- 2 days ago
Co-creator, showrunner and executive producer Nikki Toscano and star Amanda Seyfried chat with THR's Mikey O'Connell to talk all about the Peacock series 'Long Bright River' during a THR Frontrunners conversation series.
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00:00And you, I heard that you had always wanted to play a cop.
00:04Yeah, well, because no one looks at me and thinks, cop.
00:09And, and, and someone did.
00:18I was going to start with like a joke about the dulcimer.
00:21That was just the most beautiful thing in the world.
00:23Are people just expecting that of you now?
00:26I don't know.
00:27No.
00:27I don't know.
00:28But I got more secrets to reveal as time goes on.
00:33Oh my God.
00:33That was an amazing performance though.
00:35I have to say, like, even when I was watching that, I was just kind of like, is there anything
00:39this woman can't do?
00:40Well, you made me learn the English horn.
00:43I did do that.
00:43I think you kind of weren't as surprised.
00:45You're like, yeah, well, she, what, what did, what did Mickey do in the book?
00:50I forget.
00:51She wanted to be a history teacher.
00:52Right, right.
00:53Boring.
00:54Yeah.
00:54Add the English horn.
00:55But it was effective, especially for me as an actor.
00:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:59No, I feel like the musician thing did, you know, yeah, elevate it, and it gave you something
01:03to do, gave you something to play.
01:04Yeah.
01:05There's always a lot of changes that need to happen between book to series, so.
01:11That was one of them.
01:11She's the thing that, she's the one that, um, wait, then why don't we just start with
01:15that?
01:16Like, this is such an interesting situation because we have Liz Moore, who is a, like,
01:23wildly successful author.
01:24Oh my God, she's amazing.
01:26Um, and this is her first time writing television.
01:30Yep.
01:31What did you have to teach her about screenwriting, and what did you learn from her working with
01:36a novelist?
01:38Um, I mean, it, it, it, it's amazing how gifted she is in pretty much everything that
01:42she puts her mind to.
01:44Um, so I didn't, you know, I mean, I feel like she was very, very open.
01:48I feel like we had early conversations about what we wanted to preserve about the book,
01:55the soul, the spine of the story, um, and we were always sort of on the same page about
02:02it, so it made it really easy when we got into conversations about how we were going to
02:06adapt it, the things that we were going to preserve, the things that we might step away
02:10from in, you know, and taking it from book to screen.
02:13We were, we were always sort of, like, on the same page, and, um, and I think that it
02:17was just about having, being open to having conversations sort of ad nauseum about what was
02:25important, and, um, um, and which would sort of just guide us in, you know, episode one
02:33through eight.
02:34How much of the book is, like, right there up front that you teased out in the show?
02:39And I guess I'm speaking to, like, the central, like, conflict between your character and her
02:44sister.
02:44Is that something that reveals itself later in the book, or is that?
02:48Well, I mean, in, in our series, you know, the, the fact that, um, that Mickey and Casey
02:59are sisters is something that's revealed over the course of the, of the first episode, whereas
03:04in the book, you know that right from sort of the get-go, um, and, um, and so, you know,
03:10Liz and I just talked about this idea of, because Mickey was this really, really internal
03:16character, it was a, a nice way of, of bringing out, um, uh, something that she wouldn't say
03:24to everybody, which was that her sister was missing, right?
03:27And so it was like a nice way to sort of hang a hat on the fact that she was internal, that
03:34she wasn't going to be forthcoming, and then to have this really, really poignant emotional
03:38reveal come out in the, in the course of the episode.
03:42When the project was announced, um, you were both a part of it, but clearly there was a
03:47chronology beforehand, who courted who?
03:51You courted me.
03:52Hells yeah.
03:54It was nice to be courted.
03:55I ain't stupid.
03:57We were like, we were doing, it was the, the strike was.
04:00Yeah, post, it was right post, it was like literally post strike, we totally courted her,
04:05like full court press, super excited.
04:08Number one, we went to her and thank God she responded to our material.
04:15She responded, she listened to the book.
04:17Um, we sent her, I believe the first three episodes and, um, and then we had a conversation
04:23with her and, um, there was just something so lovely and there's something so lovely about
04:29Amanda because she's just like raw and just like puts it out there and she doesn't want
04:33to be like going through reps and she doesn't want to be doing things.
04:36She just wants to have like an open conversation and it made everything like really, really
04:40easy and, um, and, uh, uh, uh, really just like a wonderful, a wonderful dialogue.
04:48Yeah, it was pretty obvious.
04:50Like these, these, you had been working on it for a long time.
04:53I didn't know how long, but I knew it was like a passion project and I knew you'd spent
04:57a lot of years honing in on what it was that needed this, that made the story so special
05:03and like weeding out all the stuff that you would do as a showrunner, showrunner.
05:07It's just, there's a lot.
05:08I mean, you just, I could never do what you do, but when it, when it was ready, I, it was
05:14ready for me and so it was easy to sink my teeth into.
05:17It was so nice to jump into something that would have been such heavily, so heavily cared
05:21for and it was so grounded.
05:23And I mean, the book was so grounded, but it's really hard to translate books to TV.
05:28It just is, but you know how to do that really well.
05:31And you had the blessing of the writer and you had the writer with you the whole time.
05:36So just, it was ready for me.
05:38I, you know, and so that's a lucky thing.
05:42And you, I heard that you had always wanted to play a cop.
05:46Yeah.
05:46Well, cause no one looks at me and thinks cop and, and, and someone did.
05:54But because it's not a cop show, it's a, a show about a human being with a kid and generational
06:01trauma.
06:01Who's like kicking herself, you know, subconsciously every day, but, you know, trying her best.
06:07Like most of us, we're just not necessarily making the best decisions all the time, but
06:13we're trying our best.
06:14And that's what, this is a human story.
06:16She happens to be a cop.
06:16Yes.
06:17So I get to play somebody with the uniform.
06:20The uniform is transformative.
06:22It really is.
06:23You know, Daniel Day-Lewis always talks about those fucking shoes and he's right.
06:28Yeah.
06:28The uniform just goes 10,000 miles more.
06:32So did this scratch the itch or do you want to play a cop again?
06:35No, I'm good.
06:36No, I'm kidding.
06:37Longbread River season two.
06:39I get promoted to detective.
06:41Um, no, I, I, I would totally play a cop again.
06:44And I respect the job and I love portraying the good ones if it's me, if it's, yeah, if
06:51it's a person who's interesting and a role that I haven't done before and they happen
06:55to be a cop, of course.
06:57I mean, it's interesting what you said about it because it is, the cop is the secondary
07:01thing for you and the character, which obviously it should be.
07:03But the selling point of a show like this, um, not to disparage any studio or platform
07:09is serial killer, missing sister.
07:12So how do you, what are the discussions about like how like our true, like our true North
07:19is still character and then like getting into like the opioid crisis and, uh, corrupt cops.
07:27Like it's, there's a lot of heavy themes and a lot of like deep, like trauma character work
07:32here.
07:33Well, I mean, I think what was so unique to me when I read Liz's beautiful novel was this
07:39idea that there was this love story between these two sisters that was juxtaposed against
07:45this murder mystery.
07:45And in order to solve not only the murder mystery, but the, but, but, uh, her sister's disappearance,
07:56this, this character had to reflect on, on their collective past and, and, and her role
08:03in their estrangement, and it was only when she confronted that, that was she able to sort
08:08of find, um, find the, the, the way to sort of, to, to, to solve all of these, all of these
08:16things.
08:17So I think that that was, was sort of made it so, made it so unique and grounded it.
08:23And yes, it does have all of these like heavy themes and things, um, that are, are sort of,
08:32um, governing it, but it's a story about humanity and empowerment and, and about an underserved
08:38community, like taking their power back.
08:40And, and so I think that for us, like the North star was always about how our main character,
08:48Mickey saw this world, right.
08:50Which was with humanity and compassion and not in, and, and, and, and chose to reflect
08:56on the humanity versus the horror.
09:00Was it different for you when you were acting in the police uniform and then when you were
09:05plainclothes, like, did you like acknowledge that like internally?
09:10Did it affect anything?
09:12Oh, that's a good question.
09:14Um, I don't know.
09:15I, I, ah, there's just this responsibility that is, you can feel a sense of responsibility
09:28when you're wearing a uniform like such as this, where it's just the people in the real
09:33world who wear this uniform are there to serve and protect and the good ones do that.
09:38Um, so yes, I am portraying the good, the good kind of cop, the cop who gives a shit.
09:45Um, and it, yeah, it is, it's powerful.
09:47It's very powerful.
09:48And, um, and funny enough, like that didn't go away when I went back into plainclothes.
09:55I just, I think it's just cause Mickey's a cop.
09:57Yeah.
09:57But whether she wants to be or not, I mean, she's a cop for, for, for better, for worse,
10:02you know, for, and it serves her as well because she can look after her sister.
10:06She can help support a community that she feels very close to.
10:11And it didn't make a difference in the end.
10:14Like I'm still, I mean, Mickey was still a cop, even though she was in plainclothes.
10:19She was still investigating.
10:20Like she never takes that badge.
10:22Uh, she never puts that badge on her nightstand, like emotionally.
10:26And, and I think that's beautiful about her, but it's also like kind of harmful.
10:30I mean, she's not a well person.
10:33She's, she's in the midst of a, of a, of a struggle and of, of, of trauma.
10:38And, and like most of us, you know, hasn't completely gathered the tools yet to be able to know how to deal,
10:45but she's, she's doing her best.
10:48And, you know, I love portraying somebody who's real.
10:51Yeah.
10:52She has it rougher than most of us.
10:53She does.
10:54And, and that's the thing, like I can relate to her being a mother.
10:58I can relate to her feeling the guilt of not being as present as she'd like to be.
11:03I can relate to a lot of things, but I can't relate to being a single mother, um, not knowing
11:08if she's going to make, make sure there's food on the table for her kid, you know, living month to month.
11:13I can't relate to that.
11:13So like, I just, I want to play people like this because I know that people are going to feel less alone when they watch it.
11:20And also it's just a story about a lot.
11:21I mean, we can all relate to these characters in this show.
11:25It's about a specific thing, about a specific group of people, but any, everyone can relate to aspects of these people,
11:31which is why I love making grounded television.
11:34I love comedies.
11:35Don't get me wrong.
11:36Can't wait to do one.
11:38But, and especially because it hits home for me with the addiction in my family and being close, like being raised close to Philly.
11:45This just like took the cake.
11:47It's like, oh yeah, we're talking about real things.
11:51It's not easy to watch sometimes because it's so real, but it's important.
11:57Like we, we, we don't take any of this lightly.
12:00Yeah.
12:01We make it for a reason.
12:02One of the things that we always talked about, you know, was, was, and I think I spoke to this a little bit earlier,
12:08but like just the idea of like the way that Mickey sees the world, right?
12:11Is, is that, is that she is able to see the light in the dark and that she needs to believe in that sliver of hope that her,
12:20that her sister, that her son, that her neighborhood is going to be okay.
12:24And even in the way that we shot this, there was a lot of talk about just how, like how we were, you know,
12:31from a cinematography standpoint, how we were, how we were sort of constructing the frame and,
12:37and how the light was informing the darkness at all times.
12:40With every female director.
12:42Yes, we do have all female directors.
12:45And, and one special one who we should address.
12:49I don't know.
12:50Is she on stage?
12:51She directed an episode.
12:54Directorial debut, episode six.
12:58Let's.
12:58I think it was your debut.
13:00Yeah.
13:01What the fuck?
13:03Yeah.
13:05What?
13:06Real time.
13:07This is awkward.
13:07I didn't know that.
13:11Yeah.
13:12I did not.
13:13She directed.
13:13What?
13:14I didn't know it was your first.
13:15Yeah.
13:16Sorry.
13:16I just.
13:17No, it's all good.
13:17No, she's a fucking bro.
13:19She knows what she's doing.
13:21Wow.
13:22You're going to see something new every day.
13:24Yeah.
13:25Fucking incredible.
13:26I mean, listen, you were leading the whole pack the whole time.
13:29You were there every day.
13:31But as a director, it was nice because there was no middleman.
13:34There was just like a direct.
13:35There is something nice about cutting out.
13:37Like just, you know, just being able to be dealing with directly.
13:40Because as a showrunner, you are there every day, right?
13:44And so you are the person.
13:46Hopefully.
13:46That is there every day when the directors are coming in and out.
13:50So there was something really, really nice about just having a very, very direct relationship
13:54with your cast and not, you know, and not passing a message, passing a message along,
14:00you know, and.
14:02It's rare.
14:03It's rare.
14:03Yeah.
14:04It's really rare.
14:05Yeah.
14:05It was really fun.
14:06It was.
14:07I know.
14:08It's funny.
14:08It's, you know, you watch a show like this and it really, it's, it's harrowing and exciting,
14:14but, you know, has its moments of darkness and fear and for these characters, but you
14:21always find the levity on set.
14:23So when we talk about it.
14:25You find the levity on set too.
14:27Yeah.
14:27I guess we, I just, we really had a fun time.
14:32Yeah.
14:33Amanda is a wonderful, I'm just saying, if there's anybody in this thing that's wondering
14:37like, oh my God, should we hire Amanda or not or whatever?
14:40Absolutely.
14:41Like run, don't walk.
14:42She is the best number one on the planet.
14:45And even though that we were dealing with, we were obviously like dealing with some very,
14:49very heavy themes.
14:52She is a, like a, just sort of a beacon of light on set and, and, um, and puts it out
14:59for everybody that's like around and inspires everybody to be bringing their A game and takes
15:06such, she's the most generous person in the world.
15:09She takes care of our cast and our crew.
15:11She got us a, um, a food truck every week of, um, it's essential.
15:18You got to feed people.
15:19It's amazing.
15:20Um, amazing, amazing, amazing.
15:22No, it was fun.
15:23I, yeah.
15:25Everything about it.
15:26I love talking about it.
15:27I love doing these screenings because it came out a couple months ago and it's just the
15:32fact that we just get to talk about it.
15:33Every interview is just like, listen, if we get to talk about it more, why not?
15:38Like, I feel like also more people will see it the more we talk about it.
15:41Yeah.
15:42Like, I, you know, I don't know.
15:44It feels important.
15:45And every time we do get like you guys like listening to what we're saying, you know,
15:50I don't want it ever to be boring, but it, it, it feels nice that, you know, you care.
15:56That people, yeah, are showing up to see our, the thing that we made.
16:00Yeah.
16:01Yeah.
16:01Also, this isn't boring.
16:02We had a revelation.
16:03You didn't know it was her first time directing.
16:05This is amazing.
16:05Yeah.
16:06What else don't I know?
16:07You, we, I feel like you and I have talked about this before.
16:09It's easy for you to sort of like shed the material at the end of the day.
16:17Like how different of an experience would this be with someone who had to like live
16:22in it for the whole shoot?
16:24Like that's tough, right?
16:25Yeah.
16:26Yeah.
16:27We both, I'm sure you've both worked with people who've had to live in it.
16:30Yes.
16:30I mean, I think that, you know, I think that a lot of actors have different processes and
16:35I respect all of those processes and always try to give like an actor a room to do the
16:40thing that they need to do.
16:41But there is something I'm just going to say in this specific scenario, and that's the only
16:46thing that I can speak to here is that it's really, really nice that when, when cut
16:51was called that Amanda, you know, reverted to being like lovely, amazing, you know, hopeful
16:58Amanda.
16:59And there was something just really refreshing about her having just the ability to do that.
17:08It's kind of, it's kind of amazing.
17:10I know.
17:10Every time I meet an actor who's the same way, I'm just like, oh, great.
17:16This is great.
17:16It's going to serve you well.
17:17Like Sydney Sweeney's the same way.
17:19I would just work with her and she was like, we would be looking at a dead body and then
17:23cut.
17:24And she'd be like, anyway, so I have to show you this picture.
17:27And it's just like, it's, it's refreshing because we do the work and then we do the work
17:31and then the cut, like a breath of fresh air.
17:35And I'm not, I'm not saying every scene, you know, requires this amount of like looseness,
17:40looseness, but it's nice.
17:41Well, and in particular, I was even just like in, in, in the, in episode 106, which
17:47was a very, very heavy episode with a lot of reveals.
17:50I feel like for the first five days, Amanda and I were like, oh, you're crying in every
17:54scene.
17:55I'm really sorry that I did that to you, but you were so amazing.
17:58And then the moment that cut was called or whatever, we could like take a breath and
18:02then refresh.
18:03And then, and then, and then she just went back into it, you know, action.
18:07No, you were amazing.
18:08Stop.
18:08It's hard.
18:09I mean, yeah, you can't, yeah, you can't expect to not hate yourself at least, you know,
18:1370% of the time, but, but you were really.
18:16You can do that as a showrunner as well.
18:18Oh, I know.
18:18It's just, we hate on each other, on ourselves, but no, it's true.
18:22It's, it's, um, you gotta, you gotta know the, you gotta have boundaries, I guess, with
18:26your character.
18:28Pennsylvania native, Allentown.
18:30Um, we talked about how Philly looms large, the Delco accent.
18:35And we've seen some shows where it featured very prominently, but, uh, you and your producing
18:43partners decided very early on that was not going to be her character's journey.
18:47I'm going to speak to this really quick.
18:48Yeah, I'm just going to say, just only because it was something that was like in the book,
18:51and I feel like it's sometimes it gets missed on in the, in the translation when it, when
18:55it, when it came to screen.
18:57Like, Mickey is a character who has been an outsider the majority of her life.
19:01And she, whether good or bad, she has chosen to shed her accent.
19:07And that was a conscious choice that the, that the character made in the book.
19:12Whereas Casey, her sister doubled down on her accent and where she was from, Mickey, Mickey
19:18had this idea of wanting to rise above her circumstance, which is why she shed her accent and why Amanda
19:24did not, um, do that in series.
19:28It was not a matter of, sorry.
19:29And, but also it's just, it goes, like I, I'm from Allentown and a lot of people around
19:34me have a very specific kind of way of speaking.
19:36And it's just like, you go to school, you meet different people.
19:39Nobody has a consistency in their accent.
19:42Like it's really rarely does that happen.
19:44So it actually is, is more believable when you think of it that way.
19:49It's just like, I don't have an accent and my grandmother speaks very different than
19:53I do, very differently than I do.
19:55Like we're from Pennsylvania, Dutch country.
19:57And like, there are certain things people say differently than, than I would.
20:01And it's just like, I went to a very inner city, inner city school.
20:04Like when a lot of people who go to Catholic school, they're, they, the, the teachers from
20:09the people that I know have like just made sure that they didn't have an accent.
20:12It's just things, people want things to be very streamlined and, and then it's also a choice.
20:18You know, who you hang out with you and tend to mimic, and I think that's how accents come
20:23about, it's just who you spend time with.
20:25So Mickey spends time with a lot of cops, but also just had a conscious effort to not, and
20:33also thank God, because I didn't want to be targeted with that, for that kind of scrutiny.
20:39You know, it's just, you know, I love the fact that Mickey had a, no accent, really worked
20:45for me.
20:46What is the, what is the role that you've done that had like the most dramatic accent
20:51work?
20:51I'm trying to think.
20:52Oh, you, it's not out yet.
20:55I just spent a week fixing it in post.
20:59And I'm starting a movie on Monday where I have a Tulsa accent, and I just finished on
21:06last Friday, a week ago, in Manchester, so I was talking like this, like really, I can't
21:16do it anymore.
21:17Wow, I really, I've already, it's fucking weird, but I have an ear for it, but it takes
21:23me a minute.
21:23But when I finally finished the Manchester movie that I did last year after our show,
21:28I was not good.
21:30I was not good enough when we shot it, and then I fixed it in post, like some sounds,
21:35sounds.
21:35I don't agree with that, but.
21:37Mother, mother.
21:38I played Mulheran Lee from Manchester in the 1770s.
21:44No, anyway, but we'll see how that turns out.
21:46It's better than it used to be.
21:47And then I, the last week, I've just been like kind of Southern, like Tulsa, and I'm
21:54like from McAllister, which is Pittsburgh County, and present day, and I'm about to start, start
22:01that.
22:02Wait, what?
22:03That sounds terrible.
22:04Now I'm just confused.
22:08I'll be good come Monday.
22:10Is Manchester the musical?
22:12Yes.
22:13So are you singing in a Manchester accent?
22:15Oh my God, everyone.
22:16Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
22:17It's a fever dream.
22:19Yeah.
22:19And I can't, I went straight from Billy Cop.
22:23Into.
22:23Present day.
22:24Yeah, no, the most, the funniest thing too is I was texting Amanda recently, and then
22:28she sent me like a video of her in ADR singing, and it's like.
22:33So weird.
22:34It's the most amazing thing.
22:37What is the name of screaming?
22:38No, but it's, I mean, it's the most beautiful screaming I've ever heard in my life, because
22:44I was just like, oh my God, she just did this and like taped herself, and then it was insane.
22:49It's like honestly insane.
22:50It was to prove how wacky things can get.
22:53It's, yeah.
22:54It is fun.
22:55It's good.
22:55It's a good thing.
22:57It's a good thing.
22:57It's a good thing.
22:58I'm just like a little, um, confused right now, but I'll be American again, um, sorry,
23:07Northern, Northern England again.
23:14I don't think we have, I don't think we have much more time, but I, um, cause I'm confused.
23:20One, like Amy Pascal, absolute legend, uh, executive producer on here.
23:26What is an Amy note like?
23:27I mean, I think it's just, I mean, I, I think the, the, the, the, the breath of Amy's experience
23:34is so incredible.
23:36And I think like along the way from, you know, uh, early on, you know, her giving notes about
23:43what's going to land, reaching out, uh, her thoughts on casting, her thoughts on marketing,
23:49her thoughts on, I mean, everything you're dealing with an absolute legend.
23:54So I feel like anytime she's speaking, everybody in the room is just wrapped and wants to hear
24:00what she has to say.
24:01I mean, it was, it was really lovely having her on the, on the, on the project and to guide
24:06us and to be our sort of like cool ass bouncer, you know what I mean?
24:13That's just like watching out for our show, you know?
24:16Is there any chance of getting the band back together?
24:20Because I believe, uh, Liz Moore's, uh, God of the Woods, which is like such a great read,
24:27is also in development.
24:30Who's making that?
24:31Who the fuck is making that?
24:33Um, I think some of your fellow producers.
24:37Yeah.
24:38No, no, no.
24:38Original, original film is, uh, I'm not going to speak about Liz's, that, that particular
24:43project.
24:44Oh, it's a film.
24:45Um, no, no, no, it's not.
24:46Um, but I'm not, I'm not speaking about that project.
24:48I'm just going to say that, um, I do know that original film, um, Neil Moritz and Pavan
24:55Shetty, um, who were a part of Long Bright River, are also on God of the Woods, as is,
25:01um, Sony.
25:03So I think that Liz is continuing her relationship with Sony, and then she also has another book.
25:09I might as well just do Liz's press.
25:11Um, she has another book in case anybody's interested.
25:14Um, uh, her, I think her third book, The Unseen World, is also at Sony for development.
25:20Yay, Liz!
25:21Good job, Liz!
25:22We love Liz.
25:23She's missing tonight.
25:24Yeah, she is.
25:25We miss her.
25:26Well, she's in Philly.
25:26I'm just going to.
25:27No, she's in Philly.
25:28Fall and hold me.
25:29Yeah, she's, she's here in spirit.
25:31Pour one out.
25:32Um, I think we're out of time.
25:35Wait, this, no, this has been so lovely.
25:38Thank you for having me.
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