'Iris Is in Love With Mike': Mayor of Kingstown Star Reveals Her Loyalties (2024)

Iris is back on the hot seat in Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 -- and this time it's by choice. The enigmatic Iris has always been on both sides of the line, having been introduced in Season 1 as Milo Sunter's weapon against Mike McLusky, and becoming one of Mike's allies and someone with whom he shares a complex relationship. The third season finds her in a similar predicament, caught between Mike and new Russian mob boss Konstantin, a figure from her past.

But in Season 3, Episode 5, "Iris," the outcome was entirely different. This time it was Iris' choice to put herself in the middle of the fray, going to work for Konstantin in hopes of neutralizing any threat he presented to Mike. And it was Iris who revealed to Mike what the audience had known already: that the Russians had formed an alliance with the Aryan Brotherhood. CBR spoke to Emma Laird about the big revelations "Iris" made about her character, and whether or not it's possible for Iris to switch sides again.

CBR: "Iris" is your character's first big episode in Mayor of Kingstown Season 3. What was your reaction when you got the script and saw how much was going to be revealed about Iris, and how much you were getting to do?

Emma Laird: It's quite nice because I feel like in the nicest way possible, it's been hard to figure out what to do with my character. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just, she doesn't fit into this world. After Season 1, it was just like, what is she doing in this place still? What is this relationship with Mike? And, you know, the world of Kingstown isn't really revolving around Iris. So I'll take an episode about me.

She's kind of taking control in this episode, which is nice. But I felt like from an acting perspective, I got to kind of do what I was doing in Season 1 again, which felt really nice.

This is your first season without Aidan Gillen, who was one of your two primary scene partners until Milo was killed in the Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 finale. But now Iris has this new relationship with Konstantin. So how has that change been for you?

I was always really scared to work with Aidan. [Laughs.] Just because I was a big fan... I miss him and I love him and we stay in contact. But I will say that my new scene partner, who's kind of taken over from Milo, Constantine -- me and him were like this, like we were the same person. I love working with new actors. I love, love, love Jeremy [Renner] and I love Aidan, but I think that's where you can grow as an actor.

Yorick [van Wageningen], the guy who plays [Konstantin], brought something... We had a really beautiful chemistry. I think he brought out the best version of me as an actor.

Season 3, Episode 5, "Iris" dumps all this information on the viewer about Iris' history with Konstantin, like when she says that he named her Iris. Were you told any of this by Mayor of Kingstown's creatives before the season, or did you find out when you got to this episode?

Oh, no. We're like waiting for the scripts as we shoot. [Laughs.] It's crazy, I'm like what happens at the end? I need to know. I want to know. But it's the thing with TV, you get the next episode a couple of weeks before. So you're kind of free-falling.

But it makes clear just how far back Iris goes with Konstantin. And she already turned her back on Mike in Season 2, so is it at all possible that she could leave him and go back to Konstantin the way that she did with Milo?

I never realized that! [Laughs.] I thought [Iris'] love for Mike was really obvious, until I listened to like podcasts about the show and they're all like, Iris is like, who knows? It's really interesting how that was perceived because I came at the show in general like, [she is] unconditionally in love with Mike. Iris is in love with Mike.

But at the same time, she has no idea what she wants to do in this world. She is so lost as a person in this world of men and she has had a very difficult life. And I think there is a risk of her leaving Mike and the loyalty of that -- there's always that risk because she's trying to figure out her safest and best path for herself. I do think she's a bit of a spider; you never really know what she's going to do.

What do you think would make Iris happy? Because there was even that moment in Season 3, Episode 3, "Barbarians at the Gate" where she and Mike talked about her not having left Kingstown.

I think she needs some time without men in her life. Which is usually always a good answer for a woman. That usually solves a lot of our problems. [Laughs.] She's lived in a world of men. She's been controlled by men, even with Mike. I think her happy ending is release from all of them. As much as she has love for Mike, I think the best thing for her would be to leave this town.

For you personally, what was the experience of filming "Iris" like? Because it is an episode where she has more agency and tells Mike what she wants, and you even get shot at in one scene.

I like having more to do on set. I don't like being in two scenes of an episode, because then I have a lot of breaks, and I like being in the flow of any kind of work... But it was really nice to get to have more scenes with all these core [cast] members like Taylor Handley, who plays [Mike]'s brother, and Hugh [Dillon].

It's been a tough and wonderful journey to be a part of this show. Season 1 was my first acting job and Season 3, it was tough. Coming back into the character after going and shooting other things, I almost forgot who she was. But I hope that I've done her justice in some way... My biggest thing was always just trying to do a good job. In a respectful way, we touch a lot on human trafficking in this season, and that's kind of what happened to Iris. So I'm really proud to play Iris. I feel very grateful to have this role.

Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 streams Sundays on Paramount+.

Mayor of Kingstown

In the crime-ridden city of Kingstown, the McLusky family holds significant power, acting as intermediaries between the law, criminals, inmates, and local residents. Mike McLusky steps up as the key figure after his brother's death, navigating the complex web of corruption, violence, and systemic issues. As he attempts to bring order and justice to the community, Mike faces moral dilemmas and constant threats from all sides, testing his resolve and the fragile balance of power.

Release Date

November 14, 2021

Creator(s)

Hugh Dillon , Taylor Sheridan

Cast

Jeremy Renner , Hugh Dillon , Tobi Bamtefa , Taylor Handley , Emma Laird , Derek Webster , Hamish Allan-Headley , Aidan Gillen

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

2

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+ , Prime Video , Apple TV+