Women’s stories are complex, nuanced, and they’re not often told well, if at all — but the cast of Big Little Lies wants to change that.
In fact, the show’s careful examination of domestic abuse is what drew one of its biggest stars to season 2. Meryl Streep, a self-professed fan of Big Little Lies, told reporters at the Television Critics’ Association press tour that watching this story depicted with honesty and care fed a “hunger” in audiences.
“This exploration of abuse and its provenance, where it comes from, how it continues, how people survive it, all those questions were in the air, and this piece fed something...a hunger,” Streep said, according to The Wrap.
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Streep is joining Big Little Lies as Celeste’s (Nicole Kidman) mother-in-law, who visits in the wake of her son Perry’s (Alexander Skarsgård) death.
TV Guide reports that Kidman and co-producer Reese Witherspoon also spoke at the TCA press tour, commenting that some critics who panned the show missed the point. Without name-dropping, they appeared to reference a review from The New York Times that likened Big Little Lies to the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise.
“There was one critic who probably didn't watch more than one episode and said it was a 'chick show' or something, and really tore the show apart,” Witherspoon said.
Kidman’s response to the write-up, which opined that her character’s relationship with her abusive husband was “worse than” Fifty Shades, was firm.
“I was like, please watch the whole show,” Kidman said. “Which is what I always say! Which I know is a massive time commitment because there are only so many hours. But you make the show whole.”
Season two of Big Little Lies premieres on HBO in June and will be available on Sky Atlantic in the UK shortly after