Full panel for "Étoile" at TV Fest
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00:00To you, Luke Kirby, and to you, Gideon Glick, for giving us, honestly, that really hilarious interaction between these two characters, Tobias and Jack.
00:10It was our pleasure. Would you like us to do it again?
00:14Please, actually, would you mind reenacting it now?
00:17Gideon, was that how you reacted when Amy Sherman Palladino and Daniel Palladino told you that you were going to Paris?
00:24Was that just a documentary there?
00:26Yeah, I just walked right out. I said, leave me alone.
00:30No, I'm a writer on the show, so I was in the writer's room, and for about a month into the writer's room, every time they talked about Tobias, they would gesture at me.
00:43And I was going crazy. I thought there was something on my face or something.
00:46And then they finally brought me into their office, and they officially offered me the part, and it was amazing.
00:53Then Dan said, you should take care of us when we're older.
00:56He said, that's the deal.
00:57I mean, that's not a pretty bad deal to make.
01:01I'm going to do it.
01:03Thank you for confirming. They did actually ask me to check on that.
01:08What was the deal that they made with you, Luke?
01:10I don't know. I got a stipend.
01:15Yeah, and a drink ticket.
01:17Well, sure, because you did have to stay home primarily in New York, so.
01:21Well, does that? No.
01:22I actually got to go to Paris because my office was built there.
01:26So, I got both sides of the coin.
01:35Alas.
01:35A euro? Is it a euro?
01:36Yeah, I got both sides of the.
01:38One side was a coin, the other side was a euro. Fair?
01:40Yeah.
01:41So, yes, no, I did both.
01:43Well.
01:44It's just sad.
01:46No, I mean, yeah, it wasn't Winnipeg, but, you know, you take your blows.
01:50Well, tell me what it was, or rather, when it was, because, of course, both of you all were a part of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
01:59Congratulations again on that Emmy there, Luke.
02:05At what point did Amy and Dan approach you about Atois and their idea for this series and who Jack would be?
02:15I think we were about two or three weeks out of wrapping Maisel.
02:20So, like, you know, putting it down.
02:25That's how it works.
02:28And I was sad, probably.
02:33And, you know, and they invited me out to dinner and I thought they just felt sorry for me because I felt sorry for myself and I figure that's how it works.
02:40If you feel sorry enough for yourself, little secret, the world will come to you.
02:44That's not true.
02:46But they called me up and they invited me to dinner.
02:48We went out to a very nice, you know, these are classy people.
02:52They took me out to a nice meal.
02:53I said yes to that for sure.
02:56And they started to talk about the, you know, dance and our kind of, our curiosities about it and if it was, had any sort of curb appeal.
03:05And it sure does for me.
03:08And then they started to tell me a little bit about Jack and his story.
03:11And, you know, that all really resonated, the kind of the New Yorkness of him.
03:16And there was some intrigue in the, you know, the sort of, his sort of, you know, the class that he grew up in.
03:25And, you know, I just started to picture his childhood, like growing up in New York, being sort of exposed to what was a very hot time for art and ballet in the 80s and a sad time and, you know, all of that.
03:37And it just sort of blew up into this exciting endeavor.
03:42At what point did you all discuss whether or not Jack would dance?
03:45They asked him not to.
03:52I'm working on it.
03:55I want to dance.
03:59I want to dance.
04:00I'm going to say it.
04:02I want to dance.
04:04So, yes.
04:06Right now.
04:09Cue the music.
04:10That's just the taste.
04:16I don't dance much in the show, but I would.
04:21We didn't discuss it.
04:22But I think that from with your support, maybe we could, you know, make things happen.
04:28This is grassroots how it works.
04:30Again, we were rolling on that, correct?
04:33Oh, God.
04:35Well, Gideon, that's a little bit of a different situation with Tobias.
04:39Because as we see in this clip, Tobias is a choreographer extraordinaire, a true artiste, of course, has his quirks to it.
04:47But, you know, once you found out that you were the character, how did your reaction to how much or how much he would not dance in the series go?
04:59Well, before they officially offered me the part, Amy emailed me and she said, can you dance?
05:05And I responded, I have danced.
05:10And so I technically didn't lie.
05:13But I'm a horrible dancer.
05:15A horrible, horrible dancer.
05:16No, it's true.
05:17It's true.
05:18And I'm not going to go show you what I can do.
05:20I don't have that courage.
05:21But, you know, I've worked with a lot of choreographers because I grew up doing musical theater.
05:26And they don't really dance.
05:29They're gestural.
05:30They take up space in different ways.
05:34And so that's what I did.
05:36You're like, I have that down.
05:38And also, I can rock a pair of headphones.
05:40Oh, yeah.
05:41Well, yeah, what did building Tobias look like?
05:46Because he is, like I mentioned, he is this choreographer who then gets, you know, fish out of water, gets sent to Paris to, you know, bring his art there.
05:56But he does have a hard time navigating a lot of different types of situations.
06:00So what went into kind of deciding how he would be?
06:06Well, you know, Tobias sees the world very distinctly.
06:10But he's not able to communicate it to other people.
06:13And so that gets him in a lot of trouble.
06:15And I think when the world doesn't align with how he sees it, he has a viscerally quite negative response to it.
06:23And so hooking into that was very, very helpful.
06:25But it's interesting, when you play a quirky character, if you get bogged down in the quirk, you're get out of town.
06:32You really just have to, you have to care about the motivation and the given circumstances of the scene.
06:38And the writing's so good that it all kind of takes care of itself.
06:42What did you discover was kind of his driving force?
06:46You know, I actually think he and Cheyenne are very, very similar.
06:51And I think to them, dance is life.
06:54And it's not even ego.
06:56It's actually like, it is identity.
06:59And so that was the most important thing to him.
07:03And everybody else falls.
07:05And it's what makes it complicated for him to have relationships.
07:08Because dance is the most important thing.
07:11And getting it right.
07:12Luke, what about for you with Jack?
07:14Because he is, you know, very much in charge of this company.
07:20But a big part of that is having to navigate all of these personalities around him and not really get to be the one actually making the decisions.
07:29Yeah, poor Jack.
07:32Poor, poor Jack.
07:34Lucky, lucky, lucky Tobias.
07:37With his God-given talents.
07:39You know, in all of these sort of fields of performing arts, there are people who are behind the scenes constantly with a very clear awareness that the wheels need to be greased.
07:58It's kind of, it's in the long sort of history of art being part of culture and the discussion, the wheels have to be greased.
08:06And, you know, Jack is really up against that.
08:10You know, this sort of, this, this, we are sort of advancing into this world.
08:15We don't know what the hell is happening in terms of, you know, what is art, the sort of the, the quickening of, you know, digital, whatever, blah, blah.
08:23You know, I think to him it feels like that a portal to his, to that dream world that he loves so much is closing.
08:33And if he doesn't figure out a way to keep it going, you know, everything could get swallowed up.
08:41Um, so yeah, the stakes feel very high.
08:45It feels very urgent.
08:47And I think that, you know, this is his family.
08:50Jack has a family, but I think like people who work in this, these, you know, this world, uh, it's 24 seven and, uh, and it's, it's, it's everything.
09:01It's kind of dances.
09:02It, he, he understands that dance is life to these people and these people are what sustains him, you know,
09:10and they kind of keep the magic alive.
09:12I do think that with, with, you know, what's kind of brilliant about the Tobias stuff is that it's kind of, it's addressing the, you know,
09:21what happens when you have spent, uh, from an early age, a whole dedicated, your life to something that is sort of your, you know,
09:29you're embracing your talent, you're growing through it, but then you're confronted with like how to be a person.
09:35And I, you know, that's a struggle for, you know, it's, you're so lucky to find something that you love and a, and a craft and a work,
09:43but it's also, you, you have to figure out how to live a life.
09:46And that's the hardest part as we've already discussed.
09:50To live a life and to navigate like all the relationships, um, because something that the, that the, that Amy and Dan do so well is right relationships.
09:59There's so many different pushes and pulls of all of the people that, that populate this world.
10:05Um, of course there's Jean Viev, uh, played by the great Charlotte Gainsbourg.
10:09Uh, you mentioned Cheyenne earlier, Lou Delage, who just delivers an incredible, like, breakout performance.
10:15Um, Luke, I guess I'll ask you about, actually, I guess both of those lovely women to start,
10:22because there are different relationships that, um, that you're navigating there.
10:27Yeah, they're, uh, yeah, they are.
10:29I mean, they're both French.
10:31Sure.
10:32Uh, right?
10:36I mean, am I wrong?
10:37That is accurate.
10:38What else do you need to know?
10:39That's a fact.
10:40Those are facts.
10:41Um, uh, yes, they're, I mean, Lou and Cheyenne are forced, you know, Cheyenne is a force of nature.
10:49And, uh, the, her, um, you know, her, she is up against her talent.
10:57She, she wants, I, I feel like she understands, like, there's a reason that we find her at the very beginning of our story trying to save the planet.
11:05Yeah.
11:06Because I think that, to her, that, that is, I think, to a lot of people in ballet, I think that there's something aligned with the sort of, the laws of nature are kind of in line with the beauty of dance.
11:17And she's trying to save the, the very thing that we need to keep aspiring is the planet.
11:25So it's kind of, you know, I think it's, there's, uh, you know, a simpatico to her, her being that way.
11:32Uh, yeah, she's an incredible force of nature.
11:35She's, um, well, she's just dazzling.
11:37I mean, she's the Etoile, you know, she's the big shining light.
11:41And Geneviève is kind of, you know, the, these, the sort of more sort of, to me, she and Jack kind of mirror each other.
11:52Although Charlotte has said she disagrees with this assessment.
11:56I will say I agree with you for the record.
11:58She's not here to, I hope she doesn't show up to.
12:02It's okay.
12:02I'll have to face her later.
12:03Yeah, good, good.
12:04Um, but I do think that, yeah, they sort of mirror each other.
12:07There's a kind of comfort that they find that they are, you know,
12:10like people that sort of work behind the scenes.
12:13I don't think that they get, ever get that, the degree of, you know, adulation.
12:18The lights don't shine on them.
12:19They probably don't want them.
12:20But there's probably a little something that always yearns for something.
12:24And I think that the, the light that they shine on each other, it feels true and good.
12:30You know, I think they, they love each other.
12:33Um, I think Charlotte would agree with that part.
12:37Yeah, but let's not test it.
12:40Watch the show and you will, of course, um, validate for yourselves.
12:46Um, but, but on the point of love, I mean, this is also a love story.
12:51There are love stories that are explored in this series.
12:54Um, of course, Gideon, there is that love story between Tobias and Gabon.
12:59Um, tell me a little bit about getting a chance to, I guess, basically just have someone understand Tobias in that way and, and help Tobias understand himself.
13:11I mean, you just said it so well.
13:12Uh, these are two characters who are, um, you know, Tobias is an introvert.
13:20Gabon is not an introvert, but they both ruffle feathers and, uh, are hard people to connect with.
13:25And for some reason they speak the same language and, and Gabon's able to speak Tobias's language, which I don't think anybody can do.
13:33And as a result, they fall in love first through the way they communicate and through their art, but then they fall in love with each other and they're able to break down their defenses and actually sustain connection.
13:48And I would say in the Palladino world, people are always trying to connect, but always getting in their own way.
13:53And it's very satisfying to see it, um, resolved in the way it is.
13:57I will ask what was perhaps the most satisfying scene for each of you this season?
14:02Because there is, like you said, so much you get to do.
14:05Obviously you're, you're going out on location, working with these incredible creators and their incredible crew.
14:12Um, when you kind of look back on the experience, what is the first one that comes to mind?
14:18And, uh, you know, in the finale, uh, Tobias gives this big speech where he basically is, um, becoming self-aware and he's like live streaming it in front of a live audience.
14:30And, uh, and then the dance that he's just deconstructed and created is then performed.
14:35And that one day we did the, we did that monologue in the beginning of the day and then we did the dance at the end of the day and then the kiss.
14:42And, um, you know, I was standing on stage, I was performing this monologue, we did it in a one-er, I wrote some of it, I was Tobias reflecting on my experience in Paris, but yet here I am, Gideon, at the end of the shoot, reflecting on my experience in Paris.
15:01So it all kind of fell into each other and aligned in a really, really special way.
15:05And so that was very magical, but then to see that incredible dance at the end and, um, you could, it was palpable that day.
15:14Everybody, the crew, the actors, the dancers, we knew something special had just happened.
15:19And, uh, it was a pinch me moment because I'm, thank God I'm not in a show about like sports or something.
15:25I, I dance is so beautiful and it was just such an incredible, incredible day.
15:30And it is, I have to admit, I did audibly say while sitting at home watching it, I was like, I think they're going to kiss.
15:40It was, it was just, you just get so in, in, just enveloped in this story.
15:45You're just, because I think of the way that the dance is captured and it is so real, um, even at the end of those episodes, that is just B-roll of the real dancers that are, are part of this crew.
15:57Um, it, it, it does, it does just feel so real.
16:00But Luke, what was the, the scene for you?
16:03That one.
16:05You weren't there.
16:06You weren't even in that one.
16:07No, but I could feel it.
16:09Uh, oh, I know, it's, it's, it's very hard to, I know that I, there's a scene in the first episode where Jack, uh, comes upon a, a, a class with little kids and it just, you know, it's in that kind of, in the, the Palladinos, what they're so good at is there's, you know, they're sort of, their degree of irreverence is so strong.
16:32And then they sort of, they give you these, this taste of sincerity that has so much depth.
16:37And I, that scene just touches on the importance of play and a kind of a passing on of something.
16:46And, and there's something about that, the, you know, the importance of, you know, the, something is hinging on the importance of education and, and the kind of, and passing something on, uh, that I don't quite have words for.
17:00Um, but I just, I find really resonant, uh, and important.
17:06It felt like that scene tells you a lot about Jack, a lot about the things that you were saying before, that he has always, from the time he was young, had this affinity and appreciation for this art, even though now he's the suit at the desk.
17:21Yeah. I mean, I think we all have this sense of something being very important in our lives and we're very shy to say why.
17:28And, you know, maybe for a right reason, cause maybe it sounds crazy, but that motivating force is so strong in, in all of us, you know, and I, I don't think we should ignore it.
17:40What'd I just say?
17:41It was beautiful.
17:44I'm going to dance.
17:45I thought it was quite profound if you ask me.
17:48Um, but I, I, I truly, it is, it's, and I will say he does actually dance in the first episode.
17:54So that, that is true.
17:56We did get a chance to go to the disco.
17:57A little, a taste, a little taste.
18:00You break the seal.
18:02You're like the first dancing moment in the show.
18:04Yeah.
18:05So you fished your wish.
18:06Yeah, good.
18:07I mean, me and Charlotte, we kind of agree that we more bounced than dance.
18:11It's a start.
18:14Start with the bounce, stay for the ballet.
18:17Um, thank you so much, Luke and Gideon.
18:20Thank you all so much.
18:21And make sure all eight episodes of Etoile streaming on Prime Video.