Prolific writer-producer David E. Kelley jokingly said he would “never” work with three-time Oscar-nominated Michelle Pfeiffer, also his wife of over three decades; that is, until casting for his latest project, Apple TV‘s adaptation of Margo’s Got Money Troubles.
The 11-time Emmy winner partook in the streamer’s press day earlier this month, which also featured top series like Pluribus, The Last Thing He Told Me and others. During a panel conversation alongside stars Elle Fanning, Nick Offerman, Thaddea Graham and Pfeiffer, Kelley discussed the casting process with author and moderator Rufi Thorpe.
He said, “[The book] made the casting process so easy, because everyone fell in love with it. I think when you and I first talked, Nick, you had read the book, and that was it. You were in without knowing what we were gonna do to it. Elle owned Margo, I think, before I even picked up a pen. And the actress there in the middle, who I vowed never to work with…”
“I’m very difficult,” Pfeiffer interjected wryly.
Kelley continued, referencing their longtime marriage, “When I read the book, I could only see one person playing it, and we’re lucky enough that she said yes, the second luckiest yes I’ve gotten from her.”
Elsewhere, Pfeiffer praised the collaborative and tight-knit environment the cast built. “I don’t ever feel like you work on developing a rapport. You either have it, or you don’t,” she explained, adding later, “But even from the first table read, when we just sat in a room around a table and we didn’t know each other, and Nick was sitting next to me and I was completely starstruck and very nervous, and, you know, just the mega talent in the room, from Rufi to Mr. Kelley over here, and this cast, this extraordinary cast. So, honestly, we just had fun every day, and every day was discovery.”
Due on the streamer April 15, the comedy-drama — won by Apple in a competitive bidding war — follows a recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo (Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooters waitress (Pfeiffer) and ex-pro wrestler (Offerman), as she’s forced to adapt to new motherhood and mounting debt.
Nicole Kidman, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty and Lindsey Normington also star.
