- Title: Apple's star-studded 'The Morning Show' joins #MeToo conversation
- Date: 16th October 2019
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 13, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR STEVE CARELL, SAYING: (ON USING NEWS STORIES ABOUT MATT LAUER OR CHARLIE ROSE FOR HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT) "I didn't use them as templates, I mean I - so much of it was really in in the writing itself. And I tried to kind of stay away from doing a depiction of a person or trying to study how someone would act because I think this is, I mean who knows? This is all of behind closed doors thing anyway. So, it's, I think, in that way, as a fictionalized version of the events, you could do anything." (SOUNDBITE) (English) WRITER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KERRY EHRIN SAYING: (ON WHETHER SHE SHIED AWAY FROM CERTAIN THINGS FROM THE METOO MOVEMENT BEING A SENSITIVE TOPIC) "I mean, I didn't feel as I was writing it that I was shying away from anything. It's a whole story, it's 10 episodes. It's a lot about peeling back layers of characters. And it's a lot about lies people tell themselves when they wake up in the morning. So, I don't feel that, but I was very conscientious of the pain and the sensitivity of it, I mean of course."
- Embargoed: 30th October 2019 07:15
- Keywords: streaming The Morning Show Billy Crudup Mark Duplass Reese Witherspoon Jennifer Aniston Steve Carell metoo Apple TV
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED FILM LOCATIONS
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Television
- Reuters ID: LVA004B1MIEKV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are combining their star power for the new Apple TV series "The Morning Show."
The program goes behind the scenes of a fictional American morning show, with the first episode tackling the #Metoo movement as the show's male lead anchor, portrayed by Steve Carell, is fired for sexual harassment.
"I think jumping into a cultural conversation is so rich. And particularly as television and movies help us synthesize the things we're seeing on TV, and give us a human perspective," said Witherspoon.
Carell said he stayed away from doing a depiction of a particular person or trying to study how someone would behave in this situation.
"This is all of behind closed doors thing anyway. So, it's I think in that way, as a fictionalized version of the events you could do anything."
Actress Janina Gavankar plays a third hour anchor on the ten-part series and said the use of the movement is not trivialized.
"It's not used as plot. This is an examination of this breed of person and how they handle their environments."
Aniston and Witherspoon serve as executive producers, which Aniston said is only natural at this point in their careers.
"We've been doing this for so, so long. We have so much knowledge of how a very well-run ship runs and so for us I think it's, extremely exciting to be a part of the creative process from the ground up. And we're, we're good at it. We know what we're doing."
This is Aniston's first television role since the sitcom "Friends" went off the air 25 years ago.
Witherspoon's production company "Hello Sunshine" is producing the show.
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