{"id":160280,"date":"2025-04-05T15:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/05\/the-residences-edwina-findley-breaks-down-preparation-for-sheila-role\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T15:00:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T15:00:59","slug":"the-residences-edwina-findley-breaks-down-preparation-for-sheila-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/05\/the-residences-edwina-findley-breaks-down-preparation-for-sheila-role\/","title":{"rendered":"The Residence’s Edwina Findley Breaks Down Preparation for Sheila Role"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Edwina Findley<\/strong> didn\u2019t cut corners when it came to her role on The Residence<\/em>.<\/p>\n

During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly<\/em>, Findley, 44, explained how she kept track of the show\u2019s<\/a> flashback scenes, alternative moments and different timelines for her character, Sheila.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was extremely complicated to do. That took an incredible amount of technique for me. Literally, I created over 100 pages of research of preparation specifically for Sheila,\u201d Findley recalled. \u201cThen there was probably another 20 pages or maybe 30 of just untangling the timelines and what happens when and in what version.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having \u201cmultiple versions of the story<\/a>\u201d meant Findley had to be one top of each one.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Spring TV Preview 2025: Inside Must-Watch New and Returning Shows<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tThe spring TV schedule is overflowing with highly anticipated premieres and returns including Ransom Canyon, You, The Last of Us and more. Ransom Canyon is Netflix\u2019s venture into Westerns with a show based on Jodi Thomas\u2018 book series of the same name. In addition to drama and romance in the fictional Texas town, Ransom Canyon [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s untangling what part of this is the truth and what part of this is a lie. Then what are the alternate endings of these various stories? So that definitely was a marathon for me as an actor to put it all together,\u201d she shared. \u201cI started going to AA meetings. I started reading the whole big book of AA. I started watching documentaries \u2014 and it was very important to me to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Findley specifically pointed out the way Sheila\u2019s alcohol consumption played out on screen, adding, \u201cIf she had one sip at 9 p.m. and then a whole bottle at 3 a.m. then what\u2019s happening in her body? What\u2019s happening in her mind? What is she seeing? What is she hearing? How is it affecting her relationship with the truth? That\u2019s already a tenuous relationship to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House<\/em> by Kate Andersen Brower<\/strong>, the eight-part Netflix series premiered<\/a> in March and followed renowned detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba<\/strong>) as she was tasked with finding out who was responsible for the Chief Usher A.B. Wynter\u2019s (Giancarlo Esposito<\/strong>) death at the White House.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Edwina<\/div>
Jessica Brooks\/Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Findley\u2019s character, Sheila, was one of the suspects<\/a> but was ultimately exonerated. The major evidence that stacked up against Sheila was her dependency on alcohol.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was extremely important for me because as an actor [to portray properly]. It\u2019s really your job to take your character\u2019s side. It\u2019s your job to represent your character with authenticity and truth and compassion,\u201d the actress told Us<\/em>. \u201cIt was extremely important to create a multidimensional and authentic human being. And a part of that was leaning into creating a backstory around that. So I loved that the show created these beautiful vulnerable monologues for her. You see the big Sheila and you see her being the star of her own story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Findley continued: \u201cAnd in the privacy of her own mind, she thinks she is the heir apparent to the First lady. But she\u2019s struggling because there are protocols and there\u2019s a way that you\u2019re supposed to do things in the White House. Obviously she butts up against all of that because a part of her spirit is trying to be free.\u201d<\/p>\n

While reflecting on the role<\/a>, Findley called the opportunity a \u201cfull circle manifestation moment\u201d after her own connection to the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been very passionate about telling the stories of real people in Washington D.C to the point where I was creating my own whole show around it,\u201d she revealed. \u201cSuddenly to get this script from Shondaland set around the White House and depicting very real characters \u2014 maids and butlers and housekeepers and ushers and florists \u2014 where it wasn\u2019t really about the president, it was about all these regular people. That upstairs, downstairs dynamic was really exciting and it was just an honor to be able to tell that story.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was also a huge accomplishment for Findley because of her love for creator Shonda Rhimes<\/strong>\u2018 TV universe.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n