Poker Face: Cherry Jones Calls Natasha Lyonne "The Perfect Director"

The eighth episode of Poker Face, "The Orpheus Syndrome," is now streaming on Peacock. The episode is a "love letter" to iconic visual effects artist Phil Tippet, and follows the mystery of a fatal on-set accident that happened decades earlier in Hollywood. The episode was directed by series star, Natasha Lyonne, who acted alongside guest stars Nick Nolte, Cherry Jones, and Luis Guzmán. This week, Jones spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and opened up about Lyonne's directing skills. Previously, Lyonne helmed episodes of Russian Doll, High Fidelity, Nora From Queens, Shrill, and Orange is the New Black. 

"When I got the script, I loved it," Jones shared. "But I felt so inadequate to do this part. I saw her as this skinny, power [hungry woman]. They talked about this white-wedged haircut, so I kept getting Anna Wintour in my head. I had gained a lot of weight and I wasn't feeling a lot of confidence at that moment in my life. I just thought, 'I don't think I have this in me.' Even though I come from theater repertoire. And, that's what this part is – getting to do stuff you normally aren't given. And my wife finally said, 'Cherry, Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson, they're cool. It's the cool factor.' And I thought, 'Oh, OK! I'll go play with the cool kids!' And, I'm so glad I did. I even had to admit to Natasha how cowed I was by it all and that I didn't feel right for it. And I didn't realize how fortunate I was that I was getting to be in the one that Natasha directed. Is that the only one that she directed?"

Jones continues, "I'm sure all the other directors were fantastic. But if I ever got to do another Poker Face – which I won't, because everyone is going to be knocking down the door to be on it – I would want to be in hers. She's one of my favorite directors I've ever worked with because she's an actor and she's really a director. So, she's the perfect director." She added with a laugh, "Natasha knows every movie ever made, I'm convinced. And, I don't know how, she's not old enough. She must have spent every waking minute smoking and watching movies."

Was Poker Face Renewed For a Second Season?

Poker Face premiered with the biggest streaming ratings in Peacock's history, so it's no surprise the streaming site has already renewed the series.

"Poker Face is one of those rare, undeniable shows that we all fell in love with from the start, but the critical acclaim and viewer response has been beyond our wildest dreams," Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement. "Working alongside the creative genius of Rian Johnson, Natasha Lyonne, and Ram Bergman, along with our partners at MRC and T-Street, has been a spectacular ride, and we can't wait to hit the road for another season as we continue to build momentum across Peacock's originals slate."

New episodes of Poker Face release every Thursday only on Peacock.