Following on from the staggering success of Normal People, Sally Rooney’s debut novel Conversations with Friends has now been adapted for the small screen.
The story revolves around pals and former lovers Frances and Bobbi and married couple Melissa and Nick, whose paths cross one unassuming day, resulting in a very complicated and messy entanglement.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com about joining the hotly-anticipated project, Melissa star Jemima Kirke said: “I’m never going to choose a project based on how successful I think it’s going to be because I don’t have a crystal ball. And I have no control over that.
“You just want to make it as good as you can. But yeah, you’re up against some comparisons, I’m sure.”
Sasha Lane, who plays Bobbi, added: “There’s too much other s**t to worry about, like the actual performance and filming it.”
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Kirke went on to discuss what it was that prompted her to say yes to the project: “The fact that this story was told through so many mundane moments and domestic moments, everyday interactions and happenings [really appealed to me].
“And when you have a story like that, it has to come through the performance. Without the performance, it is just someone pouring a cup of coffee, or someone studying – these things that aren’t remarkable without you making them remarkable. And that was the challenge.”
Lane added: “It’s from someone’s inner dialogue and you get to twist that because everything else is usually, ‘This is my character and this is what I do.’ But from this, you just get to play with how someone’s thinking or seeing you, and you get to maybe be different than that, or show a different side of that because now we’re no longer in her head.’”
For Alison Oliver, who portrays Frances, it was the series’ exploration of love – specifically that you can love more than one person at the same time, and that different relationships fulfil you in different ways – that initially drew her in.
“I think it’s really interesting, and that it is totally possible,” she said. “And I think what’s so great is she [Rooney] isn’t trying to drive that idea down anyone’s throat. It’s just present with these people, and you see through their experience with themselves or with each other that that is the case.
“Nick loves Frances and Melissa. And Frances loves Bobbi and Nick. And it’s what you do with that where the complication comes in.”
Conversations with Friends airs on Sunday 15th May, appearing on BBC One, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers. Viewers based in the US can watch the 12-part series on Hulu. You can order the novel on Amazon.
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