Stephanie Corneliussen

Mr Robot

Did you discover at the same time we did that she was really pulling the strings?

I did actually. When I auditioned for Joanna, I auditioned with that scene when she’s in bondage in episode three of season one, and only that scene. It’s an odd conversation in the sense that they could be planning their next family vacation but really they’re talking about conning and scheming this other couple so they can make everything easier for themselves. Yeah, it was interesting. When you see that first scene of Tyrell grabbing Joanna’s face and telling her the lay of the land and saying this is how it’s got to be. Then a couple minutes later, she’s in that bondage going, “You’re not done yet.” He’s like, “I’m tired.” and she’s like “Well, too bad.”

Can you imagine how this very powerful woman likes to be submissive in private?

Yes. I think as human beings we need some balance in our life, right? I can’t imagine how it must be for Joanna being in such control all the time. Every single moment of every day, she knows exactly what she wants and what she’s going to say and what she’s going to do. I wish I could do that. So I think those moments where she gets into bondage and she the submissive role, even though it’s not completely submissive because she is letting someone do it, I think that’s her relinquishing that control. That’s her escape. Some people go to the spa. Joanna gets tied up.