- 6/12/2025
'The Better Sister' stars Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, along with co-showrunners and executive producers Regina Corrado and Olivia Milch sat down for a discussion about the Prime Video thriller series in a THR Q&A powered by Vision Media.
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00:00Hi, everyone. My name is Kara Warner. I am your moderator for this very special conversation
00:13about Prime Video's The Better Sister, a very exciting limited series dropping on Prime Video
00:19May 29th. I am very pleased to introduce the reason you're tuning in. Please welcome stars
00:26Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, who also serve as executive producers, and your co-showrunners
00:31and executive producers, Olivia Milch and Regina Corrado. Such a good team. I would love to kind
00:39of kick it off with this project's origin story. Who found the book first? Was the book the entry
00:45point or the scripts for the show? How did we all assemble here today? Yes, absolutely. Well,
00:49Tomorrow Studios, our amazing producers sent me this book, and Alifair Burke is the best,
00:55most incredible writer. Everyone go buy her books. And so, so twisty and turny, so satisfying.
00:59And I think the thing I really connected to, and both Regina and I did, was this idea that siblings
01:04get different versions of their parents, and that your birth order and what is happening with your
01:08parent as you're a child and how that differs from what your sibling gets, that really felt like a
01:14universal story that we could, you know, sink the roots deep into on top of it being a very satisfying
01:19murder mystery. So we felt like, all right, let's, let's, let's go on this. And then, you know,
01:24we were able to assemble this incredible team, and it's just been a dream. We love the savagery
01:28between sisters. That's a big, it's a big draw, it's a big draw for us. Yes, there's like endless
01:35material to work on, for sure. For you both, what kind of, did you read the book first,
01:41or were you approached with the script first, and kind of how, what were your first impressions?
01:43I read the script, I read the pilot episode, the first episode, it's not a pilot, I guess,
01:50it's called episode 101. I read, which, you know, is really, it's Chloe's, you know, it's the night
01:58that Chloe finds Adam. And then Craig Gillespie called and said, you should read the book, and then
02:05let's talk, because you'll see, like, there's more. And so I read the book, and so then I knew
02:10largely what was going to transpire, and who Nikki essentially was to Chloe, the backstory and more
02:18of it. And, but what I loved about the scripts then, and my conversations with producers, these
02:26guys, everybody was how much more we could do with an adaptation, and like how deep we could go into
02:33character stuff, what, how we were going to sell the past of the flashbacks, and what weave them
02:39into the present. I loved the idea of playing with time, and, which is like everyone's enemy,
02:46and, you know, the big bad. And then also, I'm a big sister. Like, there were tons of connection
02:52points for me personally to the story. Again, I also just loved that it was a great murder mystery.
02:57And, yeah, I don't know. It just felt like we could really work. I'd also, we were being spoken
03:05to at the same time, like as a package. Like, let's do it together, all together. And I kept being
03:11like, well, is she gonna do it? Like, I think it'd be really good. And I'd been told for years that we
03:19looked alike, that we could be sisters. So it was like, I feel like serendipity's finally happened,
03:24and it's going to come together. And this is the one that's going to come together around.
03:27Yeah. Yeah. And I sort of similarly read the 101 first, and then was dipping into the other
03:35episodes that I think I had been given. I wasn't given everything right away. And then was reading
03:39the book kind of simultaneously. And hearing about that Elizabeth was going to hopefully maybe be
03:46involved. I was trying to figure out how would I do this with my family, you know, going to New York
03:51for so long. And my husband was on tour. And I was like, oh, my God, how do I, how do I figure this
03:56out? But it was such compelling material for me. I mean, the sister stuff, I think I just,
04:01I love a murder mystery. That's something that I love being a part of. But the sister stuff was like,
04:06the savagery, I think was the new element, like one of the newer elements for me to consider like,
04:12oh, wow, how, how do we walk, you know, these sisters and started this one, you know, one place with
04:20them and then have them make this incredibly massive arc and, you know, become aligned by
04:27the end of this thing. And that was that was probably the other biggest draw.
04:30Yeah. How did you all kind of I mean, it's maybe a question for you two, and then you two,
04:34how did you approach the adaptation? Because obviously, you guys are producers involved too,
04:39and how you decide to kind of tease out little elements of the story, obviously,
04:42you have a source materialist guide. But how did you can you talk to us about the fun of getting to
04:47stretch it out? Oh, my gosh, of course. You know, I think that you have when you have something like
04:52Alifair's book, you have this incredible foundational text, right? And you can build upon
04:56that. Inherently, the structure of a novel, obviously, there's interiority, obviously,
05:00there's sort of a beginning and end, particularly in a murder mystery, where you're there's a driving
05:04force, right? You want to know what happens next. And part of the gift of long form storytelling is
05:09you get these moments to investigate, to breathe, to get to know characters. And we found that as we
05:14initially started looking into that structure, we were being drawn towards these other moments.
05:20The more we got to know these characters, the more we understood where they came from,
05:25and maybe want a little glimpse of that. And oh, this is just outside of what's happening,
05:28but we really need it to understand why they're behaving this way. And so the more that you kind
05:33of get your tent poles, and you get the structural integrity that you need from the book, the source
05:38material, it evolves. It's a living, breathing thing that grows, and it tells you what it needs.
05:43And then you get to start, you know, listening to that together as a family, taking care of it.
05:47And that's such fun to collaborate in and find that all together.
05:52So if you have actors who are so good that the interiority, they do it for you, you know,
05:58so you're doing it through images and not words, and there are so many beautiful-
06:02Right, Les.
06:04Or we don't say that.
06:06You know, there's so many beautiful, poignant, from my perspective in the show that are just these
06:13sisters by themselves. And they just speak volumes for us.
06:17Yeah. I'm wondering, you can flip this question and vice versa how I say it. I'm wondering if you
06:22could both talk about what you love watching each other do, kind of if it's, you know,
06:26what you love Jessica as Chloe doing, or Jessica the producer doing, and vice versa. Because I
06:31think you both have great experience on both sides. I'm just curious kind of what it is to work in
06:36that realm. Like, you know, the experience.
06:38That's such a nice question. That is a nice question. It makes me think about when we were on
06:42set and something would be happening, like lighting-wise or script-wise. And I'd be like,
06:47why is that happening? You'd be like, all right, here's the situation.
06:50We're doing this because this needs to happen. Like, when her director hat pops on,
06:55like, she just knows so much about, and I thought I knew a lot, but I would be like, what?
07:01Don't worry about it. This is what we're doing. And I'm like, oh, yeah, that makes sense. So I loved
07:06watching Elizabeth do that off camera. And then I just, your spontaneity and your unpredictability.
07:14Like, that, I was on set with her always. I'm like, what is she going to do?
07:18Yeah. You know, I want to cultivate that in myself. Like, that's something I'd like to work on. And
07:25I don't know if you can actually work on that, or if that's just like who you are as a person or not,
07:28but like that kind of, your ability to improvise, your ability to find the humor and be, and just
07:36know some shit to say that you're going to be like, damn, I didn't expect that. I love that
07:42kind of ability. And so for me, that, those are the things that make, that came up for me.
07:46But you don't realize that I got to lean into that because that was Nikki's, Nikki's whole goal
07:52with Chloe is to like throw her off balance, right? Like it is to jab her in the side. It is the like,
07:58you're not better than me. Like, I know who you are. Like everything you're saying is
08:02bullshit nonsense. Like I have moral superiority the entire time. She stole my husband and my son.
08:08Like I have forgiven, but I mean, I haven't forgotten. Like, you know, we, we can keep going.
08:16So part of like, I love, thank you for saying that, but I do think a lot of it was, was that
08:22the, it's what I was playing, you know, what it is the character, it is their dynamic. So I was really
08:27leaning into the dynamic of like, how can I fuck with you? But that's like a real skill.
08:34I don't think I'm personally like a really good fucker with somebody.
08:37Yeah, but you, you didn't have to play it though. You know what I mean?
08:41I know, but that's why I enjoyed watching you do that. And then in my, my mind, I'm like,
08:44I want to do that too. I want to be better at that. Maybe even just my own life.
08:49There's some really good one-liners. You both, Chloe and Nikki, get delivered. Like
08:54very perfect sisterly. Like, yes. Like we were written a lot of very good material.
08:58We certainly were. What is it like for you kind of working with actors who also know what they're
09:03doing as producers? Cause they're not just vanity producers. I even know that.
09:06Um, it's the best. I highly recommend it. No, it was like, it was such a gift.
09:11First of all, to have people who are so experienced and so self-sufficient, right? It was like,
09:16these are pros. They didn't, they, we, we were working together. They needed what they needed from us,
09:21but it, they were taking care of everything else. Like they viewed the project holistically.
09:26They came to us doing this incredible work and then also making sure that everything else was,
09:31you know, handled. And it was such a, a joy to feel like, oh, we have partners. You know,
09:38this wasn't some, this wasn't something, oh, we have to tend to. It was, we're, you know,
09:42and that, but that's for real. Yes. It was, no, there was like, it was like, oh, we're all in this.
09:47We're all equals. We're all partners. And, and that it was just the best. I mean, it really,
09:52but I, I think that when you work with intelligent people who care, who are very good at their jobs,
10:00you show, you don't want to disappoint anyone. I never wanted to go to set and disappoint
10:04Jessica. I never wanted to disappoint Olivia. I like, I didn't want, you know, you just go to set
10:10and you're like, I have to be, I have to bring it today. Today's the day. I get today to do this scene
10:16and this is it and it lives forever. So let's show up for it. And anything less than is a
10:22disappointment to these, like you set a bar, everyone set a bar and we had to, we had to meet
10:28it or exceed it every single day. And I, I love environments like that where I, there's this
10:34mutual respect all the way around and nobody wants to, nobody wants to be the mess up, you know?
10:39The, yeah. Nobody's wasting time. No. You know, you're not. Well, that's the moms and us.
10:44I was going to say that. Some of the moms are like, let's go. The moms and us are just like,
10:49we don't have time for any of this. We just gotta get through it. Let's go. I feel like,
10:52I don't know if it's true, but I read that the days were kept, like we were always making days
10:57and we're always mindful. We want people to go home and have dinner with their family. That's exactly
11:00right. And we had amazing directors in that sense too. And, and the entire crew, yeah,
11:04the ADs were unbelievable. So, but I think that really does. We, we were doing such great work
11:09and we also knew that we would continue to do great work if our cast and our crew got to be
11:13with their families and got to get rest. And that was really important to us. You can make great art
11:18and you can make great TV shows without destroying people's personal lives. And that may be, you know,
11:23a revolutionary thing to say, but. And we were doing nine pages a day. Yeah. Yeah. I remember. It requires an
11:30incredible amount of preparation. Yes. So the whole crew gets credit for getting us out.
11:35Everybody. Yeah. To have a nice dinner in New York City. Hat tip to the ADs for sure. Yes.
11:40Yes. Well, I was also going to talk about, it seems like you have a lot of fun playing together,
11:44but also you have an extended kind of supporting cast that's seems very fun. Yeah.
11:49To come on in. Like really, can you talk or tease a little bit about
11:52the other people that come and dance with you in the show? Yeah. It's a who's who of New York
11:57phenomenal actors. Yeah. You know, we, we, I remember making sort of like a short list of
12:03like guys that I really like that I knew lived in New York because that's who we were, we were casting
12:08for. And um, Corey was on it and Fred was on it and Paul Sparks was on it and it was, you know,
12:16it's just, we got the most incredible people to come. And then Kim Dickens is like a total revelation.
12:23I mean, I feel like you have written for her and you, they knew exactly what they were going to,
12:28they, to be able to write for someone who you know is going to deliver all that I'm sure is
12:32really a, uh, a gift and they were great. And then Bobby was, they had a great dynamic.
12:38They were really fun to see together. Lorraine.
12:41Lorraine. And Gloria Rubin. And Gloria. Gloria Rubin shows up, you're like, oh,
12:47she's everything, you know, so great. How about New York as a character, like getting to shoot in
12:54New York and play with, you know, New York should be a character. It's the best. I mean,
12:59my first night there was the balcony scene when Nikki has just shown up and we shot on the balcony,
13:06on Central Park West, overlooking the park and the entire skyline. That's right. So I walked in,
13:12like day one of the show and I was there and it, nothing puts a character in their place more than
13:18being like, oh, look, this is the bigness of the city, the beauty of this view, this apartment,
13:23like everything about it when Nikki would, would have been like, I don't even understand what world
13:28I just dropped into. So to have the actual place, it was so fun and really served so much for me,
13:37you know, of like, wow, this is just her everyday view. She doesn't even care. You know, it's like,
13:43it's what it was, I mean, it's super fun to play with it. Yeah. I mean, the city is a dream,
13:49right? Like what really living out, like my sex in the city dream. Oh no, you got to go to Odeon.
13:55And we were like, they're going to shoot at Odeon. And I was like staying right around the corner.
14:00I walked to work that day. I was like, this is unbelievable. My kids were there,
14:05they were getting to experience the city. It was special. It was really special. That's great.
14:10Well, it's also fun to hear that you're using your locations, because I'm such an easy audience
14:14person where I'm like, well, that could be a set. And I don't know, they could, they could have faked
14:16it. No, we were so lucky in that way that, again, the location scouts, the ADs, the directors,
14:23and how they're able to build it, because there's a texture, right, to the city. And there's a texture
14:27both to the, to the buildings, to the architecture, and to the people. And that was really important to us
14:31when we were casting people from New York and also just the, the faces are our lead ensemble,
14:37but, and also our background and wanting to make sure it felt like the city, you know, and felt real.
14:41And that was so important in the, in the diversity of our cast and, and, and the, just the interesting
14:47faces, because you walk down New York city street and you're like, this, who put him in a movie.
14:50Who is this guy? You know? And everybody has a story. And that was, you know, I think we really got to
14:55feel that as you get into the stories of each of our casts, like the, the richness of the inner lives of
15:01every person. Well, and I think another layer of that too, is, is costume and wardrobe and hair
15:05and makeup. Can you talk to us a little bit about embodying the characters that way with,
15:10you know, I feel like Chloe's wardrobe is pretty top. I don't know what Nikki is, but I also
15:14appreciated her colorful ensemble, but I'm just wondering how that is for you both. And in,
15:19you know, creating those also as part of your work. Stacy Bata, our, um, costume designer,
15:25she, I, I just love, you know, she and I talked sort of briefly at the beginning about, again,
15:33just what would be opposition to her, this sense that there's a creativity in Nikki. There's sort
15:40of like a free flow, you know, she's single. She like, she's, she's just a freer spirit,
15:48I suppose. But at the end of the day, she came here with a suitcase. So what's in the suitcase?
15:52Yeah. What did she think she needed? Um, so it's not exactly what it's, it's all probably
15:59actually a little nicer than what she wears in her real life. Right? Like she probably just wears
16:05like black jeans every day and like boots and whatever. But like, it was like, okay,
16:09but you're going to go to New York and you're going to go to this, you're going to go see your
16:13son and you're going to see your sister. So don't like that what's in the suitcase. And it really
16:19mattered to me. Like what was, and then what we, what am I going to borrow from her? So what,
16:23now we have to get into the wardrobe because we're here a lot longer. And like, what does that look
16:28like? So for me, it was really fun to just think about what could be in the suitcase? Why would it
16:33have been packed? And that it's not actually exactly really Nikki, you know, it's a, it's a facade.
16:41And the whole show is about putting out facades. Yeah. The, the borrowing clothes too was so
16:47important. And I want to hear what Jessica has to say about all of her incredible clothes that I
16:51wanted to steal so badly, but, but that was, yeah, that was the borrowing clothes. There's a t-shirt
16:56that Chloe wears in a flashback that then Nikki pulls out of a wardrobe when she sleeps in the,
17:01in the guest house and, and, and the silk robe that Chloe has on and then Nikki wears it. It's,
17:08that is so real and, and important that sisters take each other's clothes and also that it's not
17:12endless, you know, there are the things that make up our daily lives and wanting to see how that,
17:17they live together. That was so important to us and Stacy did such a great job with that.
17:20Think about Stacy, she has a very strong vision. So we could say, no, we think it's this, but she'd say,
17:26no, it's you. I don't think so. But you know what? Okay, I'll show you what we have. Like,
17:31well, that's not what I, she's, she's just her, I love that. That's important to the mix of things.
17:37Yeah. I don't often notice wardrobe as much as I should, but even, I feel like top to bottom,
17:41you know, from every character on screen, like even the men are, like the characters, the way
17:44they're dressed, it all makes a lot of sense. Yeah, she did an amazing job. There's a certain elegance
17:48and it harkens back a little bit. We mentioned like film noir, like there's a little bit of this,
17:53you know, and I, there's something that Stacy tapped into, you know, it was, it was really,
17:58even, even with Nikki when it was messy, there was a certain sort of elegance to it. I was, I loved.
18:04Yeah. Can you tease a little bit, again, obviously we're avoiding spoilers because we
18:09need people to watch it. Can you kind of tease what you love most about how the episodes unfold
18:13or kind of the story that you're getting to tell, whether you're appealing to certain audiences or
18:18what kind of ride we're all in for as we watch all these? Every episode has a cliffhanger that's
18:24bananas. I mean, truly. Yeah. You guys, the cliff, you know, in this genre and in the era of the binge,
18:32you gotta have that hook that makes people go, I gotta watch the next one, even though it's one
18:36o'clock in the morning, I'm gonna do it. Right? So, and they, it's just expertly done,
18:41I think, in how we're driving down one lane and we think we're going in one direction and right at
18:47the end we make a right turn. And it just keeps you hooked and watching. I thought, I've loved
18:55how it unfolds and really keeps the viewer like on edge and you think you know people and then
19:02something else gets revealed and it's really interesting. Yeah. And I think the other element,
19:07one of the other elements is just that everybody is a suspect. Yes. Everybody. And you really don't
19:14know what, what's gonna happen. You really don't know, you know, uh, who, who, who it's gonna actually
19:21be in the end. And, and everyone is kind of culpable on some level, right? You know, many of the characters
19:29kind of all play a part and how everything kind of goes down. It's almost like these sliding, sliding
19:35doors moment where if you just made a different decision, something different would have happened,
19:39but they didn't. And I like how that unfolds. And of course, just how the sister relationship
19:44evolves and how it turns into just something so different and so empowering and powerful and like
19:51kind of like volatile, but like, like these two women are just so aligned at the end and it just
19:57starts off so differently. So I love that. I love watching that. When Lorraine, when Lorraine in the,
20:03in 101 says, I'm happy he's dead or whatever in the car and she means it.
20:07And I was like, Oh my God, Jesus, did she do it?
20:14Everyone is a suspect. It's really fun. Yeah, it is. And you talked a little bit about like
20:18the subtlety in the cliffhanger because sometimes we know like you have to pay attention to every
20:22episode, but sometimes I would have maybe glanced down at something and I would be like, wait a
20:26second. I have to kind of go back and be like, I gotta catch that specific line or again, which I
20:32think is very well crafted on your part. For you both. Yeah. Like, was there anything like a
20:37specific goal in what you're putting out in each episode or kind of how you want to manipulate in
20:43a, in a creative way? I don't know if that's an agenda item or not. I think we definitely do step
20:48back and say, well, are we achieving everything we need to in these episodes? Is there a balance of
20:53the humanity, the sense of humor and the mystery? Because I think that if I'm coming to this show,
20:59I'm watching it for the sisters and I'm watching it for the family. And I want to know what,
21:03because that's, that's the, those are the things that I enjoy. But then you wrap all the mystery
21:07around and all of the other characters and it gets very tangled and, and juicy. So I think we were
21:14always very dedicated to sort of stepping back and saying, are we doing all of these things at,
21:19at simultaneously? Absolutely. And it's a puzzle that you're, that you're building and then taking
21:25apart and having an audience build with you again. And so there's multiple moments of revelation and steps
21:31of revelation. And I think for us, the present linear narrative, what we call the, the PLN,
21:36wanting to make sure as we're revealing the mystery of the present, it's a, it couldn't be nerdier.
21:42Nerd color. Nerd color.
21:46But do you see, do you see why, I couldn't show up not knowing my lines. Do you know what I mean?
21:50I haven't mentioned Bochner yet, which was many times yesterday, immediately glossed over eyes.
21:57They're like, oh really? He was involved in this? No. But I think that was like that present and the
22:03past and that in the structure of the episodes, you see that we want to give little information
22:08and parts of the past as the same time that we're revealing something of the present. So there'd be a
22:12cliffhanger always at the end, but also in the episode, you'd be like, wait, what happened?
22:15Okay, so when they were kids, this happened. And then they met at this point. And so you're really
22:20wanting to allow the joy of discovery as you're piecing together both the past and the present,
22:25because that's also the experience that the characters are having. So you really want that
22:28mirroring to happen. And that was a really fun structural component. And then to get to execute
22:35it and see it all play out was very satisfying. It's fun to hear you talk about it in that way too,
22:38because again, in knowing the PLN now, I don't know if that's something you would say today,
22:42where you are in the PLN. But the way you kind of little, little carrots or little treats along
22:47the way of I think in the first three of the, the hint to why the sisters doors were locked,
22:52right? Like that's just a throwaway thing. And you're like, I bet we're going to revisit that.
22:56Like just those little things. It's so well done in that sense. As we kind of come close to wrapping
23:01up our time to not take up more is anything, any final words, any words of words of wisdom for the
23:05audience. Have fun. Don't spoil it for your friends. Yeah. You don't, don't, don't be that guy.
23:16Yeah. That's my main thing. It's like, tell everybody to watch it, but don't spoil it.
23:20Yeah. I would say I went back to the pilot after I saw a finale just to be like, oh,
23:24what hints were here? By the way, there's some very obvious things.
23:29And it's, and it also, yes, here's what I would say to the audience. Watch it and then watch it
23:36again. And so you can appreciate what these performers are doing because it is so complicated.
23:42It is so layered and they are holding so much in any given moment and to understand what actually
23:48happened and then to go back and watch that kind of art be done, that kind of performance. It's,
23:52it's incredible. So that would be my recommendation.
23:54And don't read the book until after the show and then go buy a hundred copies of the book
24:01for Christmas presents for everyone or Hanukkah presents or whatever.
24:04Yes.
24:04If you have any notes, write Olivia.
24:08We would love to hear. We would love to hear.
24:11She will write you back. Guaranteed.
24:15Excellent. Well, thank you so much for your time.
24:18All episodes available May 29th, if you don't already know that tuning in.
24:22Thank you all so much.
24:25It was so wonderful.
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