*Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is not interested in making FBI Agent Billie Rand softer, easier to understand or more traditionally sympathetic in Apple TV’s gripping new limited series, “Lucky.“
The seven-episode thriller follows career con artist Lucky Armstrong, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, after a multimillion-dollar heist goes sideways.
With the FBI, a criminal syndicate and several ghosts from her past closing in, Lucky is forced to confront whether survival is something she has mastered—or simply another trap inherited from her family.
Ellis-Taylor’s Billie Rand is the federal agent determined to bring her in. But in an interview with EUR, the acclaimed actor explained that she approached Rand less as a law enforcement archetype and more as a woman who understands exactly how complicated survival can become.
That understanding, however, should not be confused with compassion.
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When asked whether Billie recognizes how Lucky’s family history and trauma shaped her choices, Ellis-Taylor said Rand may see those vulnerabilities, but “as opposed to her having any sort of empathy or sympathy, I think she weaponizes it.”
That distinction gives Billie a colder—and arguably more interesting—edge. She can understand Lucky without forgiving her. She can recognize the damage that created her without deciding it excuses the damage she causes.
For Ellis-Taylor, Billie’s relentless pursuit is grounded in a deeply personal interpretation of justice. The actor explained that portraying a Black woman working inside a law enforcement institution requires her to confront the contradictions built into that role.
“I bring to that a certain skepticism, distrust, because I’m a Black woman in America,” Ellis-Taylor said. “I am a Black woman working in law enforcement—an institution, an organization, an entity that has not done well by Black people.”
That tension helped her determine why Billie would remain inside the system.
“For me, it’s all about justice,” she continued. “I know that this organization has not just done things that were illegal, but they did things that were unjust, and I don’t have patience for that.”
Still, Billie’s expansive definition of justice does not extend to becoming Lucky’s therapist—or her mother.
Ellis-Taylor said there may have been room for Billie to acknowledge Lucky’s upbringing, but ultimately, “That’s not my business. That’s not my concern. I’m not her mother. I’m here to bring her to justice.”
At the center of Lucky is a battle between two women whose goals are brutally clear.
“For Billie Rand, she wants to catch her. For Lucky, she wants to not get caught,” Ellis-Taylor said. “At the end of the day, and at the beginning of the next day, that is what is most important.”
Lucky, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant and Drew Starkey, premieres globally Wednesday, July 15, 2026, with its first two episodes on Apple TV. New episodes stream every Wednesday through August 19.
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Follow her socials @StilettoJill or visit JillMunroe.com. Catch her live M-Thu on KBLA Talk 1580 from 6PM to 7PM.
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