Annabelle Wallis is confronting the central question behind Unabomber: whether a grueling Harvard personality study helped shape the teenage Ted Kaczynski into the man he later became.
The Netflix chart-topper reunites Wallis with Russell Crowe, marking their third project together on screen after The Mummy and Showtime’s The Loudest Voice. Wallis plays Christiana Morgan, who co-created the Thematic Apperception Test with her longtime collaborator and romantic partner, Harvard psychology professor Henry Murray, portrayed by Crowe.
In the late 1950s, Morgan and Murray oversaw a highly controversial experiment involving Kaczynski, then a 16-year-old Harvard student. He was subjected to severe psychological stress during sessions spanning 200 hours. Kaczynski later called the study the “worst experience of his life,” although he denied that it contributed to him becoming the Unabomber.
Wallis takes a different view.
“In my opinion, I do believe that the study had an impact,” she said. “Adolescence is such a pivotal moment in all our lives. If you were subjected to that kind of pressure at 16, what would become of you?”
To find her way into Morgan’s inner life, Wallis decided that the academic must have experienced guilt over her treatment of the teenager. She said that interpretation was the only way she could empathize with a woman capable of subjecting a young person to the experiment.
Wallis also considered Morgan’s unconventional personal and professional circumstances, including an open relationship with Murray that lasted more than 20 years while they were academic colleagues. She viewed Morgan as an intellectually formidable woman navigating a male-dominated Harvard environment, while also wondering whether ambition and a desire for recognition affected her decisions.
A James Wan reunion may be brewing
Beyond Unabomber, Wallis has received an intriguing message from James Wan, the filmmaker and producer behind two pivotal projects in her career.
Wan produced Annabelle, in which Wallis starred under director John R. Leonetti. The first Conjuring spinoff earned $257 million against a $6.5 million budget, and its success helped clear the way for seven more films.
Wan later brought Wallis back to lead Malignant after being impressed by her performance as Laurie Luhn in The Loudest Voice. The horror film became a cult hit despite arriving through Warner Bros.’ pandemic-era day-and-date release experiment, Project Popcorn.
Now, another collaboration appears possible — though nothing has been confirmed.
“James actually sent me a message the other day,” Wallis said. “He was like, ‘Annabelle, watch this space. I’m about to tell you something.’”
Wallis said she would readily place her trust in Wan again and is eager to discover what he may have in mind. She did not identify a project or disclose any further details.
The Grace Shelby decision that still lingers
Wallis also reflected on the enduring impact of Grace Burgess, the undercover Irish police officer she began playing opposite Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders at the end of 2013. Grace entered Tommy’s world posing as a barmaid and ultimately became his wife.
The show’s first season was critically well received but had not yet become a major ratings success. Its audience grew after Netflix acquired it before season two, and by season three it had developed into a global cultural phenomenon.
Grace was murdered at the beginning of the third season in 2016, just as Wallis was receiving major studio offers, including The Mummy. She later returned as an apparition in season five. Series creator Steven Knight has since told Wallis that he might have handled Grace differently had he anticipated the depth of the audience’s attachment to her relationship with Tommy.
“Steve and I remain very close, and he has always said to me, ‘I think I messed up with Grace,’” Wallis said. She added that Knight told her, “If I had known Grace and Tommy would be a dynamic that people longed for all these years later, I would’ve perhaps done something very different.”
Wallis acknowledged that Grace’s death also became a powerful device for Tommy’s journey, creating what she described as a lasting wound for both the character and the audience.
As for The Immortal Man, Wallis admitted that she had not watched it. She said there had been conversations about different versions involving the earlier characters, but those possibilities did not come together. Based on what she had heard from viewers, she sensed that some wanted a stronger return to the show’s original ensemble and answers to long-running questions.
Her memories of the early seasons also remain tied to the late Sam Neill, whom she remembered as a generous friend who supported young performers and stayed in touch. Wallis recalled visiting cathedrals with him and accompanying him to wine shops that carried his Two Paddocks label.
What Happens Next?
Unabomber is now streaming on Netflix. Wallis has not announced another Peaky Blinders appearance, and Wan’s message has yet to produce a confirmed project, leaving their potential reunion firmly in the “watch this space” category.