Latest news with #DavidEKelley
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David E. Kelley says new ending for ‘Presumed Innocent' on Apple TV+ ‘wasn't mandatory'
David E. Kelley adapted Scott Turow's bestseller Presumed Innocent as an eight-episode series for Apple TV+ last year. Between the book and the 1990 movie adaptation, the original revelation of the murderer might no longer be a surprise. So, Kelley chose a different character to be the killer in his season finale. 'It wasn't mandatory,' Kelley told Gold Derby on the red carpet at Apple TV+'s FYC space at the Hollywood Athletic Club. 'I was open to the idea that it could still be the same killer but we kind of let the story speak to us. As it was unfolding, we settled on the route we took.' More from GoldDerby Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Fiona Shaw, and every 'Bad Sisters' Emmy acting submission How David Bowie inspired Eddie Redmayne's 'Day of the Jackal' transformations D'Arcy Carden on her 'dream come true' joining 'The Handmaid's Tale' and Phoebe's 'different Aunt energy' Jake Gyllenhaal plays Rusty Sabich, a lawyer accused of slaying his colleague, Caroline Polhemus (Renate Reinsve), with whom he was having an affair. Rusty's nemesis, Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard), prosecutes Rusty despite a clear conflict of interest. Though the killer is only revealed to Rusty's family, Sarsgaard suspects the ending still validates Tommy's suspicions. Apple TV+ 'I think Tommy always knew who was involved and he was correct about that,' Sarsgaard said, without giving away the spoiler. 'He wasn't incorrect [about] the person he suspected who was covering something.' Now that all eight episodes are available to stream, it's well-known the show ends differently. Other updates Kelley made to Turow's 1987 debut novel included combining characters and incorporating 2024 elements like DNA evidence and cellphone technology. 'I think what was more important is that we declared ourselves out of the gate that we were going to take departures from the underlying material,' Kelley said. 'So at least the viewer would not feel comfortable that they knew the outcome.' Bill Camp plays Rusty's lawyer, Raymond Horgan, who is so troubled by the case that he has nightmares about Rusty committing the murder. Though Raymond is unaware of the final revelation, Camp said the damage is done regardless of who did it. 'I think he'd find it heartbreaking,' Camp said. 'The darkness that everyone's living in now, not knowing who that murderer is except for that family, I think it would be heartbreaking for everyone to find out.' Finding out the new identity of the killer in Episode 8 reminded Sarsgaard of another mystery show he appeared in. In Season 3 of The Killing, Sarsgaard recalled his costar being devastated to find out he was the killer. This moment drove home for Sarsgaard the nature of episodic television with ongoing writers' rooms. 'We got the final episode, he came up to my trailer really upset,' Sarsgaard said. 'He said, 'Oh, it's me. I'm the killer.' I thought, 'F--k.' Movies is just all preparation from the beginning.' Apple TV+ Kelley acknowledged that he was asking a lot of his lead actor. Viewers would judge Rusty for cheating on his wife, Barbara (Ruth Negga), and possibly suspect him of murder — yet he remains the protagonist of the series. 'He had a heavy lift in this series,' Kelley said of Gyllenhaal. 'A writer can put that on the page all he wants but it's up to the actor to inhabit those qualities to make the audience care. So I think viewers were condemning Rusty on a lot of fronts but rooting for him just the same.' Episodic directors said the series benefited from Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard's real-life relationship. They are brothers-in-law, as Sarsgaard is married to Jake's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Greg Yaitanes directed Episodes 3-7, culminating in the scene where Tommy cross-examines Rusty. 'They can practice,' Yaitanes said. 'They were roommates as well so they were staying with each other so they just worked at that scene. There was this added intangible benefit of their trust and closeness that they got into every scene.' Anne Sewitsky directed the first two episodes and the final one. She also benefited from Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal's familial friendship in her episodes. 'There was kind of a shortcut or shorthand into the way we played with those scenes,' Sewitsky said. 'They like to throw things around. I love that so we were doing a lot of improv and we were adding a lot of stuff.' Best of GoldDerby Samantha Hanratty on Misty stepping 'into her own' in 'Yellowjackets' Season 3: 'She is a lot more useful than I think a lot of people give her credit for' How Madeline Brewer gets the power back in the final seasons of 'You' and 'The Handmaid's Tale' 'I fully expected to be killed off!' Helen Mirren on her twin roles in '1923' and 'MobLand' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David E. Kelley on the secret of his prolific career: ‘Don't ever assume you're smarter than the audience'
L.A. Law. Picket Fences. Chicago Hope. Ally McBeal. The Practice. Boston Legal. Big Little Lies. Nine Perfect Strangers. Presumed Innocent. And that's far from the complete list. So it's fitting that David E. Kelley was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the ATX TV Festival's Showrunner Award. Over the course of his career, he's earned 31 Emmy nominations and 12 wins (including a Hall of Fame trophy) and was the first producer ever to take home Emmys for both comedy series and drama series in the same year. Not to mention all of the actors he's written for who have won trophies in their own right. More from GoldDerby 'I'm glad I'm still alive': Jon Hamm and John Slattery on 'Mad Men,' 10 years later 'King of the Hill' cast and creators on revival: 'Bobby's got a little bit of fame and a little bit of swagger' Watch the first 6 minutes of 'Wednesday' Season 2, from Netflix Tudum 2025 In a Q&A at the festival moderated by Gold Derby's editor-in-chief, Kelley talked about his creative process, what he learned from his mentor Steven Bochco, and why he still writes longhand. Gold Derby: You've written comedy, drama, legal dramas, medical dramas, adaptations. What's the secret formula? What's the DNA of a David E. Kelley show? David E. Kelley: Well, there's no secret formula. And if you think that you've got one or it's that easy, then that's when you've lost it and you should get out. It's always hard and always daunting. I would say for my shows, they're character-based. I look to mine the cauldron with a collection of characters that allow me to go in different directions. And so more times than not, you'll see disenfranchised people who have flaws and personality deficits, but who are redeeming and have something to love in them as well. I've always wanted but not always succeeded the piece to ultimately be affirming at the end of the day. That doesn't mean you don't have bad things going on within episodes, but at the end of the day, I would love to nurture the audience with the idea that people are more good than bad. If there's one common denominator that fits the bill across the board, that would probably be it. SEEEmmys flashback 25 years to 1999: David E. Kelley pulls off unprecedented double win for comedy and drama series So what do you look for in an actor to embody that? First, I look for a good casting director. There's something called casting fatigue. It's a long, long process, and the longer it goes, the more likely that you will settle. That the first 20 actors will be so far off, that number 21 will be remotely in the ballpark and you go, that's the one. And that's very dangerous. I've always counted on a strong casting director to bring a point of view and a perspective to (a) find the person that we're looking for, but (b) be strong and secure enough to tell me that this person is not it if I fall for the wrong person. A woman named Judith Weiner cast The Practice and Ally McBeal, which we were doing at the same time. We did The Practice first, and then we went to cast Ally McBeal, and she changed the furniture around in the same room. And I said, "Judith, I can see you've chosen to sit over by the window this time." And she said, "Yes, so I can jump out of it if you fall prey to some of the inclinations that you did during The Practice." When you get a casting director who does not settle, it just makes your job as a producer much, much easier. Do you find that once you've worked with an actor before, you're able to then write with them? You've worked with Nicole Kidman, for example, a few times now. It's a really good question because I don't think people understand how collaborative television series can be. I can't really compare it to movies because I've not done many of them. But in a series you're really looking at what the actor is bringing to the piece and listening to it and feeding off of it. Sometimes you're going for the strengths and shying away from the deficits when you're writing a subsequent episode. But oftentimes, they're doing things that you don't even anticipate. And if you're working with great actors, you just allow yourself to be flexible, to play to their strengths. O-T Fagbenle who played Nico Della Guardia on Presumed Innocent, I had no idea what he was doing when the dailies first came in. He was playing it with an affect and an aloofness and a humor and it wasn't at all the way I'd heard it when I'd written on the page. But it was great and the show needed a little bit of levity where we could find it. So I remember saying I don't know what he is doing but tell him to keep doing it. SEEDavid E. Kelley says new ending for 'Presumed Innocent' on Apple TV+ 'wasn't mandatory' Did you write end up writing to that? It's folly to say, well, that's not the construct that I set out to build and I'm going to stick to the original idea. Sometimes you do, but other times if you see what the actor is giving you is elevating the piece, don't be afraid of it. Is that something you've learned over the course of your career? I learned it pretty early from Stephen Bochco. He taught me so many good habits, and he also had huge amount of respect for the actors. If you surround yourself with good people and smart people, it's only going to make your work better. Lord knows we have more than a few in our industry who get threatened by others, who want to populate their piece with opinions who won't threaten their own, but he never did that. He did that, from the very first day I walked in his office, and he did that with the audience as well. So don't ever for a second assume you're smarter than the audience. These people more likely are going to be every bit as intelligent as you, if not more so. How were you lucky enough to find your way to Stephen Bochco so early in your career? I was a practicing lawyer in Boston, and I knew I liked to write. I had done a little bit in college, but it wasn't something I really thought I was going to make a living at. I was a young litigator and it was motion practice for the most part, which means you sit in a courtroom with a zillion other lawyers and you wait for your case to get called, and it's a long day in court with not much to do. So I started writing a script while in court, and over the course of a year, at the end of that year, I had a script of a young lawyer who was bored with his practice because all he did was go and sit in motion session and never got to argue. Gee, how did you ever come up with that idea? (Laughs.) There was someone in my law firm who was getting into the movie production business from the producing side that I knew, and they were getting bottom of the barrel scripts. They heard I was writing one, and he said, let me read it. And he said, by comparison, it looks good, and he optioned it. The script found its way to Stephen Bochco, who at that time was hatching L.A. Law and he was looking for lawyers/writers, hybrids of people because he really wanted the series to be as authentic as possible. He invited me out, and I had no idea what a fluke it was. I met him, we got along quite well, and he gave me a script assignment. How did he respond to the script? I remember the first couple of weeks were a bit strange because there's a writing staff of about eight to 10 people, and we would get script assignments. I had script number eight, so there were seven that came before me. And I was noticing people walking by with their belongings leaving the office, and I heard, "Oh, these are the writers who have turned in their scripts." Steven would weed them out pretty quickly. When it came time for my script, I walked into the office and sat down, and he looked across the table and he just said, 'You can do this.' And I remember, oh my god. It was like when I had taken the bar exam and opened the envelope and it said that I'd passed the bar. I'm not the complete fraud that I'd convinced myself that I was. When someone like Stephen Bochco says that, that can really fuel the tank. How did his writers' room work? Steven Bochco did his best work in a room with other writers. The more people, the more the heightened his acuity would be. In fact, when he would write himself, and he could not break a story or solve an ending, he would call all the writers into the room to talk about it. We quickly realized he really wasn't calling us in to get our ideas, he was calling us in because he did his best thinking with an audience. I could not do that at all. Where Steven's process was if he's stuck, bring everybody into the room, my process is I can't really do my best work unless I get everybody out of the room because I want to be in the room with the characters. It's probably a more schizophrenic way to work, but I immerse myself into the world. I've always been more of a solitary writer. I've gotten better about working with staffs, and it's easier to share the load. But at the early part of my career, it was actually harder because I didn't really know what I wanted in some of the storytelling until I immersed in the world myself and got in the trenches with the characters. How then do you get your head though into a character that is not you, like Ally McBeal, a single working woman? I'm not really sure. That's probably the schizophrenia part. I just focus on who he or she is, and I listen to that voice. My process in every episode of every series is that you listen to the story and you listen to the characters. And at the beginning, you are crafting the story and you're creating the characters, but at some point the characters are telling me where they want to go and the story is now becoming the boss and dictating which direction it should go in. Do you prefer creating your own shows or adapting preexisting material as you've been doing lately? I've loved both. I would say creating was the biggest high. In fact, I never really wanted to adapt because I thought the process of writing is twofold. There's a huge intoxication when you come up with an idea and when you break an idea and there's an adrenaline that comes with that and that adrenaline applies the fuel when you set sail and you go and and write it. And my fear of an adaptation process was, well, someone else has been the architect. The story breaking is done, the idea has been hatched, now you're just kind of the contractor to execute it. I thought that's the work without the high of breaking the story. The first one I tried was Big Little Lies and I actually quite loved it because, first of all, the book was great, the characters were so fun to write. The book was very internal, the characters were thinking things but not voicing them. So there was a great deal of challenge of how do we take what's going inside the characters' minds and convey them? So there was real hard work to be done there. The adaptation process occasioned me to go in directions that I might not otherwise have ventured into. I did Mr. Mercedes, the Stephen King thing, and that was horror. I had never gone into the horror genre before. I said, "OK, I'll try this," and went down that path and there was a lot of discovery in it, and I ended up quite enjoying it. So, at this point in my career I've been lucky. I've worked with Stephen King, Liane Moriarty with Big Little Lies, Scott Turow has always been one of my favorites with Presumed Innocent, Tom Wolfe with Man in Full. So that's pretty cool when you get these kinds of authors trusting you with their babies. How much collaboration do you do with them? Well, Tom Wolfe was unavailable. (Laughs.) I was probably the most daunted with Stephen King because, you know, it's Stephen King, and, there are things that he writes that logistically and from a production standpoint are going to be hard to do, so I knew I was going to have to make changes. And oh man, he may make me a victim in his next book! But he blessed everything. He says he loved it. I think he even said that Mr. Mercedes was one of his favorite adaptations, because I knew he hated The Shining. SEE'Presumed Innocent' producers J.J. Abrams and David E. Kelley on teaming up, 'contemptible' characters, and season 2 What about Scott Turow with ? Scott Turow's the same with Presumed Innocent. Again, I loved that book. I also loved the movie. I was daunted. This has been done well twice — in book form and in movie form — and I didn't want to be the one to screw it up. The series offered an opportunity to dig deeper into characters, especially the ancillary characters, so I was really excited about that opportunity and it was the love for the characters that that made me dive in. And Scott Turow said OK. He understood the difference in the process. A book is a book, a television series is a series. It was my baby, it's now it's your baby. You've been on a run of limited series; would you ever go back to continuing drama again? I do enjoy the limited series, but right now I'm beginning to miss series again. I tend to mourn characters when series are over. You live with them for a year or two years, and they become a little too real, and then when they're gone, it's sad. Big Little Lies, I still miss them. With series television, you live with the characters for longer. Also, you're really building a community. I am looking to do less amount of projects and get back to a series where it can go on for a long time and maybe we can get that community that I missed back. There was real currency in it. The studios now are looking for shows that aren't going to be over and done with in one, two, or three years, and I think that's going to be good for the consumer. And I look forward to it as a writer too because when, again, when you spend so much time working with these characters, they tend to become real, they tend to become like your family, and you want to hold on to them. But not the Mr. Mercedes family. I was happy to say goodbye to that family. Is there any other family in your library you would revisit for a reunion or a revival? I'm not a reboot kind of guy. I feel I've done that once, and I'm not opposed to someone else taking something I've done if they've got a new idea on it. But I feel it I just want to go forwards not backwards if I can. And do you still write longhand? I do, although my hand sort of runs out of gas now. (Laughs.) I actually do believe that there is a hand-brain connection. Because when I try to dictate or type, the brain doesn't fire as well as when I write with my hand. You heard it here. Best of GoldDerby 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' — and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' TV directors roundtable: 'American Primeval,' 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' 'Paradise' 'Paradise' directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra on the 'chaos' of crafting 'the world coming to an end' Click here to read the full article.
CNET
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2: How to Watch Episode 3 of the Nicole Kidman Drama
Nine Perfect Strangers has returned to streaming. The addictive drama first premiered on Hulu in 2021. It broke viewership records, becoming the streamer's most-watched original of all time at the time of premiere. The series, which was based on the book by Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies), was co-created by David E. Kelley and followed a group of visitors who sought self-improvement at a health and wellness resort called Tranquillum House, run by a mysterious woman named Masha, played by Nicole Kidman. Four years have passed, and the show is back in a new locale (the Austrian Alps), with a new cast of characters looking to make their wellness... weller(?). This means more twists and turns are on the horizon. While the first installment followed the events of the book, these new episodes are based on an original concept, so not much is known about where this new story will go. Kidman, who returns as Masha, is joined by cast members Henry Golding, Mark Strong, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Aras Aydin. Read on to find out more information about how to watch season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers. Read more: Hulu Review: Strong Library of Network TV and Exciting Originals at a Competitive Price Nicole Kidman returns as Masha alongside cast newcomers Henry Golding, Mark Strong, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Aras Aydin in season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers. Disney When to watch season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers The third episode of season 2 will premiere on Wednesday, May 28, on Hulu. The remaining five episodes will air weekly on Wednesdays until the finale drops on July 2. You can choose from two Hulu plans. The ad-supported version costs $10 a month or $100 a year. If you prefer to skip the commercials, you can sign up for the ad-free version, which costs $19 monthly and does not offer an annual payment option.
CNET
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
'Nine Perfect Strangers': How to Watch Season 2 of the Nicole Kidman Drama
When Nine Perfect Strangers first appeared on Hulu in 2021, it broke viewership records and became the streamer's most-watched original of all time at the time of premiere. Co-created by David E. Kelley, and based on the book by Liane Moriarty (of Big Little Lies fame), the first season followed the exploits of a group of visitors who sought self-improvement at a health and wellness resort called Tranquillum House, run by a mysterious woman named Masha, played by Nicole Kidman. The series is back four years later with a new locale (the Austrian Alps), a new cast of characters and more twists and turns. While the first installment followed the events of the book, these new episodes are based on an original concept, so not much is known about where this new story will go. Kidman, who returns as Masha, is joined by cast members Henry Golding, Mark Strong, Lena Olin, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski, Lucas Englander, King Princess, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, and Aras Aydin. Read on to find out more information about how to watch season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers. Read more: Hulu Review: Strong Library of Network TV and Exciting Originals at a Competitive Price Nicole Kidman returns as transformational wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko in season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu. Disney/Reiner Bajo When to watch season 2 of Nine Perfect Strangers The first two episodes of the season will premiere Wednesday, May 23 on Hulu. The remaining six episodes will air weekly on Wednesdays until the finale drops on July 2. You can choose from two Hulu plans, with the ad-supported version priced at $10 a month or $100 a year. If you prefer to skip the commercials, you can sign up for the ad-free version at $19 monthly, with no annual payment option.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Braless Nicole Kidman stuns in daring suit at Nine Perfect Strangers premiere
Nicole Kidman looked fantastic in a plunging black pantsuit at Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers premiere on Thursday night in Los Angeles. The braless Australian actress, 57, bared her chest in a risky, low-cut suit jacket, which was covered in sparkles and had matching trousers. Adorned on one side of her blazer was a white flower brooch. The Hollywood vet, who is married to Keith Urban, added a pair of edgy black leather gloves and pointy-toe black heels. Her frosty blonde hair was swept into a teased ponytail with a center part and face-framing loose pieces. Kidman's visage was beautifully made up in soft mauve tones that highlighted her cheeks, eyes, and mouth. She's been busy with a steady flow of work over the last two years, appearing in the seductive blockbuster Babygirl, Netflix's murder mystery The Perfect Couple, season two of Lioness, and the romcom A Family Affair to name a few. While promoting her latest film, called Holland, at SXSW Film & TV Festival in March, Nicole said she's ready to take a step back from work. 'I was much more out there last year; this year I have Holland, I have Nine Perfect Strangers, and then I'm off for the rest of year. So, oh well!' she told The Hollywood Reporter. Although Nicole only mentioned two roles to THR, last September Amazon Prime announced that she will star in the mystery thriller Scarpetta, expected to be released sometime this year. She also has a role in David E. Kelley's forthcoming Margo's Got Money Troubles alongside Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer. And viewers are still anxiously awaiting the third season of Big Little Lies (also written by Kelley), which has been confirmed while other details remain unknown. Season two of Nine Perfect Strangers will premiere on May 21 with two episodes. The rest of the installment will be doled out weekly. Actress Annie Murphy, 38, hit the carpet in an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved black dress. The Schitt's Creek alum wore her long blonde locks in a deep center part and uniform waves that flowed around her face. She wore a long chain necklace with a green pendant to complement her simple look. Murphy was joined by co-star Christine Baranski, 73, who looked fabulous in a cream-colored ensemble. She commanded attention with her blonde bomb parted on the side and carefully coiffed. The Good Fight star wore glamorous black sunglasses, bright pink lipstick, and pointy-toe gold heels. Actor Henry Golding, 38, looked spiffy in a beige suit, white shirt, and black loafers. Along with Annie and Christine, Australian actor Murray Bartlett has also joined the season two Nine Strangers ensemble cast. The 54-year-old White Lotus actor was fashion-forward at the premiere in a midnight blue suit with baggy trousers. He wore a dark tank top underneath his blazer jacket, tucking it into his belted pants. Bartlett rounded out the outfit with black dress shoes, and his grizzled beard neatly trimmed. Season two of the buzzed about Hulu series takes place in the Austrian Alps and follows a group who have signed up for a multi-day wellness retreat. They're led by Russian guru Masha Dmitrichenko (Kidman), who uses psychedelic therapy as a healing practice. An official synopsis reads: 'Over the course of a week, she takes them to the brink. Will they make it? Will she? Masha is willing to try anything in the interest of healing everyone involved, including herself.'
