5 Things to Know About "Divorce"
17:33Sarah Jessica Parker returns to HBO with "Divorce." The dark comedy series follows Frances (Parker) and her husband Robert (Thomas Haden Church) as they try to maneuver their way through the process of becoming uncoupled. Here are 5 things to know about the new series. — Carita Rizzo
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Sarah Jessica Parker’s return to HBO is a much anticipated affair, but those expecting another "Sex and the City," which took the navigation of single life to new levels, are in for a big surprise. Although "Divorce" explores a single life of sorts, think of Parker’s new show as "SATC 2.0: The One Where Things Don’t Work Out."
The dark comedy series follows Frances, played by Parker, and her husband Robert, played by Thomas Haden Church, as they try to maneuver their way through the process of becoming uncoupled. Sound funny? Divorces rarely are. But in the hands of creator Sharon Horgan ("Catastrophe") and her fellow showrunner Paul Simms ("NewsRadio," "Girls") the actions of these characters are sometimes so uncomfortable that it’s hard not to chuckle.
The dark comedy series follows Frances, played by Parker, and her husband Robert, played by Thomas Haden Church, as they try to maneuver their way through the process of becoming uncoupled. Sound funny? Divorces rarely are. But in the hands of creator Sharon Horgan ("Catastrophe") and her fellow showrunner Paul Simms ("NewsRadio," "Girls") the actions of these characters are sometimes so uncomfortable that it’s hard not to chuckle.
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Sarah Jessica Parker met writer Sharon Horgan on a “Blind Date.”
Though their mission was to tear two people apart on screen, Horgan and Parker’s first meeting could almost be described as love at first sight. “HBO set SJ and I up, on a ‘blind date’ and we talked about the kind of thing that Sarah Jessica wanted to make and what I wanted to write,” says Horgan. “I came out of the meeting kind of thinking, ‘Oh, my god. I think I’ve just been asked to write a show for Sarah Jessica Parker.’ It was nice!”
Though their mission was to tear two people apart on screen, Horgan and Parker’s first meeting could almost be described as love at first sight. “HBO set SJ and I up, on a ‘blind date’ and we talked about the kind of thing that Sarah Jessica wanted to make and what I wanted to write,” says Horgan. “I came out of the meeting kind of thinking, ‘Oh, my god. I think I’ve just been asked to write a show for Sarah Jessica Parker.’ It was nice!”
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The role is a new challenge for Parker.
The character Parker wanted to portray was someone very foreign to herself. “Frances was somebody who was so weary in ways that I had not seen or had a chance to play, and used language in a way I hadn’t ever, and had a relationship with a man and children in a way I’d never had a chance to do,” Parker says. “I just want to play an interesting role. I think if I’m wanting to be one thing and backing into that, that’s probably no good for anybody.”
The character Parker wanted to portray was someone very foreign to herself. “Frances was somebody who was so weary in ways that I had not seen or had a chance to play, and used language in a way I hadn’t ever, and had a relationship with a man and children in a way I’d never had a chance to do,” Parker says. “I just want to play an interesting role. I think if I’m wanting to be one thing and backing into that, that’s probably no good for anybody.”
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Frances is nothing like Carrie Bradshaw.
Although many will make comparisons to the role that made Parker famous, the writers made no conscious effort of distinguishing Frances from Carrie. “I think this story is different,” says Parker. “I was always interested in the story of marriage, and by virtue of just that interest alone, it was automatically different. Frances was so much her own person from the moment I read the pilot.”
Although many will make comparisons to the role that made Parker famous, the writers made no conscious effort of distinguishing Frances from Carrie. “I think this story is different,” says Parker. “I was always interested in the story of marriage, and by virtue of just that interest alone, it was automatically different. Frances was so much her own person from the moment I read the pilot.”
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The cast found a new perspective on the dissolution of marriage.
“Divorce is always thought of as this solitary endeavor,” says Parker. “What we discovered is that to divorce, you need the other person a whole lot. The exercise is so brutal, and it can either be made better by this other party or not.”
Her on-screen husband found himself paying more attention to couples with kids going through divorce and brought that to his portrayal of a father trying to keep up appearances in front of his children. “The children, to me, represent a bit of a centrifuge. As you’re fragmenting, they’re there in the middle to keep you together,” says Haden Church. “It was the thing that I thought was so organic and enjoyable. There were performances within the dimension of the family. That was one of the key dynamics of keeping it authentic and believable.”
“Divorce is always thought of as this solitary endeavor,” says Parker. “What we discovered is that to divorce, you need the other person a whole lot. The exercise is so brutal, and it can either be made better by this other party or not.”
Her on-screen husband found himself paying more attention to couples with kids going through divorce and brought that to his portrayal of a father trying to keep up appearances in front of his children. “The children, to me, represent a bit of a centrifuge. As you’re fragmenting, they’re there in the middle to keep you together,” says Haden Church. “It was the thing that I thought was so organic and enjoyable. There were performances within the dimension of the family. That was one of the key dynamics of keeping it authentic and believable.”
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Sarah Jessica Parker missed being on TV.
Getting back into the swing of series television made the actress realize how much she had missed it. “It just reminded me, frankly, of how much I love television,” she says. “I love the process, the schedule, the speed, the urgency, how important every detail is, how little time you have to sort it out and try to get it right.” And it didn’t take the actress very long to feel at home. “I think it’s like a muscle, slightly atrophied, and you sort of have to remind it of the routine,” she says. “The day-to-day, actually, was really familiar. So it didn’t take long to feel natural again and very, very much where I wanted to be, with these people in particular.” Sounds like Parker hopes for a drawn-out divorce.
Getting back into the swing of series television made the actress realize how much she had missed it. “It just reminded me, frankly, of how much I love television,” she says. “I love the process, the schedule, the speed, the urgency, how important every detail is, how little time you have to sort it out and try to get it right.” And it didn’t take the actress very long to feel at home. “I think it’s like a muscle, slightly atrophied, and you sort of have to remind it of the routine,” she says. “The day-to-day, actually, was really familiar. So it didn’t take long to feel natural again and very, very much where I wanted to be, with these people in particular.” Sounds like Parker hopes for a drawn-out divorce.
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