From show creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, and based on the New York Magazine article “The Haunting of a Dream House,” the Netflix original series The Watcher follows the Brannock family as they move into a dream home in an idyllic suburb in New Jersey. Having put everything on the line to be a part of this new neighborhood, Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora (Naomi Watts), along with their two kids, realize that they may bee in over their heads with their rather unusual new neighbors, and all of that is before the ominous letters start arriving, telling them that their every move is being tracked by “The Watcher.”

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Mia Farrow (who plays Pearl, a kooky neighbor whose brother Jasper can’t seem to stop letting himself into the Brannock’s new home) and Margo Martindale (who plays Mo, one half of a nosey neighbor duo with her husband Mitch) talked about the appeal of doing a Murphy project, how much fun they had with each other, developing the odd brother-sister relationship between Pearl and Jasper (Terry Kinney), what Martindale enjoyed about working with real-life neighbor Richard Kind, and how they felt about the story this was based on.

Collider: Even though the circumstances of this story are horrific, it was delightful to watch the two of you in these characters. They are just so crazy.

MIA FARROW: Thank you for saying that.

What attracted you to this project? Was it the story and the fact that it was inspired by this wild real-life experience? Was it your character? Was it your co-stars? Was it Ryan Murphy?

MARGO MARTINDALE: It was Ryan Murphy.

FARROW: Yeah, it was Ryan Murphy. Ryan Murphy is the chef. We knew we would be part of the stew, and that it wouldn’t be an ordinary or mundane stew. It was going to be in another realm. You know that when you’re doing a Ryan Murphy project, with the little that we knew – Margo also only got one episode – I knew that I would be wearing black, that it was going to be great, and that I was going to have a strange character. I’d never played anything like this, so I looked forward to playing something new and different. It was going to be in Ryan Murphy’s world that he had created, and it was going to be with these great actors. That’s as good as it gets.

MARTINDALE: It really is. I’d worked with Ryan on Impeachment, and he called me and said, “I have a really fun part for you. It’s a new show that you’re going to really like because it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and you’re going to get to be glamorous.” Somehow glamorous went out the window, but that’s okay. It was replaced by a tracksuit. But I loved working with Ryan Murphy.

FARROW: And we had so much fun together.

MARTINDALE: We had a blast together, and we had a blast with all the actors. We made some new friends.

FARROW: I got to do a lot of scenes with Margo, and we had so much fun. We laughed and laughed.

MARTINDALE: It was really fun.

Mia, you’re not someone who takes acting roles all that often. What does it take to convince you to do something? Is it the person whose vision it is, like Ryan Murphy? Is that what entices you to do something?

FARROW: Yes. I got sidetracked for a while there, but this reminded me how much I really love acting, being in there again. I had forgotten, frankly, how much fun it can be. So, yes, it would be the director, the writer, the fellow cast members, and all of those components.

MARTINDALE: And getting the honor and joy to work with Mia was a thrill. That’s the truth. I got to find out what a wonderful actress she is to work with. It was thrilling to see where she comes from with it. She comes from the same place that I do, and it was a real nice match.

Margo, you’ve done such terrific work in your career. You’ve played such memorable characters. Does a character immediately stand out for you, when you read something? Did you know immediately with this woman, that you could bring something really interesting to her?

MARTINDALE: No, I had one episode. Ryan sent me the first episode. I knew that there would be a mystery there, and that’s really what I look for. I look for something that’s not on the nose. I had no idea how much I would be in it, but I look for a mystery.

Mia, what did you most enjoy about exploring the relationship between Pearl and Jasper? I could just watch a show about the two of them and their fascinating dynamic. What was that like to get to explore?

FARROW: It was Terry Kinney. He’s just a wonderful actor, who founded Steppenwolf, the valuable theater company. He’s just a great guy and a great actor. All the scenes with him were fun. We’re a really strange pair, brother and sister, not young, living together, strangely, and with very strong opinions. They’re in their little world. It’s weird, but it was so fun to play.

Margo, I also tremendously enjoyed watching Mitch and Mo together. They also could have their own show. What did you enjoy about that dynamic and getting to play that with Richard Kind?

MARTINDALE: Richard and I are friends from the block. We live on the same street. I’ve known him for a long time, and it was wonderful to be with him. He is a wonderful actor. He’s a wildly funny man. He’s got lots of great stories. He’s a serious person. He’s a great father. I love him.

Did you guys know anything about the real-life component of this story, prior to doing this? What did you think about that aspect of this?

MARTINDALE: I had no idea, until we started shooting, that it was a true story. I think Ryan told me.

FARROW: I found out later in the gig

MARTINDALE: Of course, then I read about it. I think it’s fascinating. And they have never solved that mystery.

FARROW: I was really glad we didn’t shoot it in the actual house.

MARTINDALE: Me too.

FARROW: It’s a scary situation.

MARTINDALE: And I didn’t see pictures of the house. I’d like to see what it looks like. This house that we have is magnificent. It was beautiful.

FARROW: Yeah, it really was.

MARTINDALE: All of the hours were very pretty, in their own way.

FARROW: My character’s house was very beautiful.

MARTINDALE: Mine was a really nice little jewel. [Mia’s] had a magnificent view. And then, that big house was just grand.

FARROW: Our characters all kept their houses the way they inherited them. Maybe in Pearl Jasper’s case it was from their parents. The idea was not to change it because there was something sacred about the way it was. That’s how we looked at it, as the characters. We were almost obsessive about how meaningful each house was to us, and in keeping its integrity as we used it.

The Watcher is available to stream on Netflix.