Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s ‘Black Rabbit’ juggles an intricate balance between New York’s social nightlife and its messy criminal underbelly, ruled by dangerous bookies. The Friedken brothers, Jake and Vince, remain trapped in the middle of two very different lives revolving around these realms. While the older brother’s huge financial debt forces the duo to deal with Joe Mancuso and his thugs, the younger brother’s volatile control over the titular restaurant adds fuel to an already high-stakes fire. Anna’s character is introduced as a part of the storyline circling the Black Rabbit restaurant. However, shortly after the bartender’s tense and complicated firing from the establishment, she ends up exposed to her former boss’ more dangerous affairs. As such, the character’s more sensitive storyline unravels the darker side of the Friedken brothers’ legacy, exposing the self-serving cycles of an abusive culture that feeds off of the mistreatment of its victims. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Anna’s Time Under Jake’s Employment Leads to Her Unfortunate Demise
Shortly after Anna’s introduction to the story as one of the bartenders at the Black Rabbit restaurant, the character promptly gets fired from the establishment. After stumbling out of the bar’s bathroom, hungover and more than a little dazed, she begins skipping shifts. This proves to be a particular problem when Jake realizes that she’s planning on ditching on one of the most important nights in the restaurant’s history: a critic’s visit. For the same reason, he ends up firing her, throwing away years of partnership with no room for explanations or conversation. In the aftermath, Anna takes her anger out on the management through some intense social media posts. This out-of-character behavior compels Roxie, the Head Chef, to reach out to the former bartender to investigate the real reason behind her unpredictable behavior.
As such, the truth emerges about Anna’s harrowing experience at the Black Rabbit on her last night at the establishment. In the late hours after closing, when the staff was hanging out together, Jules, a frequent face at the restaurant, hounded the bartender to have a drink with him. Although she was reluctant, she eventually relented, taking one single shot with the man. The next thing she knows, she’s waking up inside the restaurant’s bathroom, naked and with the worst hangover of her life. Worse yet, once the horrifying realization sinks in about what had happened to her, she’s forced to reckon with the fact that she’s helpless to seek out justice for herself. Anna knows Jules’ money and reputation as an artist will protect him from the worst of any legal trouble she can bring to his door.
Furthermore, she’s aware of how taxing and dehumanizing the process of going against the man can be for her. Therefore, Anna has no expectations for karmic commuppence and simply wants to move on with her life. Nonetheless, as the restaurant’s affairs spiral further and further out of control, her name inevitably floats into the limelight. On the other hand, Jake’s complication with Joe Mancuso and his son, Junior, also puts the former bartender in the middle of a conflict she had nothing to do with. In the end, it’s this same chaos of a powerful abuser and a reckless former employer that leads to Anna’s tragic death. Thus, her character remains instrumental in a darker aspect of the show, which exposes the apathetic and self-preservative underbelly of Jake’s social and economic climb.
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Abbey Lee Brings Anna’s Character to Life in Black Rabbit
In ‘Black Rabbit,’ Anna’s character presents a unique combination of thick skin and open vulnerability. Model-turned-actress Abbey Lee perfectly brings this nuance of juxtaposed characteristics to the character in ‘Black Rabbit.’ Lee began her modeling career at the young age of 15, when she was scouted at a beach by Chic Management’s Kathy Ward. Over the next few years of her career, she became a supermodel, walking runways at Fashion Week for New York and Milan, and she was one of several big-name designers in the industry. Eventually, she transitioned from a modeling career to an acting one. Her debut acting job as The Dag in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ became a breakout role for her, launching her to further stardom.
Although Lee’s involvement in acting came without much preamble, she soon started falling in love with the craft, taking classes, meeting other thespians, and engaging with the community. The Australian actress went on to do several other films, including ‘Gods of Egypt,’ ‘Lux Æterna,’ ‘Lovecraft Country,’ and more. She was also featured in the TV show, ‘Florida Man,’ where she plays the role of Delly West, and she embodied the character of Carol Howe in ‘Waco: The Aftermath.’ When the role of Anna in ‘Black Rabbit’ entered Lee’s orbit, she instantly felt a connection to the project.
The actress spoke about it in a conversation with Vogue Australia. Lee said, “I obviously wanted to impress Jason Bateman (executive producer, star, and director of the series) because he’s fucking brilliant and your tape’s gonna go to him. And then this funny thing happened: I got the role, and I instantly just knew what (the character) Anna needed, and I knew that it was going to take only a little work. I bathed in all my vulnerability, letting it all pour out.” Thus, by forming connections with Anna’s experiences and tapping into her own vulnerabilities, Lee brings out the best in the character, allowing her to wear her heart on her sleeve.
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