Season 2 of Only Murders in the Building is done. The killer is revealed. And we got a chance to find out more about what it was like being this season’s big bad.
But just in case you’re here by mistake, here’s a big fat spoiler warning as we will be discussing all of the big reveals from the final episode of Only Murders in the Building. You know what, we’re also going to place an image here so you don’t accidentally see anything that you aren’t supposed to.
It turns out that Poppy White isn’t actually Poppy White. As revealed at the end of Episode 9, Poppy White is actually Becky Butler, the missing girl at the center of Cinda Canning’s hit true crime podcast, “All Is Not OK in Oklahoma.” She ran away from home, faked her death, took on a fake name, and gave Cinda the idea for the podcast – in return for a job, of course. Poppy/Becky then spends most of Episode 10 trying to convince our intrepid trio that Cinda was the one who murdered Bunny because she was desperately in need of another high-profile, gory murder to podcast about. In actuality, it was Poppy who takes matters into her own hands and creates the perfect murder for them to cover.
In this Goggler exclusive, we spoke to Adina Verson about how and when she found out that she was the killer, about how they shot that glorious killer reveal party, and also about the final twist at the end of the episode.
Umapagan Ampikaipakan: I watch Only Murders in the Building with my wife, and she was slightly ahead of me. And I was watching Episode 9 while she was sitting at the dining table. And when you make that big announcement, make an audible gasp. To which my wife goes, why do you think you are interviewing her, you idiot? I’m like, oh yeah, that makes sense.
Adina Verson: *laughs*
UA: First of all, I have to say, that was a freakin’ incredible final episode.
AV: Thank you. I mean, I can’t take credit for it.
UA: But you were great.
AV: Thank you. Thank you.
UA: So, you showed up a little bit in Season 1. But at which point did they tell you that you were going to be the big deal in Season 2?
AV: They told me like a month before we started shooting Season 2.
UA: And did they tell anyone else?
AV: No, they didn’t. I didn’t even know if they were going to tell me. They had tapped me for season two and then they started negotiating with my agent regarding the kind of contract that I was going to have, and how many episodes I was going to be in. And they were negotiating something like not wanting me to get credit for some of the episodes. Like not be in the credits. And my agent was like, “Absolutely not. She has to have credit.” And so, they were like, “okay, we have to tell you what’s going on.”
So I ended up having a Zoom meeting with Jon Hoffman and Jess Rosenthal, and they told me then what Poppy’s deal was going to be this season.
But yeah, it wasn’t until I got to set on the first day that I kind of realized that nobody else knew, not even Selena or Martin Short.
UA: No way.
AV: Which was like really bizarre. So I was like, “Oh, I’m living a double life.”
UA: Which makes total sense, because credits can sometimes be the biggest spoilers.
AV: Yes. Especially with fans like ours, who, you know, everything is a clue.
UA: I believe I’m one of those people!
UA: So if no one knew, how did that play into your performance? Did you just totally lean into it or were you trying to keep it hidden? Were you on set doing the whole wink-wink-nudge-nudge to everyone?
AV: I felt like I played with all the layers that were going on. But I feel like it was written well enough that the writers kind of planted clues, so I didn’t have to. And I also feel like Poppy’s a really good liar. And so I felt like I could just play the scene as it was because she’s lying well enough that there’s no hint that she is lying.
UA: I guess when you guys were making Season 1, you didn’t know whether there was going to be a Season 2, or whether it was going to get renewed. And when you were crafting Poppy in your head, did you have to do like a rejig at some point going, “Oh, wait, the character is suddenly taking on this new life and I need to figure out if she can be a killer.” Did that play into it at all?
AV: Yeah. I actually feel like the biggest shift I had to make was because I had already come up with the whole backstory of Poppy, and it was not that she was from Oklahoma. And so I feel like that was the biggest shift for me. This whole idea of who this character was to be.
This is a fiction that she’s created. What is the actual backstory? And they gave me a lot of that. Which is a really wonderful gift to get to know Becky. But yeah, I guess building the bridge from Poppy, to Becky, to murderer is kind of a big shift. But I think it would be a big shift for any character. To try to humanize for myself a legitimate reason to commit a terrible act.
UA: And then at some point, I’m assuming you had to go and work on that Oklahoma accent.
AV: Actually, when I had that original Zoom with them, they also told me that I was Becky Butler. And I’m a big dialect nerd. So I was really excited. I was like, “Oh, do I get to do an Oklahoma dialect?” And they were like, “Oh, yeah. I guess so.” And then I was like, “Oh, maybe if Poppy gets mad at some point, like if I’m like yelling, then like the Oklahoma comes out or something. And then they ended up writing it. But it comes out at the end when she kind of confesses. But I had that ready to go.
UA: What was it like shooting the “killer reveal party?” I get that all of you are acting professionals, but I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for you guys. How many takes was that? Because it’s not just the trio, it’s everyone doing their own thing, and going absolutely nuts.
AV: It was really funny. It was four full days of shooting. It was like a party. It was like an actual party, but with no murder. Which is even better.
Because so much of it is directed at Cinda, and I was standing next to her, I got to just be an audience member to all this ridiculous stuff going on with these amazing actors. But I was still trying to stay in character, so I didn’t throw them by laughing, even if the cameras weren’t on me. So it was a lot of managing my own desire to laugh with trying to be professional. But it was just a really good time. And in the moments that we could laugh, it was really funny. Really funny.
UA: My wife and I decided that if we do end up having a baby, we’re going to have a killer “reveal party.”
AV: laughs
UA: You heard it here first.
UA: At which point did you tell Selina and Martin that you were the killer? Like, what was their reaction when they found out?
AV: You know, they found out from reading the script. And we would usually get a script like a week or so before shooting. And so I wasn’t near them when they were reading the script. So I didn’t get their initial reaction. And then when we came on to shoot Episode 10, I was like, I think everybody’s read the script. I assume everybody read the script. I didn’t get quite the satisfaction of people being like, “What?”
But I did get some satisfaction. I shot the passageway scene and it was me in the mask. That was the only one that was actually my body. But nobody else was on set that day except Lucy. And so when I came from my dressing room wearing that, all the crew members kind of did a double take and they were like, “Oh my gosh, it’s Poppy!” And so they were kind of in on it. And so that was a really satisfying reveal. They were kind of like winking at me the whole rest of the season when the actors didn’t know, but they did.
UA: I think it’s great that you guys have as much fun as we do watching this thing. That really comes across.
UA: And what about that big surprise cameo at the end? How much of that did you know about? Did you know they got Paul Rudd right at the beginning? Because that was another gasp moment for me.
AV: I know. I know. I mean, me too.
I had seen on the call sheets that there was a character whose name I didn’t recognize. I was like, “Who’s this Ben Glenroy character?” One day I was like, “What is the deal with that character?” And they were like, “It’s Paul Rudd.” And I was like, “No way!” And I was so bummed that I wasn’t going to have any time with him.
But luckily he did come to set when we were shooting the scene with Detective Williams arresting me. He happened to be there that day for a costume fitting and so I did get to meet him.
I mean, I know it’s farfetched, but I hope that somehow, Poppy in prison can have maybe a scene with him next season.
UA: It is entirely possible.
AV: I mean, who knows?
UA: I think that’s my time. Actually. I know that’s my time. They’re telling me that’s my time. But Adina, it’s been an absolute pleasure and you were absolutely fantastic. I had no idea you were the killer. And I’m here poring over every little detail. So good job.
AV: Thank you so much.
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