The transition from a career-defining supporting role to the center of a new television universe is a notoriously difficult leap, but Rhea Seehorn makes the move look effortless. After delivering one of television’s most indelible performances as Kim Wexler on “Better Call Saul,” Seehorn immediately rejoined creator Vince Gilligan for his latest venture, “Pluribus.” This highly anticipated science fiction drama premiered on Apple TV+ on November 7, 2025, and has already been greenlit for a second season. For many viewers, the excitement surrounding a new Gilligan drama, coupled with Seehorn’s powerful leading presence, set anticipation soaring.
Vince Gilligan’s name carries a singular weight in television, and the promise of his newest science fiction drama, “Pluribus,” brought my personal anticipation through the roof. I built my love for sci-fi-infused dramas on the backbone of shows like “The X-Files,” where Gilligan began his career as a staff writer and producer, and so far, I have not been disappointed. I find myself looking forward to where this story continues to go. “Pluribus” is a genre-bending original that posits a high-stakes question: what happens when the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness?
At the heart of this premise is Emmy nominee Rhea Seehorn, who plays the lead role of Carol. Seehorn’s previous collaboration with Gilligan cemented her as one of the most compelling dramatic actors working today. It was that powerful history that led Gilligan to write this complex new character specifically for her. In a rare display of faith between creator and actor, Seehorn accepted the role sight unseen. She recalled the moment Gilligan mentioned the part: “He said, ‘I don’t want to pitch it. I just want you to read the script, but I’m not ready to send it yet.’ I said, ‘That’s okay—the answer is just yes.'”
While the series features excellent actors like Karolina Wydra, Carlos Manuel Vesga, and guest star Miriam Shor, “Pluribus” is largely a one-person showcase for Seehorn. The show uses long passages of isolation, allowing the audience to become her character’s closest confidant as she navigates a bewildering, quiet apocalypse. Seehorn explained that the structure felt familiar, noting that Gilligan’s projects have always resonated with her like theater: “Vince’s work has always read to me like plays… When you have one-person scenes, the audience is actually my scene partner. They are the only one who knows what my character is thinking.”
This unconventional approach allows the series to explore profound and timely issues. While it has sci-fi elements, the themes expand to cover everything from isolation, grief, religious zealotry, and political divisiveness. Seehorn appreciates that the writing never dictates a single meaning. She notes that the show is ultimately about human nature, a quality she believes elevates the material: “I am not being asked to preach anything, thank God. And not only is the writing that smart, Apple and Sony could have forced us to be more on the nose and they did not. They allow room to breathe.”
The challenge of this role, according to Seehorn, lies in navigating the scripts’ tonal shifts while keeping Carol’s character grounded and reactive. Yet, the series’ reliance on her subtle, interior performance is exactly what makes the project so distinctive. Seehorn’s dedication to building Carol’s history deductively, looking at her successful life as a romance novelist and her shutdown emotions, shows the depth she brings to the role, much like her process for Kim Wexler.
Rhea Seehorn spoke with Awards Focus about the intense workload of being the center of a Gilligan series, her deductive acting process, and how the trauma of losing community compares to the fear of an alien apocalypse.
Awards Focus: Nice to meet you, Rhea. “Pluribus” is such a fun show! Given your history with Vince Gilligan, how did this unique starring vehicle come about for you? Was there an audition involved?
Seehorn: No. We were wrapping up the final season of “Better Call Saul,” but it hadn’t aired yet. They were in post-production, and I was checking in with the writers, producers, and directors. I was fortunate enough to be taking meetings for other shows that were interested in me, and I wanted to check in with these people I loved working with and say I’d love to work with them again. That’s around when Vince told me, “Well, I wrote something for you if you’re interested,” which I found hilarious. He said, “I don’t want to pitch it. I just want you to read the script, but I’m not ready to send it yet.” I said, “That’s okay—the answer is just yes.” And he said, “Well, you can wait until you see it,” and I said, “I don’t need to.” Then it was almost two months later before I got the first script.
AF: He wrote the character specifically for you. Did he provide any concept or genre details before you committed?
Seehorn: He said there was a sci-fi element, and that is it.
AF: When you received the script, was it only the pilot episode?
Seehorn: The pilot for a long time. Then we were set to start shooting when the strikes happened. They asked if I wanted to have the second and third scripts, which were already done. Normally I do not want my brain space too full, but because of the workload and how many scenes I am in, getting off book and prepping 90 percent for the first three scripts helped me a lot. Normally you get the next one halfway through filming the current one, and you are constantly having a snowball effect of prep. If I am on set the whole time for those 14 hours, when am I prepping? I was glad I got a big chunk so I was not behind constantly.
AF: You’ve historically thrived in ensemble casts. With “Pluribus,” while you have scene partners, you are essentially leading the show, often solo. Did you know how central your performance would be when you committed, and what was that realization like?
Seehorn: No, I did not know anything about that.
AF: What was it like realizing you are essentially carrying the series, almost functioning as a one-person play?
Seehorn: Vince’s work has always read to me like plays. Coming from theater, using wides for pivotal moments, letting actors use their whole body to tell a story, not everything needing a close-up. Dialogue-heavy scenes where, quote unquote, nothing is going on, but everything is going on in subtext. My scene with Jeff Hiller is a one-act play by itself. I have incredible supporting performers, but when I started getting episodes where it was just me for long stretches of time, sometimes without dialogue, and then full episodes, I did not think it was strange. Vince always develops story through character portraiture. Think about Mike Ehrmantraut passages where he does a task for long periods and it tells you a lot, or Bob Odenkirk in season one of “Saul.” They love montages, and they assume the intelligence of the audience. When you have one-person scenes, the audience is actually my scene partner. They are my closest confidant. They are the only one who knows what my character is thinking, or they go down the rabbit hole with me. When I watch now, I think, “Wow, that is a lot of my face,” but at the time, you just tell the story. I know Vince knows exactly what he is doing; this is not accidental.
AF: So much is revealed episode by episode about your character’s history. If you are only reading a script or two ahead, how much of your backstory is already filled in, or are you learning along with the audience?
Seehorn: I work deductively. I take the pieces of the puzzle that are given circumstances, like she is a successful romance novelist. And then I look at motivations and tactics. Backstory sometimes informs obstacles. When I saw that Carol is reactive and emotional and not nuanced, and that before this she shuts down and her wife was a buffer to the world, I think what kind of backstory could have caused that. Then when I get new scripts that support or run parallel, I adjust. With Kim Wexler I had been playing since the pilot that she had an alcoholic parent. I thought it was the dad. I did not tell Vince. But I was just looking at the pieces. Someone who cleans up someone else’s mess but still loves them, understands impulses people cannot control, but has boundaries like you will not affect my success. That sounds like someone raised by an addict.
AF: The show pivots so frequently, suggesting themes from alien apocalypse to grief, loneliness, and political divisiveness. You knew there was a sci-fi element, but how has the show changed in your mind, and what do you ultimately believe this series is about?
Seehorn: I think it is about all of these things. He wanted to write about human nature. He lives in the world we all live in, so topical things come up. The only thing that has evolved for me is how gratifying it is talking to people about what it brings up. People think it is commentary on AI; Vince started writing ten years ago. Others think it is commentary on the pandemic, which had not happened yet. Others think it is grief, or depression, or religious zealotry, or political divisiveness. It is all of those. You are meeting it with your own experiences. Someone thought Carol being alone with her thoughts was terrifying, and then realized she has kept using no-contact delivery and wondered if that is good for her. Technology, isolation, lack of community, what is good for the individual versus the whole, I think it is all in there.
AF: The writing is amazing. Does that depth make it challenging to play something so layered without ever being too on the nose?
Seehorn: It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but the most rewarding. The tone shifts. I love the challenge. I am not being asked to preach anything, thank God. And not only is the writing that smart, Apple and Sony could have forced us to be more on the nose and they did not. They allow room to breathe. I think his audiences have always loved having their intelligence assumed. Down to music that does not tell you this is a joke, this is sad. You are allowed your own thoughts. And with mysteries, letting you rise with it rather than making sure you are caught up. I like watching shows like that.
Awards Focus: Carol seems calm through all this. I would be boarding up doors. What would the real Rhea do in a situation like this?
Seehorn: I had to think a lot about that. What are possible reactions. I would take pieces I have seen. I am not sure what I would do. Some people say she is too calm, others say she should be researching. I keep reminding people there is no internet. Why is she not googling. Some say they would just stay on the couch for an entire season. I would like to think I would rise to the occasion eventually. I think I would fight for independent thought and individuality. I am thin-skinned. Carol hides being thin-skinned. If you found out the only people left on the planet all want you to go away, I would hate that. I would be emotionally affected by losing everyone. Grief is its own temporary kind of insanity. I hope I would fight.
AF: If you had twenty four hours of that approach, what would you do? What home would you commandeer for yourself?
Seehorn: I would want to consume as much art as I could, books, television, movies, music, because no one is ever going to create something new again. I will never be moved again by a piece of art or a book or be surprised in that way. That is one of the greatest joys of my life. So I think I would be trying to read as much as possible.
AF: Last question. Is there something meta I am missing about “The Golden Girls” being the show Carol is always watching?
Seehorn: I would not tell you if there was, but I will tell you that I do not know. I get a lot of his inside jokes and sometimes I do not. Fans have pointed out “Better Call Saul” references I did not catch. I love television but I am the worst at trivia and remembering those things.
AF: I am going to try to figure that one out. It has been a pleasure talking to you and congrats on an amazing show. Hope to see you again soon.
Seehorn: Thank you.