Ria Zmitrowicz plays Roxy Monk in Prime Video’s The Power.
Throughout the series, Roxy tries to get revenge for her mother’s murder while coming to terms with the electrical powers.
TV Fanatic got the chance to speak to Ria about Roxy’s arc and some big moments on The Power Season 1 Episode 7.
What attracted you to The Power?
I read the book while auditioning and thought it was incredible. I was a massive fan of Reed Morano, who worked on The Handmaid’s Tale.
So that was something that attracted me to it, but I think mainly the characters, especially Roxy, are so complicated and complex and not afraid to do some questionable things.
What did you know about how Roxy’s arc would develop as the season played out?
They said the show would be quite loyal to the book, and we’ve done about a third of the book, so I followed that. But luckily, they fleshed out quite a lot more, and there’s some new material.
I knew a bit about what was happening, but it wasn’t until I got the part and got the scripts that I knew where it would go.
It also changed a bit when we were shooting because of locations and the pandemic.
Roxy has been struggling this season because of her mother’s death and the lack of resolution, and when she went out to get revenge, her brother was killed in the crossfire. Do you think she regrets her actions, or do you think she believes she could have gone about it a different way?
That is a very good question. I think she’s obviously got a lot of regret because there’s the scene where she’s crying at Terry’s grave.
She is heartbroken because she knows she caused that. She’s caused all of this pain in the family with the Monks. But also she’s got a lot of bravado, and is a natural survivor, so she’s convincing herself that it wasn’t her fault and that she would do it again if she had the chance.
Ahead of Terry’s death, Roxy was told she was Bernie’s favorite child. Do you think she believed any of that?
No. The way she’s been treated by Bernie all these years, she’s been kept very much away from family and been sidelined, and there’s that awful line at the wedding when he says about his new daughter-in-law, “I finally have a daughter to call my own.”
That sums up their relationship. He’s never really acknowledged her properly. I do think he recognizes himself in Roxy and sees a lot of himself because they had quite similar upbringings.
He’s not from loads of money, but he’s made loads of money. He’s probably more similar to her than any of his sons. In that respect, he sees much of himself in her, but I don’t think she believes she’s the favorite.
Episode 7 also finds Roxy more immersed in the family business than ever. She has a great deal of respect for her father, even if Bernie doesn’t always reciprocate it. Could you speak briefly about Roxy’s mindset as she confronts David at the pool?
She sees an opportunity, and she goes for it. I love that about her. She doesn’t overthink things and has some more confidence since her dad is floating the idea of her joining the family business.
That’s everything she’s ever wanted. She’s gassed that he’s introducing her into the business, so she’s going to prove herself.
It’s hard to imagine Barbara forgiving Roxy for Terry’s death because they didn’t get along with each other in the first place, but I was surprised to see Roxy hand over the money she earned from showing girls how to use their power.
Do you think Roxy gave the money to Barbara because she wanted to show her that she could be an asset to the family, or do you think it’s remorse?
Probably an asset to the family because Roxy grew up in a world where money equals power. She quickly learns a way to capitalize on her EOD. She learns very quickly and starts making money from it, which I think is very entrepreneurial.
There’s probably a bit of showing off to Barbara about that as well because in the scene with the girls when she’s training them, that’s the first time Roxy’s felt power.
She’s a bit of a misfit and doesn’t have many friends. She’s a bit of a loner. That’s a real moment for her when she’s getting a lot of respect from all the girls. That means a lot to her. And then, if Barbara sees she’s earned this money, she’s probably showing off a bit to her.
The show juggles many storylines, taking place across the world. Was there any character you wanted Roxy to cross paths with?
Oh my God. Yeah, all of them. It’s such a special cast. Unfortunately, in the first series, we’re all quite separated, but I know in the book, there’s this amazing scene where Tatiana throws a party, and it gets the characters together.
I would love to do that scene if we did get future series. And I really want to see Roxy in a room with Tatiana and Margot and see what goes down because they’re all such powerful women.
It’ll be a bit of a battle of the alpha females, which I’m looking forward to.
Is there anything you can tease about the final two episodes?
There is finally a crossover between a couple of characters, which I’m excited about. Roxy meets someone, and I’m buzzing for people to see them in the same room. I think that that will be exciting!
New episodes of The Power air Fridays on Prime Video.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.