It’s hard to stand out on a show like Fargo, where the cast is huge and the plot is thick. But Rachel Keller has managed to catch everybody’s eye. Keller plays Simone Gerhardt, Fargo’s dreamy, complicated femme fatale. Simone’s ill-advised relationship with Kansas City thug Mike Milligan continues to develop, so watch tonight’s episode of Fargo at 10 p.m.

We chatted with Keller about her native land (Minnesota), the ‘70s (pro), and Joaquin Phoenix (very pro.)

GQ: Where are you from?

Rachel Keller: I grew up in Minnesota, actually!

You don’t really have an accent. Is there a spectrum for Minnesota accents?

There’s definitely a spectrum. I think that going to drama school bangs it out of you. I can turn it on and off now, but I used to be able to not turn it off. But I remember thinking, when I got the audition, I’ve got the accent in my back pocket.

What is the other end of the spectrum?

I think the further you get away from the city center, you hear lotsa oh-you-betchyas. Yah know?

What’s your favorite Minnesota-ism?

I think my favorite -ism is how I say “mom,” because I grew up saying “mahm.” That’s how I grew up, I was just like maaaaahm. And dayyyyud. I don’t say “mom” a lot on the show.

Mahm.

Mahhhm.

What does Fargo get right about Minnesota in the show's portrayal of Luverne?

The downtown feel. I know streets like that now. I mean, of course it’s in 1979, so it looks different, but I know little streets like that. Where Bud’s Meats is, and the hair salon. You kind of do all your shopping in one day, and everything is around there. We still do that in Minnesota. That small-town, friendly feel—there are really great, nice, kind people in Minnesota.

Rachel Keller as Simone, with Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan Chris Large/FX

And murderous crime families.

Syndicates, if you can find them.

What did you do to make the winters survivable?

Lots of snow suits—you get so cold. If your skin is in the air for more than five minutes you’re gonna get frostbite. I walked to school everyday so I was battling it, truly. My sister and her friends would never walk with me so I’d walk behind them and think of warm things. I thought of deserts and hot chocolate. On the show, Simone is far too cool to ever button her jacket or zip her coat, so I remember everyone was kind of bundled up in their character’s gear and mine was open to the world. I was freezing. I was like come on guys, I’m freezing.

Were you the quiet reading teenager or the Simone Gerhardt kind of teenager?

I was the “no one understands me” teenager. But I think truly I’ve realized now that I didn’t understand a thing myself. So I just had some livin’ to do.

Do you think Simone is a bad guy or a good guy?

That’s a good question. What do you think?

I oscillate. She’s so young, but also so cruel.

When I watched the last episode, I felt like—because they are pretty genius about how they’ve been editing the show—they made her look so young. And I think with her and Charlie there’s an element of ‘They’re just children.’ They’ve seen too much too soon. I don’t think she’s making her decisions from a place of malice. But she’s been abused by her family, so that’s definitely part of it for her.

Have you been watching Fargo on Monday nights with the rest of us?

I have. I live with my grandmother, so when she’s in town—she’s a sailor, so she’s sailing in Tahiti for the entire month—when she’s in town we watch it together. Otherwise I rally my friends and enjoy it every Monday night.