Created by Emmy nominee Robin Veith and Nick Antosco (who previously collaborated onThe Act), the newHulu crime dramaCandyfollows the real-life crimes of the 1890s homemaker Candy Montgomery. The well-respected churchgoer seems to have everything going for her: a loving husband, two kids, and a place to call home, but the fallout of a messy affair and the mundaneness of her everyday life derails her life plans. With her best friend dead, she finds herself as the main suspect and under scrutiny by her small Texas town.
Leading the series is Jessica Biel as the title character, and actors Timothy Simons, Melanie Lynskey (fromYellowjackets), Pablo Schreiber, and Raúl Esparza in lead roles.Game Rantspoke with co-showrunner and executive producer Robin Veith about adapting this real-life crime story, pulling together the show’s all-star cast, its five-day rollout, and more.
Related:Candy Review
Game Rant: What were some of the challenges you faced adapting this real-life scenario?
Robin Veith:A challenge was figuring out how to deal with the courtroom aspect of it. It takes a very special talent to makecourtroom scenes compelling. The other challenge was dealing with a story that involves real people, especially because nobody knows the truth. You have to accept that you are just not going to know. I had to deal with the responsibility of handling that. Like, how do we portray this story as honest as we can without ever forgetting that?
GR: What drew you to the story specifically?
Veith:It was this exploration of female rage and a feeling of repression that I think everyone can tap into because of the pandemic.
GR: What was your reaction when the cast was finalized?
Veith: I was just high-fiving myself all day long. Jessica [Biel] came on first, and she is such a powerhouse. Once you have someone like Jessica Biel behind you, it becomes easier to get the others. She came on, and we immediately bonded over being two weirdo girls who will go to sleep listening to serial killer podcasts like they are bedtime stories. That was amazing. She’s a tremendous producer as well. Once we had Jessica, we were able to get Melanie Lynskey for Betty and in my mind there was never anyone else. We were looking for the potent combination of power and vulnerability, and nobody does it like Melanie.
Then with our guys Pablo [Schreiber] and Tim [Simons], it was fascinating to me that they’re playing opposite what I’ve ever seen each of them do. Most of us know Tim as Jonah fromVeep, this big a**hole. He comes here to play Pat, who’s just like this really warm super dad. Pablo, who is typically in these alpha male roles, plays this computer nerd who just disappears into the wallpaper.
GR: When you were writing the script, did you have any of these actors in mind? Or did it come together naturally?
Veith:It came together perfectly. Once the ball started rolling, it couldn’t have gone better. We had our challenges shooting over COVID, but the team we were able to attract and assemble was top-notch. I can’t imagine anyone else doing any of these roles or parts.
GR: We’ve seen such a large amount of docuseries lately. What setsCandyapart from the rest?
Veith:What setsCandya bit apart is that there’s no correct answer. There’s no definitive answer for what happened. We’re asking people to keep that in mind - that we take these things as truths because somebody told it to us.
GR: What drew you to the release format of the series? Dropping five episodes back-to-back is uncommon.
Veith:It’s all part of the ethos of the show. This is what I grew up on - it’s how it used to be done. It is a nod back to the 1980s. We’re also premiering May 9 which means the finale is onFriday the 13th, 41 years later. The numbers 13 and 41 carry a great deal of significance in our world ofCandy,so it all just seemed like the right thing to do.
Candypremieres May 9 with a five-day event concluding May 13.
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