Carnival Row's Tamzin Merchant Loved The Idea Of Fans Hating Imogen
At the beginning of Season 1 of "Carnival Row," Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant) is the epitome of the fae-prejudiced citizen of the Burgue. She shows a superior and condescending attitude toward the faerie Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) when she comes to work for her and her brother, Ezra (Andrew Gower), and even calls a lawyer to find out if their new neighbor, a faun named Agreus Astrayon (David Gyasi), can be forced out of the house he bought next door. While she ends up inviting him over for tea, she pretends there's work being done at their front door, so he's forced to enter through the servant's door.
Many viewers weren't fans of Imogen after she was introduced, which Merchant completely understood and embraced. "I absolutely love playing this character who is quite hard to take, really," she told Collider. "I hope that people, when they meet Imogen, and they're like, 'Oh please, oh just shut up.' You know, I really kind of invite that because she is quite an ignorant person when we first meet her actually, and she has a very long way to go." But while Imogen was insufferable to fans at the start of the series, she'd become one of the most loved by the end.
Her character's arc became a favorite part of the show
While many "Carnival Row" fans agreed that Vignette took a turn for the worst in Season 2, Imogen's metamorphosis into a woman who didn't care what others thought of her was admired by most. When she ran away from The Burgue to be with the man she loved, who was discriminated against if they stayed, fans were proud of the character's growth. For Tamzin Merchant, playing Imogen as someone unlikeable initially helped give her character depth as she matured and changed.
"I think it's really important to not try and make your character too nice, too likable," she told Collider. "I did not go there, I did not try to make Imogen 'Oh, she's fine.' You want to find her obnoxious and kind of a bit awful. Agreus and Imogen have quite a journey together after they leave the Burgue. She is finally able to put her past and the terrible things she did behind her and shows how much she's grown when she tells Agreus that she's free, whether they're together or not. By the end of Season 2 of "Carnival Row," it's also clear that the couple is stronger than ever, as they kiss in front of the full view of everyone and anyone.