Actor Fiona Rene Dishes On Their Character's Fate In IKWYDLS - Exclusive

Here's one thing that we didn't bank on for fall 2021 — getting hooked on a summer-based thriller drama set on the warm island of Hawaii. But alas, here we are, sitting in our fluffy socks and holding a cup of tea, absolutely obsessed with the killer series, "I Know What You Did Last Summer," currently streaming as an Amazon original show, per Variety. If you haven't sunk your teeth into the show yet, you're missing out. Not only do a group of newly minted college kids have to face the life-altering mistakes that they made the year prior, but a killer is on the loose, hell bent on revealing their secrets to the world. Of course, all of this just happens to be taking place in a gorgeous location, the town under the watchful eye of Police Chief Lyla, brought to life by Fiona Rene.

Is there anything better than a badass female police chief taking charge in her town, tracking down a killer, and facing her own mistakes as she does so? We don't think so, and Rene sat down with The List to give us the inside scoop on the show, the inner workings of production, and of course, their character arc as Lyla. To say that Lyla has some skeletons in the closet is an understatement, but for an actor such as Rene, that gave them ample amounts of material to source from and work with. In their exclusive sit down with The List, Rene revealed that while there has yet to be a Season 2 announcement as of publication, they're eager to dive into the character of Lyla and really see where the police chief's story ends up. In the meantime, is Rene satisfied with their character's fate? You'll just have to keep reading to find out.

Viewers and fans of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" will probably witness Police Chief Lyla tracking down clues and sniffing out details during the high-intensity episodes. Of course, the same could be said for Fiona Rene, who used the same tactics to get to the bottom of their character's true purpose, personality, and fate. "The relationship with Lyla and her job, versus Lyla and her family versus, Lyla and her lover, I feel like the power dynamics really shift and she's a character that is constantly trying to stay in control," Rene shared with The List. "I think all people out there would resonate that the tighter you hold something, sometimes the less control you have over it." 

So does Lyla completely lose control of the environment around her during "I Know What You Did Last Summer?" Rene couldn't reveal all the spoilers we wish they could've, but the actor is very satisfied with their character's development throughout the first season of the show. "I think I'm just hungry for more, to be honest, I want to share with the audiences, some of her past, what got her to where she is today, more of her struggles at home," Rene shared. "You're going to see a lot of unveiling of more of her personal inside life as the series progresses. I think that there's just so much more to explore that I'm really hungry for a Season 2."

While Fiona Rene couldn't tell us "anything [about] who lives or dies" in Season 1 of "I Know What You Did Last Summer," we were able to pick their brain about what inspired their creative process when it came to bringing Police Chief Lyla alive on-screen. While talking about the struggles that many, if not all, professional women have endured at some point in time, Rene highlighted that her character of Lyla is just as complex, dedicated, and hard-working as the women Rene knows in real life. 

"Every professional woman that I know that is working, that has a family, that tries to have a love life, that's trying to better herself, that's trying to do well in her every day, is juggling so many things," Rene said. "And they're on the ends of the spectrum that, to be honest, I really tapped into my own personal life when I was loving on Lyla." Rene went on to share that they worked with the show's runner, Sarah Goodman, on developing Lyla's backstory and what could've brought her to such a powerful and influential position in the police force in such a short period of time. "I just really tapped into my own personal history," Rene shared. "And then that combined with the work that I did to study the island of Hawaii and the culture and the police departments and how it's different there."

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" will be rolling out weekly.The first four episodes premiered at once on Friday, October 15th, and the remaining four coming out week by week (with the finale episode Friday, November 12th).