Karin Slaughter’s novel The Good Daughter has been adapted into a TV series by the author herself. Starring Meghann Fahy and Rose Byrne as sisters Charlie and Sam, the series tells the story of two women who have gone through immense trauma navigating through a similar situation. Their mother Gamma (Olivia Williams), father Rusty (Brendan Gleeson) and family friend Lenore (Harper Steele) all play important roles in shaping the women they become and helping them find the strength to move forward.

We spoke with Olivia Williams and Harper Steele about their characters in The Good Daughter, the importance of female relationships and resilience, and what it was like to work on a project that puts women at the center of the story, both on screen and behind the scenes.

Harriet is clearly the reason her daughters have developed such resilience. How did you build this woman who has given her daughters the strength to survive so much?

Olivia Williams: I love how Gamma talked to her children as if they were adults. She didn’t talk down to them and that the principles of [what] you need in life were present. So there’s a scene in the thrift store, Sammy is being mean about her dad and complaining, [Gamma] turns around and says, “He may be an idiot and he may be annoying to you, but he’s sticking to a principle that we need in society.” And I think America has really seen what happens when the rule of law breaks down. And she’s gives a serious lecture on how you need people like Rusty to hold society together.

Yes, absolutely… A female character encouraging her daughters instead of shutting them down, or talking them down, that was great to see.

And Harper, your character is technically an outsider to the family, but she seems to occupy a rather important place in their lives, especially after their mother’s passing. How did you approach that character?

Harper Steele: Yeah, it’s a very motherly character. Being friends with Rusty and Rusty’s wife from the beginning inserts her into that unit, and then when she sees that tragedy. Then there really is a space that opens up where she almost feels compelled. Because she knows that Rusty is incapable of handling the emotional work of that relationship, so clearly she helps. She steps in to raise those children. I think she’s a very maternal person by nature, and I think she fills the role perfectly.

And how did you both feel about getting into this project? It’s for women by women, about women. So how was that experience for you?

Olivia Williams: A very refreshing [experience] I have to say. It is extraordinary that we still have to remark upon the fact that there is a woman director and a woman director of photography. It shouldn’t be like that, but we take every crumb of progress as a good sign because there have been so many loaves of bread of retrograde behavior recently in the world and and in America. It was just wonderful.

This was really difficult material. This was about sexual assault. This was about sisters. This was about trauma and it needed to be a safe space to perform those scenes with those young people, Audrey and Drew, the young actresses, that had to be handled sensitively and not turn into a form of abuse in the filming of it.

Yeah, and Harper for you?

Harper Steele: Yeah, as Olivia says, there was a female director, female writer, female AD, female DP, female heads of most of the departments. I’ve worked 35 years in this business, and I’ve never seen that. It exists and people have done it obviously, but it was such a different experience for me that I just want more of it. I would love to see more of it.

Olivia Williams: Yeah. Amazingly, it didn’t descend into squabbling and talking about our nails. We got through whole days without referring to our husbands or boyfriends.

Oh, that sounds amazing. I wish I could experience something like that. I am so happy for you, too.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

The Good Daughter is now streaming on Peacock, and HBO Max internationally.