Meghann Fahy Takes Off: From ‘The White Lotus’ to ‘The Perfect Couple’
The role taught Fahy how to memorize reams of dialogue and landed her one-off performances on shows like Law and Order: SVU. But mainstream success remained elusive until 2016, when she was cast in the Freeform comedy-drama Bold font. A beloved and heartfelt relic of the female boss era, the show was never a huge hit, but it has a loyal fan base largely due to Fahy’s work. Her credits tend to be dark and brooding. Bold font, As Fahy puts it, “it’s basically just making people happy. A show that has bright colors and pure female friendships is great and rare.” Even rarer is the bond she forms with co-stars Katie Stevens and Aisha Dee. “I talked to both of them yesterday,” Fahy says. “They are absolutely sisters to me, 100 percent.”
Shirt of Gucci; bralette of Arax; necklace of Cartier.PHOTOS BY DAN MARTENSEN; STYLING BY ELISSA SANTISI.
ONEs Sutton on Bold font, Fahy has proven she has impeccable timing, refreshingly silly energy, and the ability to convey hidden layers. She’s demonstrated all three in the captivating second season of White Lotus, plays the seemingly superficial Daphne Sullivan who loves cocktails and mind games. Creator Mike White almost cast Fahy for the role that Alexandra Daddario played in the show’s first season, and then realized she would be the perfect match for Aubrey Plaza’s judgmental and anxious Harper. “You think she’s just a show-off wife, but she brings a depth that makes it all the more interesting,” he said from Thailand, where he’s in production on season three. “She’s so likeable that you’re like, ‘Yeah, I agree. Why watch the news? Why vote? I support her!'”
Fahy’s next big role was in another murder mystery, starring Nicole Kidman and based on a beach-based bestseller: Elin Hilderbrand’s Perfect couple. The book introduces Fahy’s character, Merritt Monaco, as a “dangerous-looking brunette,” a description that makes the actor laugh: “That’s funny. What does that even mean?” In the series, Merritt is a little more complex. “She’s super funny and she dresses well, and she has a huge following on the internet,” Fahy says. “But throughout the season, you see how sad and lonely she really is.”
