Scene-Stealing Star Reveals Secrets of Summer’s Most ‘Furious’ Performance

Sarah Shatz / Disney Hitting a karaoke bar after an historically bad day at work might not put the world to rights, but when FBI agent Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine) belts out Meatloaf’s “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” it is enough to forget the horrors of her current situation.

Well, copious amounts of booze and a bright tropical shirt—a far cry from her office-appropriate attire—also temporarily help turn down the volume on the realization that Nora’s career has seemingly imploded in the penultimate episode of Hulu’s summer hit, Furious .

While Nora’s job as the head of the FBI’s sex crime unit in New York City is in jeopardy, Bernstine, an award-winning audiobook narrator and stage actress, is experiencing the opposite in the standout role that should garner Emmy Award attention.

You might not immediately recognize her, but Bernstine has 20 years of TV and film credits, including the New York actor Law & Order rite of passage ( Criminal Intent in 2005 and Special Victims Unit two years later), as well as Ray Donovan , Evil , and last year’s excellent Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy .

Bernstine talked to the Daily Beast’s Obsessed from her Brooklyn home, explaining that she still feels like a chameleon, as she has had only one in-person fan interaction so far.

That may well change as more people discover this brilliant performance and show by creator Elizabeth Meriwether , which is one of the best shows of the year so far.

“It’s been very overwhelming,” Bernstine says.

“There’s so much love and support coming from so many different places.

It’s been really remarkable.

I have only had one lovely little Jamaican woman in my neighborhood call out of her car, ‘ Furious ?!’, and I said ‘Yes.’ She’s like, ‘I love your character!’ That made me so happy.” What begins as an investigation into a female serial killer quickly snowballs into a sprawling conspiracy centering on underage sex trafficking and the senior law enforcement figures actively looking the other way.

Nora thought she had evidence proving her boss Ed George (Danny McCarthy) was corrupt and could prove that billionaire Jay Easton (Peter McRobbie) was guilty of raping a minor (and maybe murder).

Unfortunately, by the end of the previous episode, Ed outplays Nora.

Not only has a crucial laptop been wiped clean, but Nora’s drinking on the job finally catches up with her, and she is benched.

To make matters worse, rookie FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) let killer Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew) slip through her fingers.