The Perfect Couple may have not revealed whether Amelia and Shooter got together — but Ishaan Khatter has some ideas.
“We had a good sense with the writing and the final cut of the show that it does end on a bittersweet note,” Khatter, 28, who plays Shooter, exclusively told Us Weekly about the hit Netflix series. “But I think it depends on the audience.”
Khatter didn’t rule out that more story could be told, adding, “If they want to [do a] season 2, maybe Shooter and Amelia do end up together.”
Based on Elin Hilderbrand‘s novel of the same name, The Perfect Couple introduces Us to Amelia (Eve Hewson) on her and Benji’s (Billy Howle) wedding weekend. The big day gets delayed, however, when Amelia’s maid of honor Merritt (Meghann Fahy) ends up murdered. As Amelia tries to figure out who killed her best friend, she finds herself unable to fight her feelings for Benji’s best man Shooter.
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“Working with Eve has been one of the most fun parts of doing this show. She’s incredibly talented and she comes with many gifts as an actor — but she also is extremely hardworking and largely instinctive,” Khatter shared with Us. “I enjoyed working with her a lot because there wasn’t any need for a lot of discussion and there wasn’t any need for a lot of thinking or straining over the text.”
Khatter and Hewson, 33, were seamlessly able to build their onscreen chemistry.
“Just being there present with her allowed us to find the chemistry. [Director] Susanne Bier is incredible and she has such a unique and detailed vision for the whole thing,” the actor explained. “She was very, very adamant that we find that the tension and the chemistry that we can hold onto throughout the show. It can be difficult to sustain that over six episodes. But I think there’s no better director than Susanne to be able to see that opportunity and then execute it the way she did.”
Elsewhere in the series, Shooter was accused of murder because of his surprising friendship with Greer (Nicole Kidman), and Khatter was thrilled to have the opportunity to share the screen with Kidman.
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“We had already been shooting for about six weeks by the time Nicole came on set. So we had a built-in trust with each other. But she really came and shifted the tectonic plates on set. She turned a couple of scenes on their heads just by the way that she interpreted them,” Khatter gushed. “That was something that I think I’ve even applied [in future projects].”
While watching Kidman, 57, film her scenes, Khatter was struck by her “visceral” approach to the material, saying, “It really pops out on the screen. That’s the kind of trust and confidence that somebody builds in themselves over years and years of working. That’s something that Nicole carries so beautifully. So I certainly would like to cite that as an example that I’ll carry forward with me as well.”
The Perfect Couple was Khatter’s first role on an American TV show but it is only the beginning. The Bollywood star is set to lead the cast of Netflix’s upcoming series The Royals and he is looking forward to taking on even more interesting roles in the future.
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“I think [with The Perfect Couple], my priority was to find the thin balance to walk on so that this character can give off equal parts mystery with an interesting perspective on the entire dynamic. It’s a very unique role. It’s the only one that walks the outside, inside balance,” Khatter noted. “To me that was fascinating. I was very curious to know how the whole thing would turn out in its finality. It is very intricate, subtle and it unwraps layer by layer. That was the endeavor for me was to be able to crack that fine balance.”
He continued: “It was [all about] finding who this guy is, what he wants and how he has found himself under these circumstances. Because I don’t think he’s a character that particularly relates to anyone else in this situation — besides perhaps Amelia. That to me was a fun balance to find.”
The Perfect Couple is streaming on Netflix.
