How Uzo Aduba solved the mystery of her ‘The Residence’ role in the finale

Uzo Aduba truly came to understand her character, the sharp and savvy investigator Cordelia Cupp, during the final episode of the debut season of Netflix's The Residence.

“She has this energy,” Aduba told Gold Derby at the Hollywood Legion Theater before the show’s FYC panel. “She walks us through the whole case and how she solved it, and I just remember it changed the way I saw her.”

That pivotal moment — when Cordelia, tasked with solving a murder within the White House, barrels down the Grand Cross hallway passionately rambling about a spotted owl — reframed Aduba’s entire understanding of the character she’d been embodying. “I always thought she was this very singular, serious person who's not emotional about anything,” she said. “And the truth of it is, the thing that gets her excited is her job; that's what she lives for."

From the interrogation to the summation, much like her character, Aduba herself loved every moment of the process.

While Aduba found her character’s heart in the White House, showrunner and writer Paul William Davies had his own revelation in a far less expected place: C-SPAN. “I was watching a Senate hearing late one night,” Davies told Gold Derby, “and one of the White House chief ushers was testifying. They put up a blueprint of the third floor of the White House, and I saw it — game room, music room — it hit me. Clue board.”

That moment of inspiration transformed Kate Andersen Brower’s nonfiction book The Residence into a whodunnit with an ideal blend of comedy and mystery.

But even Davies couldn’t resist changing course once production began. “There were certainly characters I wrote more for after I saw them,” he confessed. “Secret Service Agent Trask [Dan Perrault], for example. I originally saw him as comic relief. But then I thought, what if people suspect him? So I gave him more to do.”

Another surprise addition was Al Franken. “I wrote a lot more for him after seeing what he brought to the part,” Davies said on the carpet.

Davies also touched on fan theories. “People are obsessed with the calligrapher,” he laughed. “There were so many theories that the calligraphy was going to somehow solve the murder.” While that didn’t quite pan out, Davies admitted he almost went there. Even Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Jasmine Haney, admits fans still think she was behind the murder of her boss, A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito).

Inside the theater, Aduba and Davies were joined by Esposito, Watson, Randall Park (Edwin Park), Ken Marino (Harry Hollinger), Mark Mothersbaugh (composer), François Audouy (production designer), and Lyn Paolo (costume designer). The evening's tone was playful from the start, with cast members diving into personal anecdotes, including their shared love of karaoke. Park, who embraced his signature dry humor as Edwin Park, admitted he’s not usually one to grab a mic but bonded with Aduba and Watson over nostalgic TV theme songs. Without warning, the trio broke into the Growing Pains theme to fast applause from the crowd.

The Residence's unique sound was crafted by Mothersbaugh, the Devo co-founder. In true eccentric fashion, he revealed that he built a one-of-a-kind musical carousel outfitted with 65 bird calls — an homage to Cordelia Cupp’s obsession with ornithology. While the contraption didn’t make it into the final score because it was “a little too much,” he laughed, it perfectly embodied the show’s playful tone.

Instead, Mothersbaugh and Davies leaned into a jazz-inflected score that slides effortlessly between tension and whimsy, performed by musicians skilled in both classical reading and spontaneous improvisation. “Wait and see for Season 2,” he teased.

Costume designer Paolo pieced together a colorful puzzle for The Residence, working in tandem with Audouy’s richly hued White House sets. With rooms awash in shades of blue and yellow, Paolo had to carefully coordinate costumes to avoid visual clashes. This wasn’t her first presidential rodeo — she also suited up Scandal and The West Wing — but The Residence gave her a fresh new space to play in: the private world of the First Family’s upstairs residence.

As for Audouy, his reimagining of the executive mansion became a character in its own right. Rebuilding 75 percent of the White House across eight sound stages, he filled each room with story-driven details: custom chandeliers, replica paintings, and over 200 bespoke state dinner place settings. His team of “clue masters” laced each room with subtle visual breadcrumbs for eagle-eyed viewers, blending luxury with intrigue in every frame.

Sometimes, it seems, making a murder mystery can be just as fun as solving one.