Few series bring together as many big names as The morning show, a workhorse with which Apple TV conquered a fundamental place among the major streaming platforms. And in the same way that it is shocking to see Jennifer Aniston, legend of the small screen and winner of an Emmy, and Reese Witherspoon, owner of an Oscar, in many shared scenes, when the two participate in a press conference to promote their third season it is impossible not to be a little dazzled.
What were you most excited about in this third season?
Jennifer Aniston: Definitely secrets. There were many, and every character had one that they kept and had to deal with. It reflects how we operate in the world, especially when you are in a very stressful environment, such as our industry.
Reese Witherspoon: My character is definitely the one with the most secrets. I have won the competition.
JA: That’s right. But what excited me most was that I knew it was going to be a great season, beyond the fact that I loved the idea of ??working again with all these extraordinary actors. I love being able to tell stories about what happens behind the scenes. In our series it is exciting to listen to the conversations and see the mud flying everywhere. Obviously I loved that Jon Hamm joined our cast, and that Alex had to stop working a little and try to be more receptive to what’s going on around her. I liked that she said that the time had come to have a little more power, to rise in position and for her voice to be heard.
And how did it go for you with Bradley?
RW: I have to thank all the scriptwriters who gave me all that good material to act on. In this season all the things that happen to Bradley are truly exciting, from traveling to space in the first episode to dealing with hackers in the second, and of course the fifth episode in which through flashbacks we find out what Bradley’s secret, seeing his brother at the January 6 uprising and trying to hide all that. It seems to me that all those secrets went against Bradley’s perception of herself as a person of integrity and honesty. It was a big challenge to her morality, something that was difficult to interpret, because she makes him very anxious. It was also very interesting to interact with the character of Billy Crudup, who suddenly stops respecting me. There was a big change in our relationship, which gave us many opportunities to play. I certainly agree with Jennifer that what is fascinating about our series is that we draw the curtains and reveal what the personal dynamics are like on a television network. I also like that the writers use what’s going on in the world. That’s why I wonder what the fourth season has in store for us. When we start filming again we will have a lot to talk about, and I know even more will happen. Furthermore, the world of media is constantly evolving.
Have events in the real world forced changes to the series’ scripts?
JA: Sure, that happens to us every year. In the first season it happened with the Me Too movement. And in the second with the covid.
RW: And in the third with the debate in the Supreme Court on Roe vs. Wade and abortion.
JA: I think our writers can sometimes see the future. I often wonder how they could have predicted that something was going to happen. At the end of the first season they talked about things that later really happened, like the cruise on which a virus appeared, and a year later it really happened with Covid.
Reese, what would you say are Bradley’s strengths and weaknesses?
This season has been very good for exploring his vulnerabilities. People who are very principled like her often end up looking at the world in black and white. Bradley is beginning to realize that she needs to be more compassionate in the way she judges people, particularly where her brother and her mistakes are concerned. Many people can relate to having a family history you’d rather not talk about or dealing with a relative who embarrasses you. That’s why it was very tender to play this woman who is so determined to succeed and be brilliant, and who suddenly feels that her family obligations have become an enormous counterweight. She feels very alone and at the same time needs to get away from the people she loves so as not to drag them down with her problems. It’s a very interesting situation, because she could have abandoned her brother, and she feels like it’s something she just can’t do.
