After working as a lawyer trying to save Saul Goodman on Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s “Better Call Saul,” it’s Rhea Seehorn’s turn to save the world on Apple TV’s “Pluribus.”
In the new sci-fi drama, Seehorn plays Carol Starka, a writer who must save the world from happiness after a mysterious virus spreads. After previously working with Gilligan on “Better Call Saul” for seven years, Seehorn was approached with the opportunity to star in “Pluribus,” which was originally written for a male lead but was quickly changed.
“Vince[Gilligan]always tries to write without preaching answers. He doesn’t tell the audience what to think, he trusts the intelligence of the fans,” Seehorn told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of Pluribus. “What was really interesting to me, especially as a woman playing this role, is that anger in women is thought to be harmful and have dire consequences, but this particular quality is what makes her different. As an anger manager, that was very interesting to me, and I really loved exploring this impulsive, reactive character and dealing with the obstacles of being told that there are dire consequences.”
“I made ‘Pluribus’ for Rhea Seehorn because I wanted to work with her again,” Gilligan revealed on the red carpet. “I was so selfish. I knew that because she’s such a great actor, people would put her in movies and TV shows right away, and then I wouldn’t be working with her for a while.”
During production, Gilligan worked with writers, directors, cinematographers and others who had previously worked on Breaking Bad to create the world of Pluribus. “I like working with people I’ve worked with before, and I like working with the people behind the camera,” Gilligan said. “I’ve been working with some of these guys for almost 20 years, going back to the early days of ‘Breaking Bad,’ and they’re all really great people. To me, it’s like working with a really close family.”
Actress Karolina Wydra hopes viewers will identify with and empathize with her characters Zosia and Carol as they navigate a new world based on optimism. “In Carol’s case, she’s a very strong female character, and she’s a reluctant hero, but she’s a hero who fights for what she really believes in. That’s empowering. For Zosia, her kindness and quietness have something so amazing and beautiful inside.”
The first two episodes of “Pluribus” are available on Apple TV.
