‘Praise Petey’: Annie Murphy Talks Inheriting Cult in Freeform’s First Animated Series (VIDEO)
[This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization.]
If they’re lucky enough, some folks will go on to inherit a house, or even just a nice sum of money. But in Freeform‘s first-ever animated series Praise Petey, New Yorker Petra, a.k.a. Petey (voiced by Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy), inherits a cult.
In the comedy series’ opener, Petey learns of her absentee father (Barry‘s Stephen Root) and then learns that he has died and left behind New Utopia, a cult outside of the tri-state area the size of a small town. And while everyone in New Utopia is anxiously awaiting Petey’s arrival so they can have someone new to worship, Petey decides she doesn’t want to run New Utopia the way he did. Learning how to lead the followers will be a struggle for Petey. She isn’t even comfortable contributing ideas at the fashion magazine she quits for her newfound cult, and she’s also dealing with recent — hilarious — heartbreak. Her decrees will not always work.
“The biggest decree and most important decree [she makes] is ‘no more human sacrifices,’ which I think is a good starting place,” Murphy says. “She wants people to assert some independence… She encourages [the followers] to be their own person, but we find out very quickly that no one really wants that.”
While Petey must learn how to maintain New Utopia, the New Utopians must also learn to accept a new way of life — free of bloodshed and some of the more over-the-top adoration techniques they’ve employed in the past. The show also introduces a love interest for Petey in Bandit (John Cho), who immediately tries to get Petey to turn around and go back to the Big Apple. Her desire to stay might be surprising, but she’ll become fast friends with some of the cult’s followers. Those relationships, paired with wild circumstances, will result in some really funny television, the actress promises. “It’s so ridiculous,” Murphy teases.
“The show really is something I haven’t seen before,” she adds, noting that it’s not only a rare female-driven animation but also just downright hysterical. “I fully snorted while reading the script,” she says with a laugh.
Check out our full chat with Murphy in the video above.
Praise Petey, Series Premiere, Friday, July 21, 10/9c, Freeform
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