Interview: Melissa Fumero on keeping a mysterious aura around Drew and joining Based on a True Story season 2

No, the image above is not Melissa Fumero as the beloved Amy Santiago in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In fact, the actress' new character is nowhere near being a part of law enforcement. Even though she pretends to be! That would be Fumero as Drew/Olivia in Peacock's Based on a True Story season 2, which is now streaming.

No matter what she does, Fumero brings a great element to any role. And this one is no different! In the second season of the dark comedy, the star plays Drew, who is Ava's [Kaley Cuoco] new mom friend. At first all is well and good, and she shares she's a detective. However, all of that is not true. Even the baby she says is hers is the one Drew babysits.

It turns out Drew's real name is Olivia, and she's Matt's [Tom Bateman] ex-wife. Aka the mother of his son, Ollie! Whaat? Talk about complicated. She isn't a detective at all, only pretending to be to try and pry answers out of Ava, now knowing she's involved with Matt. And yes, Olivia does know the truth about him being a serial killer. She hatches up a plan to expose him, and Ava was her way in. In a twist, Tory [Liana Liberato] kills Olivia to protect Matt, and we say goodbye to her character too soon.

Show Snob had the opportunity to speak with Melissa Fumero about joining the show, the character choices she made to portray the mysterious character, and the unanswered questions we still have about Drew/Olivia. And yes, don't worry! We also got a B99 question in the exclusive interview as well. Read on below!

Show Snob: Let’s start from the beginning. What attracted you to the character and made you decide to join the show?

Melissa Fumero: This was one of those very blessed situations where I got a call about joining season 2. I was already aware of the show and a fan of it, and been a fan of Kaley [Cuoco] and Chris [Messina] and everyone on the show for a long time. So it was a really exciting call to get. And then on top of that, when they told me a little bit about the character, it also just felt really different from anything else I've done. And so that's always exciting and what you strive for as an actor. So it was a very easy yes, and exciting all around.

SS: I'm a huge fan of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Big Bang Theory, so it was really cool to see those two worlds collide. What was it like for you to work with Kaley Cuoco?

Fumero: Amazing. Like I said, I've been a fan of hers from afar for a long time. We've never met. Obviously never worked together. She's just so easy to get along with. She's lovely and funny and [brings] big sunshine energy. So I fell in love with her on the first day really easily. And our first scene together was just that really easy chemistry. We found the characters' dynamic very quickly. She's really fun to ad-lib with. And so, it was just sort of a dream scenario from the get go. And I was like oh my god. This is going to be so fun. Such a fun way to spend my summer. I also randomly know her fiancé, Tom Pelphrey, from way back in our New York days, from our early twenties when we were both on soap operas. So that was just a really fun connection, and it was a really fun to see him again when he came to visit set. It was a dream. I would love to work with her again.

SS: Did you know Drew’s true identity from the beginning?

Fumero: [Showrunner] Annie Wiseman and [executive producer] Jaclyn Moore were really generous and told me her entire arc and all her twists and turns before I started. Which doesn't always happen, and it was really valuable to have. I think it really informed my choices. I think it was really fun to have that secret with me all the time in scenes, and getting to choose when to lean into it and when not. I was very grateful to them that they let me know beforehand because I might have made totally different choices, and so I was really grateful that I had that.

SS: Is there a moment if us as viewers went back to look at it, we would recognize a subtle hint you planted?

Fumero: I can't think of any specific moments. I feel like there were scenes with her where I'm poking and asking certain questions that I intentionally played as she knows more than she's letting on. I think that was the sort of energy that Drew needed to have at all all times. Something's going on, but you're not quite sure. It doesn't feel like you're getting the whole story and really what it is, is that she has more information than she's letting on. She knows more about Ava than she's letting on. And so the way she asks her questions and the way that she listens to [Ava's] responses comes from that place. I think it was in those little moments, questions. Anytime she's questioning Ava.

SS: I feel bad that Drew/Olivia died, I feel like she didn’t deserve it. There's also so much backstory between her and Matt. They did fall in love, get married, and have a son. And then she came up with this whole plan to expose him. What do you think about that, and did you and Tom or you and the writers discuss that backstory and relationship?

Fumero: No, not too much. But I think it's really interesting how they wrote it. These two people were in love. This wasn't a relationship where they just hooked up and got pregnant. There is a rich history there. I even found myself questioning, is she mad that he became a serial killer, or is she mad that he didn't bring her along? There's a really twisted love story there. She's also the only person in that group of people that really knows who he is. So I just thought it was really interesting the way that they gave little hints to their history. And, I mean who who knows? Flashbacks in future episodes? I don't know. If they ask, the answer is yes for me. But, yeah. I agree. As I was reading it, I was like, I want to know more. How did they meet? These two were really into each other. There's a whole thing happening here.

SS: There's so much to dig into! If the show does get a season 3, I'm crossing my fingers you'll join as well. Why do you think now was the right time for Olivia to come up with this whole plan when she’s known about Matt being a serial killer for a long time?

Fumero: I think it's it's kind of the added element of Ava and her quest and everything that she's gotten wrapped up in with Matt. I think it's led to maybe more evidence for Olivia, and and it's just added this extra element where other people are involved now. And it's become this other thing, and maybe emboldened her and also got her closer to taking him down in her eyes.

SS: My last question is a B99 one! Is there something that you learned from playing Amy that you still carry with you?

Fumero: Amy's whole arc from kind of being weirdly very confident, but also doubting or not totally in her power to I think by the end of the show, she very much is. She kind of becomes who she dreamed about being, but didn't know how to be that person. It felt like a natural evolution. I think I sort of had a mirror experience personally with that. And so I do feel like that's a little gift that she gave me. Even if you don't know exactly how to be the person that you want to be, sometimes it's just believing that you are and stepping into your power, and being unabashedly confident is something I try to carry with me.

* This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Based on a True Story seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Peacock.