INDIANAPOLIS — The next project from five-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón ("Gravity," "Roma") is coming to the small screen.
"DISCLAIMER*," based on the 2015 book of the same name by Renée Knight, follows an acclaimed journalist (Cate Blanchett) who unexpectedly learns she is the main character in a novel by an unknown author, revealing secrets from her past that she tried to keep hidden.
"The book came to me, the writer sent it to me, and I read it. I immediately saw a film there," said Cuarón, who directed and wrote all seven episodes of the psychological thriller limited series. "Now, I didn't know how to do it in a short format, so I let it go. It was not until years later that I thought about it as a series."
Cuarón said he knew two-time Oscar-winning actress Blanchett ("Blue Jasmine," "The Aviator") was his leading lady from the beginning.
"Cate was fundamental because she was in my head from the moment I decided I wanted to make a film, even when I thought it was going to be a short version," Cuarón said. "I was very lucky she agreed on doing it. She became my partner. That's a reason she's an executive producer because it's not cosmetic. She was involved in every single decision."
And there's no shortage of heavy-hitters among the ensemble cast:
- Oscar winner Kevin Kline ("A Fish Called Wanda," "Dave")
- Oscar nominee Sacha Baron Cohen ("The Trial of the Chicago 7," "Borat")
- Oscar nominee Lesley Manville ("Phantom Thread," "The Crown")
- Oscar nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee ("The Power of the Dog," "Let Me In")
- Emmy nominee Hoyeon ("Squid Game")
- Leila George ("Animal Kingdom," "Mortal Engines")
- Louis Partridge ("Pistol," "Enola Holmes")
George and Partridge are shown in flashbacks, as the former plays a previous version of Blanchett's character and the latter as a young man she meets while on vacation with her son.
"I don't think I ever set out to match (Blanchett's) standards because she's the queen," George said. "It was important for me to get certain little ticks of hers, certain little mannerisms and posture, and I think the way someone talks is really important. We both worked with the amazing dialect coach, William Conacher."
The secrets the main character is trying to keep involve very sensual, intimate scenes between George and Partridge.
"It's always a bit funny and awkward, but Alfonso, the production, the crew, Louis, everyone created such a comfortable, respectful environment," George said, noting Partridge is mature beyond his 21 years of age. "It's always like doing fight or dance choreography. It's the same thing. There's not one move that isn't pre-planned. There's not one hand going anywhere that I didn't know."
"They were tricky. They were more daunting prior to filming than it actually was when it came down to it," Partridge said. "Once I knew Leila, once we put it all out there, our concerns and established a relationship, then it's just, you're at work and you're having to think about so many things that it becomes utterly asexual."
Baron Cohen plays the husband of Blanchett's character, as he's learning 20 years later what potentially transpired on this vacation his wife took with their son.
"She's one of the greatest actors in cinematic history, so I was terrified, obviously, of working with her," Baron Cohen said. "I've been very fortunate that when I've done a movie like 'Borat,' I'm working with real people who don't realize their acting, so I'm used to working with the best actors in the world — real human beings."
Despite Baron Cohen's most recognizable comedic roles with characters he's created, like Borat, Ali G and Brüno, his single Oscar nomination for acting is a very dramatic performance in "The Trial of the Chicago 7" — and Baron Cohen is a terrific dramatic actor.
"I do my own stuff, and then once in a while, if there's an incredible director that is on my bucket list who approaches me, then I find it hard to say no," said Baron Cohen, citing previous collaborations with Martin Scorsese ("Hugo"), Tim Burton ("Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"), Aaron Sorkin ("The Trial of the Chicago 7") and Tom Hooper ("Les Misérables").
You'd think nothing would be daunting for an acclaimed filmmaker like Cuarón – who has received accolades for directing, writing, producing, editing and filming – but making a television show came with its challenges.
"Unfortunately, I don't know how to do television. I don't know how to do it because I have never really tried. I admire television directors because they are so efficient," Cuarón said. "I approached it as if I was shooting a film."
New episodes of "DISCLAIMER*" are released Fridays through Nov. 15 on Apple TV+.