Igby Rigney, Hayes Warner Break Down Bret and Debbie's Unraveling on THE SHARDS
The two actors revisit their first day on set and how their onscreen bond took shape.
Igby Rigney and Hayes Warner sat down with host Evan Ross Katz for THE SHARDS Official Podcast to unpack the fraying relationship between their characters, Bret and Debbie, and to reflect on shooting the FX drama. The conversation, part of the show's official podcast series, centered on how the couple's early romance curdles as Bret becomes consumed by his fascination with another character, Robert.
Warner, who noted this project marks her acting debut, described actively pursuing the role after learning Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis were adapting the novel. "I reached out to my music agent and I just was like, is there any way you can get me an audition for Debbie Shaffer," she said, adding that the process stretched into "a six-month whirlwind of callbacks." Rigney, taking on his first lead role as the top-billed cast member, said he hoped to "show up and set a good tone" for the ensemble, a sentiment Warner echoed by recalling him quietly leaving her a Diet Coke on set.
Both actors credited Murphy with shaping their approach to the characters, with Rigney saying the show "really lives in his head" and that Murphy's notes "immediately inform everything that is coming next." Warner added that Murphy created space for the cast to improvise and explore, saying it made the set "feel like a family." The two also discussed how costuming, including a pink jumpsuit and a blue dress inspired by Debbie Harry, helped define Debbie's arc across the season.
THE SHARDS, executive produced by Ryan Murphy and adapted from Bret Easton Ellis's novel, follows a group of privileged high school seniors at a 1980s Los Angeles prep school as they contend with identity, jealousy and obsession beneath a darker undercurrent. The ensemble has previously discussed its off-screen chemistry, which both Rigney and Warner touched on again in describing how quickly the cast bonded during production.
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