Preacher may have a central character in Jesse Custer but his companions play crucial roles as well. Cast as Tulip O'Hare, Ruth Negga dished on the upcoming AMC series, saying there's more to her character's relationship with the preacher than meets the eye.
Tulip is introduced in Preacher as Custer's ex-girlfriend, immediately setting her up as a love interest. However, Negga pointed out Tulip's relationship with the preacher is not as straightforward as a girl simply trying to get her boy back.
"I think it's a power balance, really, in the relationship ... It's a lot more complicated. He's her life ... He's her stability. He's her anchor," said the actress.
Coming into the series, Negga had known about the Preacher comic books and thought of Garth Ennis as a clever writer, saying he was intuitive about human relationships. This allowed the story to go big in terms of relationships while at the same time retaining the intimate details of each connection.
"You don't have to be a fan of the comics to get absorbed into this world," she added.
Preacher follows the story of Jesse Custer, a West Texas preacher possessed by a supernatural half-angel, half-demon creature called Genesis. When his church and congregation were destroyed, Custer went on a literal search for God, who apparently went missing when Genesis appeared. The more he traveled around the country, the more he learned about the powers that his possession imbued him.
Preacher is set to premiere May 22. Negga will be joined in the 10-episode first season by Dominic Cooper as Custer, Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy and Ian Colletti as Arseface.
Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and written by Sam Catlin, the show's pilot episode was screened at SXSW, followed by a panel featuring the stars and creators of Preacher. The AMC series' presence at the event was also marked by an attention-grabbing installation of an upside-down church.
