George and Tammy, a Showtime limited series about life between country star George Jones and him A tumultuous relationship with Tammy Wynette, which premieres Monday in Los Angeles, draws on Jessica Chastain’s Decade-Long Journey There is a full stop.
The star – Oscar winner for playing another Tammy in Tammy Faye’s Eyes Newcomer – Attached has worked on since it was first developed as a film and serves as a producer on the series.
Chastain told The Hollywood Reporter that she was inspired by producer Abe Sylvia’s passion for the couple’s story, So much so that it “took me down the rabbit hole of who they were, and then I became obsessed with them too.”
“I’m very protective of them, I can’t imagine anyone else playing She, I can’t imagine anyone else playing George, that’s why I’m calling Mike” she continued, pointing to the supporting role she recruited to play Jones Michael Shannon . “I know how protective Mike is with the characters he plays, so this feels like the right recipe for the work environment.”
Since co-starring in the film, the two actors Take Shelter who has been an old friend, as Shannon said he knew little about Jones before taking on the role Much, but “I love working with Jessica, and I love singing, so it’s a perfect combination.”
Shannon – as part of the indie rock band Corporal , himself a musician—and Chastain, who both received extensive vocal training in preparation for the show, reflect on their first on-screen duet, “Something To Brag About.”
“It was fun, like finally. We’ve been working on it for a long time,” recalls Chastain, as Shannon added, “We’ve been waiting Time just started doing it, and the extras were really excited, and they were so nice to us—no one threw apples or tomatoes or anything. It’s a fun song, and it’s not too hard, so it’s fun.”
Sylvia said he was shocked and relieved the first time he heard his two leads sing together.
“I was like, ‘This is going to work,'” he recalls. “Taking these icons was a big transformation. They have incredible chemistry and an amazing trust as friends and actors, so together they go to some very dark places and some very happy places. “
“If they didn’t have that longstanding friendship, trust, and sense of the game, this show wouldn’t be successful,” he continued. dance.
Sylvia said she fell in love with the couple through research and fueled the decade-long process because it was “too big a story, too beautiful not Fight for it. He knew Chastain – he also worked with her when he wrote The Eyes of Tamifier – in Tree of Life
He was his Tammy Winnetafter seeing her in the episode, and talked about the importance of her and Shannon actually singing in the series.
“I think it’s important to remember that George and Tammy themselves convey so much pain, beauty, sadness, joy and happiness and all of these emotions in their singing, and that’s what we wanted to do with Michael and Jesse The card captures something,” says Sylvia. “The vocals were recorded live, and you can feel what they really feel in the voice at any time, and that’s how they are most like George and Tammy.
Despite the long road ahead to face the screen, the creator was never discouraged: “I think the gods of country music have been watching over our project to make sure we’re doing it the right way.” . ”
George and Tammy will premiere on Showtime on December 4th.
