PLAYING THE MAD WOMEN

In ‘The Girlfriend,' Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke fight to the (possible) death

- BY EMILY ZEMLER

OLIVIA COOKE, left, and Robin Wright co-star in the adaptation of Michelle Frances' 2017 novel "The Girlfriend."

This article contains spoilers for the finale of Prime Video's "The Girlfriend."

After reading the pilot for "The Girlfriend," Robin Wright could see how the entire series would unfold. She was initially approached to direct the first episode, but she was so entranced by the adaptation of Michelle Frances' 2017 novel she came on board not just as a director, but as an executive producer.

And when it came to casting Laura, a fierce matriarch committed to protecting her son, Daniel, from his new girlfriend, everyone she pictured in the role was unavailable.

"My dream was Tilda Swinton," Wright says, speaking from the Ham Yard Hotel in London alongside her costar Olivia Cooke. Their Prime Video series premiered Wednesday. "The time crunch was getting narrower, so Jonathan Cavendish of Imaginarium [Productions] finally said, 'Would you consider playing Laura? You know her so well.' What interested me was expanding on each character and developing this show beyond the book, which was already very full and rich."

Cooke was Wright's first choice to play Cherry, Daniel's working-class girlfriend, who may or may not have suspicious motives and a violent past. The actors hopped on a Zoom call at the end of 2023 and were immediately on the same page about the thriller series. Both were intrigued by the idea that each episode depicted the characters' individual takes on the events, forcing viewers to frequently change their allegiance about who is right. Is Cherry deviously trying to push Laura aside for better access to Daniel, or is Laura paranoid and overbearing?