Laura Birn: Despite The Darkness, Foundation Season 3 Is The Funniest Yet

She is the last surviving robot in the galaxy – and in Foundation season 3 we are finally learning more about the very beginning of Demerzel’s 18,000 years of being. We sat down with Finnish star Laura Birn to find out exactly how she brings Demerzel to life.

Laura Birn On Foundation Season 3

Hi Laura, how’s life going at the moment?

Very good actually! I’m just prepping for my next film and this phase is always thrilling. It’s both exciting and intimidating: you don’t know exactly where you’re headed, but some new world is waiting for you to immerse yourself into it. 

You can currently be seen in the third season of Foundation on Apple TV. Firstly can you give us an elevator pitch for the show, and outline what season 3 has in store for fans?

Foundation is a wild, epic, multi-layered saga set in future and space. It’s visually stunning, and amid all the cosmic grandeur it zooms in on compelling, tragicomic characters battling for humanity’s fate. Many of the characters manage to cheat death, making it a long journey filled with hope and fear, secrets and profound questions about power, legacy and the soul. Does it exist, and if so, where? 

Foundation season 3 is more unhinged and darker. The stakes are higher than ever as The Mule – a telepathic mutant – starts to spread chaos and the threat of annihilation across the galaxy. Despite all this darkness, I actually think it’s our funniest season so far!

Laura Birn as Demerzel in season 3 episode 2 of Foundation. (Apple TV)

You play Demerzel – how would you describe her?

She is the coolest – and the last surviving – robot in the galaxy! An 18,000-year-old android, who has been held captive by the galactic emperor for 400 years. Despite being the galaxy’s most imprisoned being, she might also be its most powerful. She rules from the shadows. She serves as consigliere, teacher, mother and lover to the emperor clones. She is an eternal witness to humanity’s recurring mistakes.

How do you get into character?

It varies a lot. Every character asks for their own style. For Demerzel I have my own preparation routine I do before filming. Part of the preparation is training physically. She is a physically very composed character. The stronger I feel, the easier it is for me to gain her stillness without being too aware of my body. And when my body feels strong and solid, my mind runs more freely. 

And in any part, you try to find points in the character that touch your inner weakest, most shameful or most joyful parts – the softer spots you don’t want to reveal in your normal life. Acting is when you go to those places you don’t normally want to go.

This season delves deeper into Demerzel’s back story. How did this new information impact your performance, and what was it like filming the flashback scenes? 

At the beginning of the series, Demerzel was a mystery – an enigmatic observer. Revealing her story bit by bit has continuously added new dimensions to her character – especially toward the end of season 2 when we first learn about her past and it’s revealed just how tragic a character she truly is. I loved filming her backstory; Demerzel’s dungeon is absolutely one of my favourite sets in Foundation. The writing of Demerzel is so intelligently crafted that she becomes increasingly complex and fascinating to explore with every twist.

We also learn more about her inner turmoil and emotional state. How do you approach portraying a robot experiencing something akin to a more humanoid existential crisis? 

It’s funny: every season I find myself exploring increasingly human questions through her, even though she is a machine. How do we become the people we are? Are we born a certain way, or do we grow into being a certain way? What is our own thinking, and what is fed into us? 

I find the concept of programming interesting. In some way, we are all programmed: by society, by our parents, by people close to us. We all somehow wrestle with similar questions as her. After witnessing everything about the human mind for 18,000 years, it’s no wonder she is going through an existential crisis!

Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn and Laura Birn as Demerzel in Foundation. (Apple TV)

Did your experience of filming differ this season with the much heavier material? 

I enjoy when things get intense! It’s a real joy to get to play the same character in so many different circumstances and phases. All the complexity that’s built up in Day and Demerzel’s relationship from the first season is layered beneath every scene. It makes everything fascinatingly nuanced. And I love diving into deep waters. At least at work.

Anything you can tease about what’s still to come?

I guess you just have to sit in front of the telly and watch… But the finale will be quite something! 

Any highlights you’re excited for fans to see?

It was great to see the female characters, Gaal Dornick and Demerzel, finally share a scene after all these seasons. We built the sequence very carefully with the stunts team, director and cinematographer. The shoot was a lot of fun, and I loved witnessing these two masterminds face off.

Any standout moments from rehearsals or filming this season? 

A lot of beautiful, emotional and funny moments happen in Demerzel’s quarters this season. The scene where Demerzel fixes her own head was thrilling to shoot. The amount of thought that went into it is incredible. All the details, the precision of everything from set design to props, make-up and costume and cinematography and on top of that Lee and his intelligence and sense of humour. It was an absolute joy shooting those scenes.

What is the cast dynamic on set? 

Fun! It’s been such a journey. We’ve been through a lot together: Covid, the strikes… We’ve travelled around Europe and had plenty of time to share our funny little ways. I’m very close with the Cleons – Lee Pace, Terry Mann, and Cassian Bilton – and I’m forever grateful these three amazing men have become a permanent part of my life. 

It’s also exciting to welcome new energy to the mix with new characters each season. I absolutely loved having Cherry Jones join us this season. And Pilou Asbæk who plays The Mule is such a fantastic addition to the cast; he’s free-spirited and unpredictable, both off and on screen. 

Anything you can say about a possible season 4?

I don’t have anything to share on that, except that I would love to do another season!

Laura Birn as Demerzel and Rebecca Ineson as Zephyr Vorellis in Foundation. (Apple TV)

What has been your favourite project to date?

Impossible to answer! There are so many projects I have loved with all my heart, and also many absolutely terrible ones that I still wouldn’t trade away. Sometimes you learn the most from struggling with the most uncomfortable and difficult projects.

Any roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about? (If you’re allowed to tell us!)

I’m just starting to film a new movie in Finland with an interesting director who’s new to me, and I’m really excited about it! But I can’t reveal any more than that yet. 

Who has been your favourite actor to work with in the past?

Again, it’s completely impossible to say! That’s the beauty of this work – you get to become fascinated by so many different people. Filming or doing a play is always an intense process where you try to be emotionally open and with a thin skin. You can become really close with someone you wouldn’t normally spend time with. Almost every project adds a new favourite or favourites.

What’s your dream role?

Something dark and complex and that includes a 10-minute dancing sequence with Mads Mikkelsen.

What’s a genre you’d like to do more of?

Hmm… Maybe a spaghetti western?

Who is an actor, writer or director you’d love to work with?

Simon Stone, Nora Fingscheidt, Isabella Eklöf, Lenny Abrahamson, Auli Mantila, Sofia Coppola, Chloe Zhao.

Do you get to spend much time at home? What do you like to do with your free time?

I actually do. The beauty of freelancing is the irregularity – sometimes there’s crazy rushing around, sometimes you can be home for long periods. This week I’m planning to hang out with my neighbours, go to the sauna, take a dance class, just lie around, read a book, and go to the theatre.

What’s your interior design style? 

Very random. I’m not that particular about interior design; I’ve always thought more that home is where the people you love are. At home, what I treasure most are items with stories behind them, a gift from a friend, a souvenir from a fun adventure, a coffee cup that belonged to my husband’s grandmother. There’s no stylistic consistency to them whatsoever.

How do you find balance in your personal and work lives?

There is no active plan for this. I love a bit of chaos in my life. Or let’s say, I don’t know any other kind of life. Sometimes things get very busy, sometimes a break just happens with nothing lined up, and I enjoy the randomness of it all. And I like the idea that when you work in the arts, art is part of your life. And life is part of your art. There is no need to draw a strict line in between. When I do have a lot of free time, the happiest I am is when I get to spend time by the sea, in a cottage, with my people.

How can we all live a little bit better?

By practicing acceptance of differences.

Anything fun in the pipeline – professionally or personally?

I just booked tickets to see Johan Simons’ Hamlet in Paris next spring, starring Sandra Hüller. It’s still far away, but I really really hope my schedule will allow me to go. I think she is one of the greatest actors of our time. I’m dying to see her on stage.

Laura Birn Recommends…

I’m currently watching… Le Bureau, which many of my friends have been obsessed with for years. I need to catch up so I can actually join the conversation.

What I’m reading… The Lonely City by Olivia Laing

The last thing I watched (and loved) was… Monster by Hirokazu Kore-eda

What I’m most looking forward to seeing… Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier. And also Jaws: there’s a special 50-year celebration screening coming up in Helsinki soon.

Favourite film of all time… Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration

Favourite song of all time… ‘Ramalama Bang Bang’ by Roisin Murphy

Band/singer I always have on repeat… Laineen Kasperi, a Finnish rapper who is also a brilliant sound designer. He has this amazing sense of language and beat.

My ultimate cultural recommendation… Fall in love with something new. The latest artist who has captivated me is Finnish photographer Sari Soininen. Her book Transcendence of the Mind is incredibly beautiful and haunting.

Cultural guilty pleasure… Finland’s Strictly Come Dancing, except I don’t feel guilty at all watching it!

Laura Birn stars in Foundation. New episodes land on Apple TV on Fridays.

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