IN CONVERSATION WITH AURORA PERRINEAU

interview by JANA LETONJA

Aurora Perrineau is having a remarkable year across both screen and stage. This summer, she stars as Chantal in Every Year After, Amazon Prime Video’s highly anticipated adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel Every Summer After, a literary phenomenon that spent months on The New York Times bestseller list and captivated readers around the world. At the same time, she is showcasing her theatrical range in London’s Lyric Hammersmith production of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, a bold contemporary reimagining featuring an all-Black cast. Whether navigating modern romance on screen or reinterpreting a classic text on stage, Aurora continues to establish herself as one of the most dynamic and compelling performers of her generation.

Every Year After arrives with a passionate built-in fanbase thanks to the success of the novel. What initially attracted you to the project?

I had serendipitously met Sadie while she was doing a play in NYC and had fallen in love with her talent after seeing her perform. I was manifesting us working together in the future. Every Year After came around several months later, and she was attached as Percy, so it felt like it was fated for us to play best friends.

Your character’s role has been expanded from the original novel. What excited you about having the opportunity to further develop her for the screen adaptation? 

She really isn’t in the books much at all, other than a few phone calls. So I was excited to see how Amy and Carlye envisioned her as a more three-dimensional character, as well as getting to kind of add my own ideas in there. It was nice to kind of be creating from the ground floor.

Adapting a beloved book comes with expectations from readers. Did you feel any pressure stepping into a world that so many people already love?

I think because Chantal isn’t fleshed out in the book, I felt less pressure than some of the other cast. But in the same breath, I of course wanted book fans to enjoy the show and feel like they were really watching the book come to life. I saw it more as a really amazing opportunity than an obstacle. 

The series premiered at Tribeca before its global release. What was it like experiencing the story with an audience for the first time? 

It was really special to be with everyone and fun to hear everyone’s reactions in real time. Having grown up in Tribeca, it felt like a really nice homecoming.

At its core, Every Year After explores memory, love, timing, and the choices that shape our lives. Which of those themes resonated most with you personally?

I would say love. I think it’s the driving force of life. I am a hopeless romantic, though. I believe in love at first sight and soulmates, the whole thing.

At the same time, you’re performing in An Ideal Husband at the Lyric Hammersmith. What drew you to this particular production?

I was really excited to make my stage debut in London and at a theater that I so respected. I was also extremely excited to work with our director, Nicholai, as well as to be part of an all-Black cast.

Oscar Wilde’s work has endured for more than a century. Why do you think his themes remain so relevant today?

I mean, it’s a bit sad, but I think it’s because we continue to learn the same lessons over and over again as a society. Stealing a quote from True Detective: “Time is a flat circle. Everything we have done or will do, we will do over and over and over again, forever.”

This production’s all-Black cast offers a fresh perspective on a classic text. How has that shaped your experience of the play? 

It was a really amazing opportunity to take a piece of classic text and bring it to what feels like our own homes, with everyone feeling like a familiar family member. 

How different is your creative process when preparing for a stage role compared to a television series?

It’s entirely different for me. It was somehow less loose than my normal process and, in the same breath, more freeing, a true paradox.

As this was my first stage performance, I can’t stress enough how much respect I have for theater actors. They are athletes. The preparation was very intense. Learning an entire script word-perfect, as well as going through the rehearsal process, was entirely different. It was not only mentally demanding but physically demanding as well. I loved it. It was such a beautiful way to approach the work, and I will be taking what I’ve learned with me into my film and TV prep.

Performing live every night requires a different kind of energy and vulnerability. What do you enjoy most about theatre?

The audience. Every single day, they are entirely different. They are our 11th cast member, and in a piece like this, they are vocal and engaged. It was amazing to see, day to day, what affected them and how.

Looking back at your career so far, what have been the most important lessons you’ve learned as an actor?

I would say to always trust your gut and always chase the scary and the fun. The jobs I’ve enjoyed the least have been the ones I accepted out of pressure, ease, or my least favorite reason, “This will be good for your career.”

How do you choose projects that challenge you while still allowing you to grow creatively?

I think the most challenging projects are the most creatively fruitful. Being willing to fail is an amazing, terrifying and freeing feeling.

As you continue to balance television, film, and theatre, what excites you most about this current chapter of your career?

I think that I don’t currently feel the need to just jump on to the next thing. I feel comfortable sitting in the unknown for a bit until I find my own 'Worst Person in the World' film.

TEAM CREDITS:

photography COURTNEY NATHAN PHILLIP