episodes on Apple TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of Imperfect Women.] If you\u2019re a fan of prestige…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[936,40798,93,61,144295,60,168859,5124,97464,282],"class_list":["post-426280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-apple","tag-elisabeth-moss","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-imperfect-women","tag-ireland","tag-kate-mara","tag-kerry-washington","tag-the-handmaids-tale","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}