J. Smith-Cameron‘s killer character on Elsbeth might look a little familiar — at least to viewers who are fans of former Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour.
“It was my idea,” Smith-Cameron exclusively told Us Weekly. “I was like, ‘What if I’m not trying to be Anna Wintour but this woman is trying to be like Anna Wintour?’ That’s her hero and she’s going to try to emulate her.”
Smith-Cameron broke down the vision for the character, adding, “She is hiding behind a mask. I thought that might be fun. I just went online and bought an inexpensive wig that was pageboy bob–style, and it looked OK in my head. So I used that. And I didn’t try to be English exactly. I wanted to sound like someone who’s trying to sound a bit English.”
Before using Wintour as inspiration, Smith-Cameron had a real-life run-in with the fashion icon.
“I met Anna Wintour once as I went to a fashion show, and she ended up being seated right next to me. She had her sunglasses on, and her reputation precedes her,” she recalled. “But she was very personable. She was lovely. This isn’t my impression of her. It is just someone who’s obsessed with her, which I could relate to. Everyone I know is somewhat fascinated by Anna Wintour because she’s a very, very fascinating person.”
Elsbeth, which premiered in 2024, follows Carrie Preston‘s Elsbeth Tascioni, who becomes a de facto detective aiding the NYPD in their investigations. The titular character’s unconventional methods lead her to make unique observations that help solve crimes.
In addition to Preston, the show stars Wendell Pierce and has allowed for cameo appearances from Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, Pamela Adlon, Vanessa Williams, Matthew Broderick, Michael Emerson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Retta, Blair Underwood, Linda Lavin and more.
In the Thursday, April 3, episode of the hit CBS series, Smith-Cameron is introduced as a case follows a powerful patriarch who “is stabbed with a sword at New York’s most exclusive debutante ball,” according to the synopsis. The description teases how Elsbeth “must engage in hand-in-glove combat with the imperious ball director (Smith-Cameron).”
“This is the kind of show where you do get some backstory. It’s a funny show because it’s a murder mystery show in a way. But it’s a fun and lighthearted take on it,” she continued. “I just had fun with that. The characters on Elsbeth are going through very extreme times. You can relate to them and the way it’s written and handled.”
Elsbeth airs on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
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