Jeremy Renner's Mayor of Kingstown season 3 ended this month, leaving many fans and viewers surprised about Iris' (played by Emma Laird) fate in the series. Being one of the key allies of Renner's Mike McLusky and leading character since the first season, many might not have expected Iris to die.
After finding out that Milo Sunter (played by Aidan Gillen) faked his death, and revealed to Konstantin that Iris was spying on him, Mike, Milo, and the mobster confront each other on a yacht.
Following their fiery face-off, Iris shows up and kills the Russian mobster. She even tried to knock down Milo, but fate was on his side, as Iris had no bullets left in her gun. Milo then tries to convince Iris to leave Kingtown and Mike, but she doesn't wish to.
However, Mike also felt the need to let Iris go for good after she had faced relentless threats and risked her life multiple times. Mike told Ian (played by Hugh Dillo) to drop Iris safely at the bus station as she was leaving town.
Little did anyone know that Iris would take her life on the bus by consuming the same pills that affected Mike's mother. Iris' story arc concluded in Mayor of Kingstown season 3, episode 9 titled Comeuppance when found dead by the bus driver in the end.
Emma Laird and Hugh Dillon created a fictional backstory for Iris in Mayor of Kingstown
Many talented actors are known for their impressive improvisational skills, which make a film or series more engaging. However, while filming the Paramount+ crime drama, cast members, Emma Laird and Hugh Dillon created a whole new fictional backstory for Iris, to help them shoot intense dramatic scenes.
Iris' backstory wasn't scripted for Mayor of Kingstown, but to enhance the scene's realism, and highlight Iris's criminal record, the actors ended up with a story. They assumed that Iris had previously killed her parents, and had a dark past. Per Forbes, Laird and Dillon shed light on the backstory, the actress said:
"The idea was she killed some people in her family—she killed her parents—that’s what me and Hugh came up with."
They wanted to create a backstory that would force Mike to think about her past. Emma Laird added:
"It’s got to be something where Iris believes that if Mike knew this thing about her, he would look at her differently or he would think that she is really f—ked up. And I think [the fake background story we created] was the perfect thing to come up with."
Even though Emma Laird and Hugh Dillon made up the backstory, which was not officially scripted for Mayor of Kingstown, it helped them develop character depth and authenticity.
Iris was one of the titular characters in the hit crime drama, and her departure will likely impact the storylines of the series. Mike was the closest to Iris, whom she trusted blindly, and her death will severely affect him.
Jeremy Renner's Mayor of Kingstown always challenges unpredictability
While Mayor of Kingstown is known for an interesting take on the crime genre, it's also popular for giving viewers a complete roller coaster ride. You never know who might die next in the series, like how Iris' death was unexpected.
However, taking her life was Iris' way of finding peace, as leaving the town would have taken her nowhere. The town is surrounded by chaos and people who constantly suffer.
While talking to Variety, the co-creator of Mayor of Kingstown, Hugh Dillon, reflected on Iris' death and said:
"You should say goodbye. Taylor taught me this, and this is how we operate. This is about life. The opium epidemic. I grew up in a prison town, and no one is safe and nothing is sacred..."
Dillon explained that such incidents significantly add depth and authenticity to the story, as the show would have become less impactful without them. He also hinted at Mayor of Kingstown season 4, which might continue the story of Mike and the town after Iris's departure.
You can watch Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+
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