‘Big Little Lies’ EP Takes Us Behind the Scenes of Top Secret Season 2 (PHOTOS)
“Introducing Jolly,” said Witherspoon (far left, with Kidman) on Instagram, announcing their new four-legged costar. The gals in Monterey will need all the unconditional love they can get. Says Papandrea, “We explore the corrosiveness of lies and what can happen when they take hold.”
Jean Marc Vallée — who directed the cast, including Witherspoon and Kathryn Newton (right), aka Madeline’s strong-willed daughter, Abigail, in Season 1 — was unavailable for Season 2, but new helmer Andrea Arnold (Transparent) shares his “beautiful, grand style,” says Papandrea.
In the 2017 finale, rivals Madeline and Renata (Laura Dern, right, with Witherspoon) became allies. Can that last? “The women are bonded when we pick back up,” Papandrea says. “But [these] relationships are complicated, and they will continue to be complicated.”
Meryl Streep (with Kidman and on-screen grandsons Nicholas and Cameron Crovetti) joins the cast as Mary Louise Wright, Celeste’s mother-in-law, who arrives after Perry’s death. Skarsgård’s character will likely appear in flashbacks.
When it debuted in 2017, limited series Big Little Lies — based on Liane Moriarty’s 2014 bestseller — was supposed to be just that: limited. Then it hooked viewers with a well-crafted murder mystery involving a circle of ladies in Monterey, California.
“Once the show aired, there was a hunger to explore these women more,” executive producer Bruna Papandrea says.
Almost everyone came back on board — including original stars and exec producers Reese Witherspoon (Madeline) and Nicole Kidman (Celeste) — to reveal what’s happened since the eclectic group covered up the killing of Celeste’s abusive husband, Perry (Alexander Skarsgård). What’s next? That’s top secret, says Papandrea, but “obviously lies will be a theme!”
Big Little Lies, Return TBA, HBO
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