The first two of eight episodes of Rabbit Hole premiere today on Paramount Plus. The series follows John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland), a master of deception who works in the world of corporate espionage. Suddenly his world is upended when he is framed for murder by forces who can influence the masses. The series also stars Charles Dance as Ben Wilson and Meta Golding as Hailey Winton, both of who recently spoke with the press about their work on the series. 

In a show where nothing is what it seems, trust becomes very important between characters. “I think that that's one of the big themes of the show, who and what can you trust?” Golding told SciFi Vision. “Who can you trust on a big scale? Our government, our data, or cell phones? Then, who can you trust on a personal level? I mean, our two characters start off pretty much hating each other, but then we kind of need to survive…It's that constant thing that we're constantly playing with, like who [and] what do you trust? What is real? Because even if you think about it, it takes a long time to get to know someone, let alone people who are used to always manipulating situations or words. We're all excellent liars in the show. Then, we kind of band together. So, it makes for interesting dynamics.”

“It's a vital element in any relationship, whether it's personal or professional,” added Dance. “And for me, because I’ve become cynical, if I wasn't before, but if somebody says ‘trust me,’ the hairs go up on the back of my neck for a while.”

During the interview the two also talked to SciFi Vision about some of the challenges they faced during filming. For Dance it was the amount of lines. “There are two or three occasions when he basically delivers a lecture,” said Dance. “Learning lines is part of our job, and I'm reasonably good at it, but I'd rather not have to do it. I'd rather do something with a look than a line, and I had a hell of a lot of lines in this.”

For Golding, it was her character’s energy. “I'm playing a very talkative person,” she told the site. “Her energy is super high up here. So, it wasn't that I didn't connect to it, just it's a different energy…It's great when there's a challenge, and there it was a little bit of a challenge, because she talks a lot.” 

For more from the two, watch our portion of the interview and read the full transcript of the junket below.
New episodes stream every Sunday on Paramount Plus.



***Edited for clarity and length***

QUESTION:   Meta, I actually want to start with you, because one of my favorite things about this show right away was the chemistry between Hailey and Weir. I just loved the way that you guys went back and forth at one another. How much fun was that working with Kiefer and being able to just work on that chemistry? 

META GOLDING:  Oh, great. I'm glad to hear that. Yeah, the minute I met Kiefer, it was just like playing a great set of tennis. We were just back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth. I mean, it was written on the page that way, but there's something about him and I that it just made it really, really easy and fun. We fight good is what it is. We fight good. 

QUESTION:   Charles, what's it like to play a character that is brilliant kick-ass smart? 

CHARLES DANCE:  …Oh, do you think he's brilliant and kick-ass smart? Oh, that's nice. Oh, good. I thought he was a manipulating bastard. 

META GOLDING:  That's what I thought too. 

CHARLES DANCE:  [laughs] Well, that’s great. He's a great character to play, and I don't know whether I succeed, but I try to inject a bit of humor into him as well when I can. 

QUESTION:   Ben Wilson…brings a level to the unknown, which is makes him almost more frightening. As you progress through your filmography, do you feel as if your process changes? Does it remain the same? Is it dependent on projects? 

CHARLES DANCE:  Yeah, well, to a certain extent, it does depend on the project. Of course, it does. I guess each project has a different merit. But, I mean, that's the really wonderful thing about this job that we do, that we're all lucky enough to do, because we love doing it. So many people just have to do a job to pay the bills. We do a job that we love. And actors should never retire, because if we retire, there's nobody to play old, wrinkly people. The point is, as you move into a different age, then there’re characters now available to me that were not available to me ten or twenty years ago, and long may it continue. 

SCIFI VISION:   This is for both of you. Can you talk about how important something like trust is to your characters? Because obviously, they're both very hesitant to trust each other, but I have a feeling they're going to probably have to rely on each other later. 

META GOLDING:  Yeah, I mean, I think that that's one of the big themes of the show, who and what can you trust? Who can you trust on a big scale? Our government, our data, or cell phones? Then, who can you trust on a personal level? I mean, our two characters start off pretty much hating each other, but then we kind of need to survive. I mean, I don't want to give it all away, but it's that constant thing that we're constantly playing with, like who [and] what do you trust? What is real? Because even if you think about it, it takes a long time to get to know someone, let alone people who are used to always manipulating situations or words. We're all excellent liars in the show. Then, we kind of band together. So, it makes for interesting dynamics. 

SCIFI VISION:   Anything to add Charles? 

CHARLES DANCE:  Does anybody ever say “trust me” in this show? 

META GOLDING:  I don't -

CHARLES DANCE:  Because that's, I mean -

META GOLDING:  Oh, I do.

CHARLES DANCE:  You do?

META GOLDING:   I do. Well, I don’t say “trust me;” I tell Weir that it's no way to live. I tell him that he's got to at this point, because he's got to trust me, because I'm in it with him. 

CHARLES DANCE:  Yeah. I mean it's a vital element in any relationship, whether it's personal or professional. And for me, because [laughs] I’ve become cynical, if I wasn't before, but if somebody says “trust me,” the hairs go up on the back of my neck for a while. 

QUESTION:   What is the thing you learned making the show, something that you take away, maybe even into your personal lives? 

META GOLDING:  I learned Krav Maga, which is the Israeli self defense, which I think everybody should learn. So, I took that away, and I think I'll have it forever. So, that's pretty cool. 

CHARLES DANCE:  “I don't know” is my honest answer to that question. 

SCIFI VISION:   For each of you, what part of your character did you have trouble connecting with? Was there any thing you can think of that maybe you had trouble connecting with? 

CHARLES DANCE:  The amount of [laughs] lines, the amount of talking that Ben [has]. There are two or three occasions when he basically delivers a lecture. Learning lines is part of our job, and I'm reasonably good at it, but I'd rather not have to do it. I'd rather do something with a look than a line, and I had a hell of a lot of lines in this. Is that relevant to what you've just asked? I don't know. I've lost myself. 

SCIFI VISION:   That works. What about you? 

META GOLDING:  Well, it wasn't that I had trouble connecting, but I'm playing a very talkative person. Her energy is super high up here. So, it wasn't that I didn't connect to it, just it's a different energy. I wouldn't say difficult to connect to. I would say, each character you play, you've got to kind of - it's great when there's a challenge, and there it was a little bit of a challenge, because she talks a lot. 

QUESTION:   Meta, there's a really wonderful scene in episode three where you're at the table, but the audience doesn't know you're at the table until it pans back. So, the conversation’s about you without people knowing you're there. What's it like at the end of that scene? You're with Charles; you're with Kiefer. As a professional actor, as somebody who loves acting, what's it like to be in that type of scene with that level of acting and actors around you? What's that like for you? 

META GOLDING:  …Well, I love that scene, but that day was the hottest day of 2022. We were shooting in Canada, and we were shooting in this old dilapidated home with no air conditioner and a crew in a tiny, tiny room. I think somebody had heatstroke while we were shooting that. 

CHARLES DANCE:  Really? 

META GOLDING:  Yeah, one of the crew. So, I was sweating the whole time while that was happening, but no, it's a great scene, but I kind of saw that scene, even though it's not the scene, but the theme of the scene, for me, was meeting my nightmare in-law. Like, you're you're at the dinner for the first time, and it's a nightmare in this dysfunction. Because underneath all these big themes, it's kind of about trauma and family dysfunction. So, yeah, I mean, I was a couple pounds lighter, because it was so hot at the end of the day, but, you know, these two are great. I mean, these are both icons here that I'm in the middle of, so it's fantastic, and I was a little skinnier.