Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan discuss sci-fi drama
After working as a lawyer to save Saul Goodman in Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s “Better Call Saul,” it’s Rhea Seehorn’s turn to save the world in Apple TV’s “Pluribus.”
In the new science fiction drama, Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, an author who must save the world from happiness after an inexplicable virus is unleashed. After working with Gilligan seven years earlier on “Better Call Saul,” Seehorn was approached with the opportunity to star in “Pluribus,” which was originally written for a male lead character but was quickly changed.
“Vince [Gilligan] always tries to write without preaching an answer. He doesn’t tell the audience what to think, and he trusts the intelligence of the fans,” Seehorn said Variety at the premiere of “Pluribus” in Los Angeles. “I feel like for me as a woman specifically playing this role, one thing that really got me interested was that a woman’s anger is seen as a disadvantage and has serious consequences. But it’s this special quality that makes her different. That was very interesting for me as someone who suppresses my anger, and I really enjoyed exploring someone who is impulsive and reactive, and then dealing with the obstacle of hearing that there are serious consequences.”
“I made ‘Pluribus’ for Rhea Seehorn and because I wanted to work with her again,” Gilligan revealed on the red carpet. “I was very selfish. I knew she was such a great actor that people would immediately grab her and put her in a movie or TV show, and I wouldn’t be able to work with her for a while.”
During production, Gilligan collaborated with previous writers, directors, cinematographers and others who previously worked on “Breaking Bad” to help create the world of “Pluribus.” “I like working with people I’ve worked with before, and I also like working with my team behind the camera,” Gilligan said. “I’ve worked with some of these people for almost 20 years, from the beginning of ‘Breaking Bad,’ and they’re just a great bunch of people. To me, it’s like working with a family that you get along with.”
Actress Karolina Wydra hopes audiences will identify and relate to her character, Zosia, and Carol as they navigate a new world based on optimism. “With Carol, she’s such a strong female character who is a reluctant hero, but she’s a hero who fights for something she really believes in. There’s an empowerment in that. For Zosia, there’s something about her kindness and her serenity that’s so stunning and beautiful.”
The first two episodes of “Pluribus” are available on Apple TV.
