Emmy Rossum has opened up about the emotional preparation behind her performance as Alice Black in Hulu’s Furious, revealing that she worked closely with psychologists to accurately portray the lasting impact of trauma on her character.

Alice, a former police officer turned FBI agent, is introduced as a survivor of domestic abuse whose past continues to shape her present. After escaping an abusive relationship with fellow officer Marshall, she left both her career and personal life behind, only to carry the psychological scars into her new role.

Throughout the series, Alice struggles with self-destructive behaviors, including isolation, alcohol use, and placing herself in dangerous situations as a way of coping with unresolved trauma. Episode 4, titled “Flash Flood,” brings those struggles into the open when injuries from one of these encounters expose the secret she’s been hiding.

Rossum admitted that one particular scene—where Alice invites a stranger into her home and deliberately creates a situation that turns violent—was initially difficult to understand. Rather than relying solely on the script, the actress spent several weeks consulting psychologists to better grasp the complex ways trauma can affect survivors.

“I thought the complexity of the character was really interesting,” Rossum explained, adding that understanding the psychological effects of long-term violence was essential to portraying Alice truthfully.

She also explored how years in law enforcement contributed to Alice’s emotional detachment. According to Rossum, police officers often learn to suppress vulnerability in order to do their jobs, making Alice’s emotional disconnect the result of both her profession and the abuse she endured.

By combining research with expert guidance, Rossum aimed to present a nuanced portrayal of trauma—one that reflects how survivors can develop coping mechanisms that may seem contradictory but are rooted in years of psychological pain.