STARZ is bringing 18th-century to life in Dangerous Liaisons, Harriet Warner's (Tell Me Your Secrets) prequel to the infamous Pierre Choderlos de Laclos epistolary novel. While previous period dramas on the same network have served as origin stories for famous women in history, such as Becoming Elizabeth and The Serpent Queen, Dangerous Liaisons is the making of one of the most infamous figures in fiction. The Marquise de Mertreuil and her scheming lover the Vicomte de Valmont have inspired countless adaptations, from Cruel Intentions to the South Korean drama Tempted, but this latest version aims to explain how they became so twisted.
Already renewed for a second season, Dangerous Liaisons stars Alice Englert (The Power of the Dog) and Nicholas Denton as Camille and Pascal, two lovers in distress due to their current positions in society. While Camille must make her living being paid for pleasure, Pascal seduces wealthy women with promises of love. The latter's fortune, meanwhile, is being held out of his reach by his stepmother Ondine (played by Colette Dalal Tchantcho, Domina). As he grows more desperate to regain his standing, Camille can no longer take his betrayals of the heart and seeks refuge under the wing of the current Marquise.
Screen Rant spoke to Tchantcho about how she charted the course of her character Ondine prior to the opening of Dangerous Liaisons, her own relationship to the original novel and other iterations, and how Ondine interacts with her stepson Valmont and his lover Camille.
Colette Dalal Tchantcho on Dangerous Liaisons
Screen Rant: I was so excited when I heard STARZ was doing Dangerous Liaisons, as I love the story and consume all forms of it in media. What was your first knowledge of the book or any of the films, and what drew you to this version?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: I played Merteuil in drama school, and ever since then, I was obsessed. [Laughs] So, I knew much more of it before I knew of the show. But I've always been very much into period [drams] as well.
Ondine's backstory with Pascal, or Valmont, is very layered and full of tension. Can you talk about getting into that character and her dynamic with her stepson?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: It sounds terrible, but I don't think it's anything personal. She loves experiencing someone groveling for something that they want and she has, and she's not willing to give up for anything.
She also starts to develop a very interesting dynamic with Camille, where it feels like you each have something the other wants, and there are some reversals over the course of the season. Can you talk about building that dynamic with Alice?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: Alice is so fantastic. I would always say, "Oh, naughty Ondine," and then she'd be like, "No!" She would tell me about how she empathizes, so it was really interesting because then I was falling more and more in love with Ondine as we went along.
And just observing her performance as well, and Camille's journey, I started to understand why it was so important for her to get to where she was going. We had this camaraderie as actors and, at the same time, we knew we had to play [rivals]. It's really interesting when you want what somebody else wants just as much as they want it. So, it was a very nice dance between us
I'm also very intrigued by Ondine's son, though I haven't really met him yet. There's so much that has been said, though, and I would love to know your thoughts on that relationship. Will we be seeing him?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: He is definitely Ondine's most prized possession, and she'd be willing to go through fire for him. For sure.
The look of the series is incredible. I love the costumes and all the different scenes and scenery. What is it like for you to step into this world of 1700s ? And what's the most challenging aspect of it?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: Oh, gosh. I think any actor that's ever done a period piece will tell you the costume is very difficult to get comfortable with. However, especially in Prague weather... It was during the summertime, and that was hot, hot, hot. However, it creates so much opportunity for interesting movement and how you maneuver those restrictions. Where there were obstacles, there were interesting solutions, I'll say.
How much did you speak with the creatives or directors on set about where Ondine is coming from? What was her marriage like up to this point?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: So much. I'm so glad you asked because, honestly, I feel like everyone got invested in Ondine. There were scenes that I shouldn't have even been in or suggestions that came from ADs, like, "I think Ondine should [be here]," you know? And I was just like, "Oh, wow." I was suddenly getting miked up for a moment that I hadn't previously seen; just on the script.
I felt like, in a way, these conversations were always happening. But also, there were contributions from everywhere. I think the creative team was so amazing in leaving little bits and clues in small places. It gave me a lot as the actor, and I hope when audiences go back and look again, they'll see more.
As the show continues beyond this first season, we'll hopefully get to see and explore more of the trajectory of the novel Dangerous Liaisons. What other aspects of Ondine's life would you like to see?
Colette Dalal Tchantcho: For the most part, I keep her backstory to myself. However, I would love for there to be an investigation about why Odine has become the way that she is. We get little clues. It only seems like a good place, whilst we are there, to go further down this alley.
About Dangerous Liaisons
Dangerous Liaisons is a bold prelude of Laclos’ classic 18th-century novel focusing on the origin story of how his iconic characters, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, met as ionate young lovers in Paris on the eve of the revolution. This modern take on a classic story takes audiences through wonder and terror, beauty and degradation, seduction and deception in pre-revolutionary Paris.
Driven to right the wrongs of their past, the young couple’s survival depends on their skills of seduction and manipulation of not only the French nobility but of each other. Alice Englert and Nicholas Denton portray the notorious lovers: Camille who is taken in by the current Marquise de Merteuil (played by Lesley Manville) navigates her own path in a world of men, using the power of secrets to take back control, and Valmont who will stop at nothing to regain the title that was recently taken from him. Their on-again, off-again love story is the heart of the series. It’s not love… it’s war.
Read our other Dangerous Liaisons interviews here:
Dangerous Liaisons premieres November 6 at midnight on the STARZ app, and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms.