The Morning Show’s exec producer talks Billy Crudup and Jon Hamm bromance
"Billy Crudup has this bromance that’s on camera with him. That evolved, they played so well off each other. It was really fun."
Apple TV+’s The Morning Show is back, and the third season of the drama set behind the scenes of morning TV series TMS boasts new actors joining the already impressive line up of Jennifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, Billy Crudup and Past Lives star Greta Lee.
Sleepy Hollow’s Nicole Beharie plays Chris, a former sportswoman who is TMS’s new cohost, while Mad Men’s Jon Hamm joins the cast as Paul Marks, a corporate billionaire with his own space rocket who shows an interest in taking over UBA, the company that makes TMS.
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, executive producer and director Mimi Leder chatted about how the arrival of Hamm’s character Paul Marks affects the dynamics at UBA from the first episode of the new season.
"He comes in as the saviour, as this rich guy who’s going to change everything, and change UBA and come in as an accelerant," she explains.
"He comes in as this power figure and he’s a very strong character, a strong, handsome man. He’s this billionaire and innovative genius, but he’s a lot more complicated than all of that. He changes how we look at UBA forever, how our characters look at UBA, and he forces people to come alive in a way."
Leder also revealed that the producers only ever had one actor in mind for the role of Marks.
"It was Jon Hamm, Jon Hamm, Jon Hamm – get him in the room right now," she says.
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"He’s a great actor, Jen and Reece had a great time [acting with him], and Billy Crudup has this bromance that’s on camera with him. That evolved, they played so well off each other. It was really fun."
With such an impressive cast, Leder admits that one of the biggest challenges is finding the space to give every character a great storyline.
"I think we did a pretty good job of giving time and stories to all the characters this season," she says. "Jen’s character, Alex, is stepping into her power, Reese’s Bradley has an incredible dark secret that really challenges who she is as a journalist. And you have Chris, a former Olympic gold medallist, who’s only had the relationship between the clock and the finish line."
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Leder promises we will see more of TMS producer Mia’s (Karen Pittman) personal and professional life, and there are also revelations to come about Stella (Greta Lee), UBA’s president of news.
"Stella has come into her own making decisions, and she’s starting to feel really comfortable in her power, but then she’s forced to face something from her past," Leder teases.
"I think a lot of the characters are constantly questioning themselves [this season]," she adds. "'Can I do the right thing? Will I do the right thing?' It’s all about the lies and truths we tell ourselves. The show is about our characters and their relationships – they’re all very flawed. They’re very rich, they’re very f**ed up. But isn’t everybody? That’s why I think the show is so entertaining, and it’s so relevant."
The Morning Show season 3 premieres on Apple TV+ on Wednesday 13th September 2023, with season 1-2 available to stream on Apple TV+.
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