For Luke Kirby, ‘Étoile' Was a History Lesson
Kirby's protagonist leads Étoile, Prime Video's ballet dramedy from Maisel co-creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (the wife-husband team also made Gilmore Girls and Bunheads). In a last-ditch attempt to spark ticket sales, Jack agrees to trade his company's biggest stars with France's (also fictional) Le Ballet National, helmed by Charlotte Gainsbourg's Genevieve Lavigne.
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Étoile's eight episodes are stuffed with whimsical characters, sharp humor and an impressive cast of real dancers and great ballet. Through it all, Jack and Genvieve's fight to save their beloved art form becomes the show's most central duet.
Below, Kirby talks to The Hollywood Reporter about returning to a Palladino set, stepping into the ballet world and learning about how our history can inform our future.
***
When did you first hear about ?
I'm pretty sure it was 2022. Amy and Dan called me out to dinner and it was right on the heels of Maisel wrapping.
What was the pitch?
I think it was a free meal (laughs). It may have involved the promise of wearing nice clothes, but I think it was mostly the free meal.
And then we started to talk about our shared affection for the dance world. We talked about our romantic notions about ballet and the dance world and then with it being Amy and Dan, the potential for folly inside of that world. It's a workplace. We know that workplaces are ripe for folly. The world of ballet is — as with all art forms, there's the threat of people taking this thing very, very seriously. People that work in the arts, it's serious. It's as important as water.
Did you know anything about your character, Jack, at that point?
More than anything I remember the idea that this was a guy who was from the city, who had grown up immersed in the world of New York. I certainly romanticized New York in the 1980s, it was a very hot time creatively, a hot and painful time. I thought about this kid — Jack — growing up in that world and having all that greatness within reach. I just got excited about the idea of this guy.
Did you look to anyone specific for inspiration?
Nobody in the contemporary world. The biggest one was Lincoln Kerstein, because his passion for ballet was so evident. [Famous for his contributions to New York City's arts throughout the 20th century, Lincoln Kerstein co-founded New York City Ballet with George Balanchine in 1948].
Kerstein was such a good spokesperson for dance — he had a clear affection for it, and he was so committed to making it something culturally important in America. That degree of drive is so juicy and exciting. I think he probably had an artistic bent that was never fully fulfilled, and I see Jack similarly.
Jack definitely has that drive, but this show is set in the 21st century, and post pandemic at that. The arts are in a different place than they were in Kerstein's world. That feels like part of the comedy, almost, the way your character feels out of place.
I think that's right. I think Jack probably laments the age we're in. Born a little bit too late, for sure.
I think Amy and Dan have this knack for writing really irreverent characters. I think we like the characters for that reason. They're characters who tell truths we're too afraid to tell. They're certainly not afraid to have cruelty be a part of their nature. But [Amy and Dan's] affection for people — for ballet — comes from a purebred heart. They'll never give you enough time to tell you how serious they are about it without pulling the rug out from underneath that sincerity.
Part of how the show gets away with being irreverent and funny is the way the Palladinos hired so many real dancers. The art form is very respected.
The dancers were fantastic. They adopted this idea that I was the head of their actual company. They were fully invested, fully engaged in the story. And they had to do the hardest work on set by repeating those moves day in and day out. I found them to be the biggest inspiration, seeing how early in the day they would get there and how dedicated they would be all day.
Just as the case was with Maisel, everybody on the crew worked to make the immersion into the world fluid. And those dancers just provided this environment where you just — everything was in a constant state of motion. It felt very kinetic.
Kinetic is a great word. I love how much of the show features dancers in the background, warming up or stretching or just talking to each other.
It's quite beautiful. I love the touch at the end of the episodes showing dancers in more documentary style, too. Amy and Dan are so specific in that they reject close-ups at every turn, But to give the dancers a closer look at the end just makes it very clear what this love letter is about.
Did you learn anything about ballet or dance yourself?
I learned a lot about the history of ballet. The biggest thing that stood out was the way that for the first 200 years of the art form, there was nothing written down. The dances lived in the dancers' bodies and they told these stories to each other over the course of time. When you consider the history of turmoil of the countries who practice ballet, it's so remarkable. You get a sense of the meaning of survival of an art form. I don't know if 'hope' is the right word, but it's something.
Charlotte Gainsbourg plays your Parisian counterpart, and Europe's arts face similar and different challenges from the U.S. — how did you two play off of your contrast?
I think they kind of mirror each other. They find great relief in knowing that there's another one [of them] out there. I think they both share this mysterious thirst-quenching affection for ballet, but also they don't know what odds they'd have at any kind of art [themselves].
I'm such a fan of [Gainsbourg]. Her work is always so compelling, and just to get to have her around for this was a remarkable gift. I couldn't believe our luck. I think she's really remarkable in this show. She's like Gena Rowlands to me, her talent, her ease is really remarkable.
The is already confirmed. Do you have any hopes for where the next installment will take us?
I do have hopes, but I dare not say them. My feeling with Amy and Dan is that they are the guiding light to this stuff. They're so committed to their stories and I'll follow them. I just hope that they keep digging. I think that there's a lot to be [drawn] from this world.
I did have a request for Amy a long time ago, I told her that I wanted to be in a cape. I was really jealous that Tony Shalhoub got to wear a cape [on Maisel] and I don't think that he should be the only one.
***
All eight episodes of Étoile season one are streaming on Prime Video.
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