Actor Jurnee Smollett breaks down the explosive Smoke twist and her fire-fueled scene with Taron Egerton

Apple TV's Smoke thrives on tension, secrets, and sudden revelations. But nothing prepared fans for the shocking finale twist or the fiery showdown that capped the series.

Jurnee Smollett, who plays detective Michelle Calderon, recently sat down with Variety and Collider to unpack the explosive moment that changes everything, along with her harrowing fire-filled sequence alongside co-star Taron Egerton.

Both moments reveal the rawness of Smoke. Let's dive into it.

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Jurnee Smollett on the shocking Smoke twist that changed everything

When Michelle's past and present collide in Smoke, the show pivots into its most dangerous territory. Smollett revealed to Variety that Michelle's choice during the altercation with Steven Burke (Rafe Spall) was pure instinct. She said;

"She goes into survival mode...I think that's just what she's been doing. She's been operating in a part of her brain that is just about survival."

The brutal moment leaves Michelle standing over Burke as he suffocates. Smollett explained that, in Michelle's mind, she didn't exactly see it as murder.

She said;

"In her mind, I don't think she thinks she's killed him. She allowed this to transpire. I think she chose herself over him..."

That choice then sets off a chain reaction that ends with Michelle torching the house to cover her involvement.

But Smoke doesn't stop there. In her conversation with Collider, Smollett described how the final scene leaves Michelle and Dave locked in a dangerous mirror. She explained;

"They're both sitting across from each other having committed crimes, and they both know that they're the only ones who know for sure that they have committed these crimes..."

Dave knows she killed Burke, Michelle knows Dave set the fires, and neither can fully expose the other. It's haunting while each wait for the other to slip.

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Inside the fire-fueled Smoke sequence with Taron Egerton

The forest fire sequence in Smoke is one of the show's most unforgettable spectacles, but Smollett stressed to Variety just how real it felt on set. She revealed;

"The majority of the fire is real. Yes, there is some CGI where they fill in the blanks and stuff, but they built a forest in a sound stage and had piping throughout. We were surrounded by fire..."

Filmed across an entire week, the sequence wasn't just about special effects because it demanded physical stamina. "It was terrifying in the best way," Smollett admitted.

"As an actor, it just makes your job so much easier to have the special effects be practical. You feel the heat, you're sweating, your adrenaline is rushing."

She added that every take had multiple elements to juggle:

"The car has to crash. I'm literally shooting bullets at it and emptying three magazines each take."

The tension wasn't just visual. With Michelle trapped in a deadly ride orchestrated by Egerton's Dave, the scene symbolized the larger war between them with heat, danger, and a fight for survival.

Both characters, as Smollett pointed out, live under secrets, and this ride through fire only cemented how far each one of them is willing to go to hold power over the other.

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Smoke ends not with clean resolution, but with characters who have been consumed by their own flames.

Smollett's breakdown of the shocking twist and the showdown with Egerton highlights the show's obsession with masks, survival, and control. Whether or not a second season arrives, the finale makes sure that the show stays in the minds of fans long after the last spark dies down.

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