Rian Johnson likens ‘Poker Face’ heroine to Sir Galahad: ‘She can’t stand injustice’

 — Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rian Johnson broke down the characterization of Charlie Cale, the main character in his crime comedy-drama series “Poker Face,” played by Natasha Lyonne.

In the series, Charlie has the innate ability to tell if someone is lying — or in her own words, call out bulls**t — and each episode attempts to solve crimes taking place in different American locations.

In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com, Rian shared what makes Charlie click, pointing out that she is not a cop or detective whose job is to investigate crimes. 

“What that means is, for the writers in our writer’s room, we’re forced to find a personal way in for each episode as to why she needs to solve it,” Rian explained.

One close answer audiences get is in the Season 1 finale, where Charlie’s sister Emily (Clea DuVall) says the character “chooses to do things.”

Rian teased that a “bigger” answer comes up in the pilot from Chalie’s best friend Natalie (Dascha Polanco).

“Natalie tells her that she’s like Sir Galahad. If she sees an injustice, she can’t leave it alone. And she can’t stand seeing the little guy get hurt,” the director said, and that’s what his team of writers build on.

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Another key aspect to “Poker Face,” apart from Charlie connecting with Americans from different walks of life, Rian said the writing team holds blue sky sessions and individuals will just shout out settings and environments they want to explore.

Aiding in that regard is the writers having diverse backgrounds who pitch things from their childhood. The director gave himself as an example, sharing to Philstar.com his fascination for minor league baseball.

“We’ll brainstorm those, we’ll brainstorm methods of murder, which is always fun, just kind of what are fun new ways to kill somebody that we haven’t done before,” Rian quipped.

The director reiterated that it all goes back to the relationship Charlie forms, which draws her to the crime, “What if she fell in love with the killer? What if she just hated the person that she was supposed to solve the thing for but she felt that justice anyway?”

The second season of “Poker Face” airs in the Philippines every Wednesday, 9:45 p.m., on Rock Entertainment.