- Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Wahshington are the stars of the Little Fires Everywhere series, to discover on Amazon Prime Video.
- The two women also donned the producer cap for this eight-part fiction that is as disturbing as it is captivating.
- 20 Minutes spoke with the two stars of the series during a round table, and in particular on a central theme, racism in the United States.
The portrait of two mothers who oppose everything. Little Fires Everywhere , an eight-episode adaptation of the eponymous novel by Celeste Ng (released in France under the title The Fire Season ), follows the crossed fate of two women, Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) and Mia Warren (Kerry Washington) whose lives intertwine after Elena rents an apartment to Mia and her daughter, Pearl (Lexi Underwood). The growing tensions between these two mothers, one black, single and modest, the other, white, married and wealthy, would crack the harmony of the facade of a chic suburb of Ohio in the late 1990s . the star of Big Little Lies and star of Scandalhave also produced this disturbing and captivating series, available on Amazon Prime Video. Decryption during a round table with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.
"It was an honor to produce this series with Kerry," says Reese Witherspoon. It's certainly one of the most difficult things I've ever done because the series covers so many different subjects. We talk about motherhood from multiple perspectives, but also about the racial issue in the United States, privileges or even homophobia. "
"Under the shiny and perfect veneer, there is depth and complexity"
Like Desperates Housewives or Big Littles Lies , Little Fires Everywhere follows in the vein of American fiction where intimate dramas are tied under the apparent perfection of suburban life. “America is a young nation. We like things to be bright, new and perfect. This is something that comes up in many of our stories about the wealthy, that under the shiny and perfect veneer, there is depth and complexity, ”says Kerry Washington.
Over the course of the season, the spectator will discover the faults that Elena and Mia are desperately trying to hide. "I think we are all flustered and perfectly flawed. No one should walk around seeing themselves as damaged. But life has had its impact and we all have scars. Everyone has different tools to manage and unpack this baggage. It is part of human experience. You cannot go through life as a person without facing the pain, loss, anger, fear, love and joy, ”said Kerry Washington. And to add: “I am not attracted by the damaged characters but by the fact of playing human and complex characters.
“A work that explores racism can generate discussion”
Little Fires Everywhere is also a committed series which gives food for thought on racism, both systemic and individual. "Many of us carry this message from the 1990s that it is better to be color blind and never talk about racism, never talk about difference," says Kerry Washington. And to add: “People act as if it is only a question of class and not of racism. As if it made things more acceptable. A work that explores these themes of racism, socio-economic differences, sexism and misogyny can generate discussion. It's wonderful to do something that makes people want to talk because these conversations can be intimidating. But when you can talk about Mia and Elena instead of talking about yourself first, it makes it more accessible. "
"I agree with everything Kerry just said. With this series, we had a unique experience because we felt comfortable having these very difficult conversations. And we agreed from the start that I knew that as a white woman I was going to say inappropriate things but that I would feel safe enough not to be ashamed or embarrassed to say them in the hope that we will create some capacity for people to have difficult conversations, "says Reese Witherspoon. And to add: "The fact of having so many diverse women in the writing room, in the direction and Kerrie and me, in the production, it created an open and soft space for the conversation to begin, for let healing begin, so that we all take responsibility for what is going on in our country. And I think it's very important that white women have these conversations. "
"The public wants to see diversity on the screen"
This space for tackling these delicate questions in fiction is, according to the two stars, allowed by streaming platforms. "I'm very happy that the world has opened up enough to invite other creative voices to the media, and that's what streaming has done," said Reese Witherspoon. "And I think there is a certain level of freedom that streaming platforms offer. They really break down barriers and allow us to enter the stories of others in a much more global way. So I think this is part of the appeal for many of us, "says Kerry Washington, referring to" the global reach "of platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. When we talk about his rise in Hollywood, Reese Whitherspoon retorts: “The public wants to see diversity on the screen. People want to be represented. I hope my success will be repeated over and over by other companies. At the head of their production companies, Reese Whiterspoon and Kerry Washington aim to change mentalities through fiction. A great challenge!
Series
"Little Fires Everywhere": Reese Witherspoon's recipe for establishing herself as the Queen of Hollywood
Series
Lynn Shelton, director of "Mad Men" and "Little Fires Everywhere", has died
- Series
- Amazon Prime Video
- United States
- Racism
- Reese Witherspoon