This ‘crazy’ cult documentary inspired Siobhan Finneran in Netflix’s Unchosen: ‘I went down a rabbit hole’

Unchosen stars Siobhan Finneran as a senior, intimidating member of a cult – and one “insane” Netflix documentary played a key role in how she built the character.

The new Netflix series centres on the Fellowship of the Divine, a fictional Christian sect where life is tightly controlled. Adam (Asa Butterfield) and the other men hold authority, while Rosie (Molly Windsor) and the women are expected to serve, obey, and “nurture.”

Finneran plays Mrs Phillips in Unchosen, the wife of the cult’s leader (Christopher Eccleston). At first, she’s presented as cold and “frightening” – but as the story unfolds, there’s far more going on beneath the surface.

It’s one of Finneran’s strongest performances to date.

Siobhan Finneran plays Mrs Phillips (Credit: Netflix)

Siobhan Finneran went down a cult documentary “rabbit hole”

Finneran didn’t just rely on the script to shape her performance – she did her homework.

She said she was “blown away” by Julie Gearey’s writing, adding: “She’s created this entire world based on closed religious communities… I just knew I wanted to be a part of this.”

Costume helped set the tone too. “It’s a uniform – there’s no room to be unique or expressive,” she explained.

However, she also did some real-life research. “I went down a very big rabbit hole watching quite a few documentaries on Netflix about these religious communities – Wild, Wild Country was one,” she said.

The docuseries follows Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the rise of his controversial commune in Oregon, charting everything from its rapid growth to its eventual collapse.

“Once I’d watched two or three of them the same sort of story emerged of these very controlling environments, but what was interesting was that those who lived in them didn’t see it that way,” Finneran added.

“I think with a role like that I did find it mentally draining. It’s exhausting to play someone so closed off.”

Wild, Wild Country dives into a real-life cult (Credit: Netflix)

Wild, Wild Country is still one of Netflix’s best documentaries

Wild, Wild Country dropped back in 2018, but it still holds up as one of Netflix’s most talked-about documentaries.

Since then, the platform has been flooded with true crime hits. But this one stands out for just how bizarre – and unsettling – the story becomes.

“It’s easily one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend,” one viewer wrote on Reddit.

“Wow. I’ve been on a cult kick lately… what I learned was astounding,” another added.

“This series was so unbelievably good,” a third commented, while others simply called it “insane.”

If Unchosen leaves you wanting more, this is the obvious next watch.

Read more: The best movies you need to watch on Netflix this month

Unchosen and Wild, Wild Country are available to stream on Netflix now.

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