Nell Tiger Free Talks the Final Season of 'Servant', Creative Growth, Boundary-Pushing Roles and More

Nell was photographed and interviewed by Alison Engstrom at Café Balearica in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She was styled by Emma Jade Morrison; On-site styling by Ashley Afriyie; Makeup by Misha Shahzada using Shiseido; Hair by Ben Skervin using Color Wow.

Above Nell is wearing an Alexander McQueen coat, Wolford tights and Marc Jacobs shoes.

Hi Nell! you’ve had such a great career out of the gate with your first role in ‘Game of thrones’. I’d love to learn when you first discovered your spark for performing and what inspired you to take it to the next level and do it for a living?

I was scouted when I was 11 and they asked me to audition for this kid’s film. There was never any plan for me to act, but when I went to the audition, I found myself not being nervous and having a good time reading lines. I thought this is fun! I found the whole experience to be different than anything I had ever did before. It felt like there were all these cool opportunities to have a great time as an 11-year-old. Initially, it was the fun of it that brought me in, then it was the challenges of it that got me to stay.

As I got older, things started to get more serious. You know when musicians talk about that high they get when they come off stage? It’s the same thing when you leave an audition, whether you have done a really good job or a really bad one, you get this adrenaline rush from going in there and putting yourself on show. It’s this weird thrill that something could go wrong and you could make a complete idiot out of yourself at any second but that’s kind of electric and cool. Then I progressed into the high of getting something right, like when you are in front of the camera and you get positive feedback from the director and you feel like you’ve done a good job, nothing beats that for me. You almost get addicted to it, you want to push yourself further and further until you are doing things that you wouldn’t normally do in a day-to-day setting. When I shot The Omen, there were moments I had to push myself so intensely; it’s such an adrenaline rush.

Above Nell is wearing a Saint Laurent dress and earring are stylist’s own, similar.

Above Earrings are stylist’s own, similar.

Now to talk about ‘servant’ your hit apple tv+ series that just went into its fourth and final season. Can you share any details about your character’s wild ride in the final season?

Episode by episode, it’s like a pressure cooker that’s about to explode with all of these incredibly damaged people who are fighting for some normality. Especially in the earlier seasons, no one is trying to save the world, they are just trying to save this one family and maybe the world comes along with it. Leanne’s goal is very small, really, it’s to bring love and happiness to these people. Rejection is a very powerful thing and feeling like an outsider is when people are at their most dangerous. Leanne ended the season in this place of strength after being a wounded animal for so long. She was this vicious dying creature who wanted to bite anything that touched her. Now she feels as if she is floating above who she used to be. We are definitely a different kind of show now–everything that was small is big and everything that was contained is now spreading. It’s like a disease, it’s leaving the house and it’s affecting the things around it. 

How did you get into a character who has all of these complexities? I read you didn’t know the arc your role would take throughout.

I don’t really have a process to be honest, I figure it out as I go along. I walk into work and hope for the best.

Above Nell is wearing a Saint Laurent suit and Converse shoes.

So much magic lies in spontaneity!

I am very much against planning, I feel like it can make things stale and weird. If you over-rehearse something it just doesn’t feel good anymore. But in terms of getting into character, I think all of the elements have to be in place for me to be able to become Leanne. It’s a very easy transition for me. I slip on the weird dresses, the long dark hair, my pumps–I am probably holding a weapon of some kind–then all of a sudden she wakes up. Every character you have ever played is at the back of your head. Whenever you need to whip them out all of a sudden, there they are (laughs).

Above For a similar lip color Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick in Flame.

Were you happy with the way that the series ended?

I don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet! I performed it, but I genuinely won’t be able to make a judgment on it until I do. When you are in it, it’s so different than when you are seeing it all put together. Some things you thought wouldn't work, worked, and some things you thought worked well maybe weren’t as good as you thought they were. 

Was it hard to say goodbye to your character, especially with a role that was so formative and took place over a few years? 

Yes and no; it definitely felt bittersweet. It felt like I was ready to step away from her but I will also miss her. I haven’t really let it hit me yet. I think when all of the episodes air, all of the press is done, and the dust settles is when I will have a minute to miss the experience. When the finale airs, you will probably find me crying in my closet (laughs).

What are you the proudest of from your work on the series?

I’m proud of my castmates; I’m proud of the ensemble, truly. We managed to shoot the show through a pandemic and we all stayed liking each other. We all love each other. The cast, the four of us, are stuck with each other for life. They are all very important to me.

Above Nell is wearing a Saint Laurent dress, Wolford tights, and earrings stylist’s own, similar.

We were talking at the shoot about how the series came out in 2019. How would you say you have grown creatively or professionally since then?  

I was 18 when I got the role, I’m 23 now, and as a woman and as a person, I’m in such a different place from when I started the show. I think in terms of growth, there are things I wouldn’t be ready to do now if I hadn’t spent those four years on Servant. It was like school, my college years. I lived with these creatives and it was really cool. I’ve learned to rid myself of vanity a little bit because I was always terrified of looking ugly. I was so scared of people not thinking I was pretty and all of these tiny insecurities that you have are magnified by a million.  I was always conscious of that in the earlier episodes because so much is out of your control, when it comes to how you look, which was difficult. By season four and going on to do The Omen, the last thing on my mind was how I looked and that’s helped me in my day-to-day life. I have learned to value myself for what is coming out of my mouth as opposed to what it looks like and I think Servant helped me with that.

When it comes to your career, do you have a compass in deciding what direction you want to go and take your career creatively?

I am pretty easygoing. If I get sent a script, I read it, and something resonates, I’m always up for doing it. I don’t have any limitations. There are things I would love to try and experiment with and see if I can do—that’s my favorite part of this job. You get to push yourself all of the time.

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A special thank you to this team, Narrative PR, and Café Balearica