‘Étoile': Exclusive 4-part conversation with creators, star Luke Kirby, cinematographer, and choreographer
In Gold Derby's exclusive four-part "Dream Team" conversation series, they open up about how they all work together. It all starts, of course, with their own partnership. Sherman-Palladino and Palladino, who've been married for years, say they've figured out how to divide and conquer the tremendous amount of responsibility that comes with showrunning. "It's pretty organic," says Sherman-Palladino. "Frankly, when you've been doing it this long, what you want is to be jealous of something that someone else has done. ... It keeps you on your toes."
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When it comes to casting, the Palladinos are known for relying on a troupe of actors and bringing them to each subsequent series. So after Luke Kirby's Emmy-winning turn in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, it comes as little surprise that they would put him center stage in Étoile. "When writing is as good as theirs is, it's a really good idea, I think, to get out of your own way," says Kirby. "Having a kind of faith in the words can really bring you into new worlds that you don't expect. Their writing is very, very nuanced. I think it's to be deeply felt."
To create the look of Étoile, they turned once again to "genius" cinematographer M. David Mullen, the man responsible for making Mrs. Maisel, well, marvelous. "To have somebody be able to go along on that ride and then take what is in your head, understand what it is you're talking about, and then blow it up into this majestic piece that is so much better than you even thought it could be, that's very rare," says Sherman-Palladino, who calls Mullen her "film school."
And finally, there's "secret weapon" Marguerite Derricks, the choreographer who's been helping their shows dance since the days of Bunheads. "I wouldn't want to do dance just for dance anymore," says Derricks. "Dance driving the story is just magic. It's really magic. I feel bad for any choreographer that does not get to work with Amy and Dan."
These articles and videos are presented by Prime Video.
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