Star Jenna Coleman Discusses the Creation of the Shocking Ending of ‘A Really Interesting Process’: The Jetty
Spoiler’s ahead for The Jetty!
The BBC drama is a thrilling drama circulating the life of Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman), who finds an intimate connection to a mysterious cold case. The four nail-biting episodes end with a shocking twist that changes everything. Coleman spoke to Variety about filming the ending, what it meant for her character, and more!
Jenna Coleman on filming The Jetty ending
The shocking timeline change at the end of the show intensified the murder mystery to another level. As Ember was on a hunt for the killer of a young girl, Amy, who mysteriously disappeared seventeen years ago, she teamed up with crime podcaster Riz (Weruche Opia).
After a series of twists and turns, the truth was unveiled that Ember accidentally ran over Amy all those years ago while driving under the influence of drugs. However, her friend Arj, who was with her in the car, bore the burden of the murder and even killed Riz to cover up his tracks.
In the end, despite knowing the truth, Ember convicted Arj for killing Ember, which viewers did not anticipate from a righteous detective.
Speaking to Variety, Coleman revealed they had filmed multiple endings to the show. “Oh God. Yeah, there was—multiple [endings]. I mean, it was a really interesting process because the show got sent to me when episode 1 was written with a treatment,” she said.
She revealed that the initial script had a completely different ending and that they filmed two versions of the actual ending—one in which she doesn’t say anything. “She basically didn’t speak. The assumption was made [by the detectives], and she never corrected it as opposed to the words coming out of her mouth,” the actress said about the alternate ending.
Coleman on what appealed her to the show
Being a crime murder mystery, the series has instances of horrific and gruesome violence and hate crimes. However, what the Victoria actress found interesting was the “theme of trauma and subconscious.” Despite being a detective, her character does not have a clean slate, and the case only brings back those traumatic times buried deep in her subconscious.
“I think that was a very interesting side of the story – what your brain can do, what your memory can do to suppress,” she added. Throughout the series, Ember struggles to find herself and gets clearer and clearer as the story progresses, which is fascinating for Coleman to portray.
The Jetty is now streaming on iPlayer in the U.K.