‘Étoile’s Luke Kirby Previews Jack and Cheyenne’s Dynamic & the ‘Madness’ of Ballet

Étoile, an eight-episode ballet dramedy from Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), has a major pointe to prove about the importance of the art of dance.

When tickets aren’t selling like they used to, two ballet companies — set in New York and Paris — make a plan to swap talent to revitalize their programs. Stepping into first position with a major ask, tired New York director Jack (Luke Kirby, who played Maisel‘s tragic comic Lenny Bruce) bargains with Parisian Geneviève (Charlotte Gainsbourg) for her star dancer, the brash Cheyenne (Lou de Laâge).

Nobody gets along, and no one is satisfied — at first. But Jack and Cheyenne, who share a complicated history, make interesting sparring partners. “They poke at each other,” Kirby tells us of their verbal Pas de Deux. “Cheyenne has a great degree of armor. She moves through the world as though everything is her destiny. But she’s also just hugely, hugely talented. And Jack loves how she moves through the world. He sees things under the veneer that he relates to, and he actually knows where the tender spots are.”

Ultimately, though, they share the same goal: The show must go on. “They have a simpatico with understanding why [the ballet] has to continue, and what’s in danger if it’s lost,” Kirby notes.

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Though Jack isn’t a dancer, his connection to the art form goes deep. His family are generational patrons of the ballet, and he refuses to be the one to let it die. “There’s a part of him that wants to keep ballet alive because I think, to him, it’s where the magic lies,” admits Kirby.

The series also does a good job showing all the work that goes into making ballet look like magic, thanks to real-life dancers and choreographer Marguerite Derricks. “It’s a paradox,” Kirby says, admiring the ballet dancer’s abilities. “You’re pushing your body to its limit to find a way to float and be elegant,” he later adds: “You must have a degree of dedication that is close to madness.” 

Étoile, Series Premiere, Thursday, April 24, Prime Video