Director/executive producer Craig Zobel said that the approach to Mare of Easttown (HBO) was to take on the limited series as if it were one big feature film, preserving a continuity of story by going solo throughout in key roles–such as Zobel being the lone helmer of all seven episodes, Ben Richardson the cinematographer, Amy E. Duddleston the editor and so on. “That’s not normal for a TV show–even with one director you sometimes have two or three editors,” noted Zobel, whose career spans features and television.
This approach lent a best-of-both-worlds dynamic to the show. On one hand, a single creative artisan in each key discipline infused the project with a feature filmmaking feel. At the same time Mare of Easttown was not confined to a couple of hours on the big screen but rather had the luxury of some seven hours for character development and to create a portrait of a small town.
This mesh of feature and TV sensibilities is a natural fit for Zobel who has the distinction of seeing the first three features he directed all premiere at the Sundance Film Festival–Great World of Sound in 2007, Compliance in 2013 and Z For Zachariah in 2015. Great Wall of Sound earned Breakthrough Director honors at the Gotham Awards, and Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best First Film and Best Supporting Actor. Compliance won a Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival, a Critics Choice Award nomination, and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress (Ann Dowd). Z For Zachariah starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine and Margot Robbie, premiered in Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Competition and was released by Roadside Attractions. Zobel’s most recent film, The Hunt starring Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Emma Roberts and Ike Barinholtz, was produced by Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures.
On the TV front, Zobel was director and showrunner on the miniseries One Dollar (CBS All Access, which is now Paramount+). He directed the Shogunworld season two episode of Westworld (HBO), as well as an episode of American Gods (STARZ) and the critically acclaimed “International Assassin” installment of The Leftovers (HBO).
Also fluent in features and TV is Kate Winslet, who stars in Mare of Easttown. Winslet is a seven-time Oscar nominee, winning for Best Leading Actress in 2009 for The Reader. She has also earned a pair of Emmy nominations, winning in 2007 for her portrayal of the title character in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce.
Now Winslet returns to a miniseries on HBO in another title role. In Mare of Easttown, Winslet plays Mare Sheehan, a small-town Pennsylvania detective who investigates a local murder as life crumbles around her. Brad Ingelsby, who served as showrunner and EP, created and wrote the series which delves into the dark side of a close community and examines how family and past tragedies can define our present.
Mare of Easttown also stars Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross, Mare’s best friend since childhood; three-time Emmy winner Jean Smart as Helen, Mare’s mother; Angourie Rice as Siobhan Sheehan, Mare’s teenaged daughter; Evan Peters as Colin Zabel, the county detective called in to assist with Mare’s investigation; Guy Pearce as Richard Ryan, a local creative writing professor; David Denman as Frank Sheehan, Mare’s ex-husband; Joe Tippett as John Ross, Lori’s husband and high school sweetheart; Cailee Spaeny as Erin McMenamin, an isolated teen living with her volatile father; John Douglas Thompson as Chief Carter, Mare’s boss at the Easttown Police Department; Patrick Murney as Kenny McMenamin, Erin’s father; James McArdle as Deacon Mark Burton; and Sosie Bacon as Carrie Layden, Drew’s mother and Kevin’s ex-girlfriend; and Neal Huff as Mare’s cousin, Father Dan Hastings.
First-timers
Zobel collaborated for the first time with the lion’s share of his key creatives on Mare of Easttown–a prime exception being his first assistant director, Kayse Goodell, whom he worked with on the David Gordon Green-directed feature, Prince Avalanche. Zobel was a producer on Prince Avalanche while Goodell was a second assistant director.
Among Zobel’s many first-time collaborators on Mare of Easttown was cinematographer Ben Richardson, ASC. Zobel has been a fan of Richardson, citing his independent film work. A Best Cinematography Independent Spirit Award winner for Beasts of the Southern Wild (which additionally earned Best Cinematography honors at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival), Richardson has also been active in TV, as reflected in an ASC Award nomination in 2019 for Yellowstone (Paramount Network).
Zobel said that he and Richardson were simpatico on the approach toward Mare of Easttown. “It needed to be naturalistic, all about the acting. We weren’t trying to make a show with an aggressive visual style that would impact the naturalism of the acting.” At the same time, continued Zobel, the style of the show grew “out of the two of us interacting with each other.”
That and all conventional collaborative interactions, though, were interrupted by the pandemic lockdown. About one-third of the show had been shot before quarantine. This meant that change had to be adopted, embraced and adapted to when shooting resumed. The spirit of the narrative was preserved even though adjustments had to be made. “We couldn’t do that scene that was supposed to have 200 extras,” noted Zobel. Thankfully, he continued, HBO provided the time and support necessary to bring the project to fruition–as well as a commitment to the health and safety of all involved.
Vigilance was needed on another front as well in that the story was shot out of order. This had Zobel and his colleagues continually questioning how things were unfolding–not just in the context of a drama but also a murder mystery. Did the audience know a certain storypoint relative to the scene being filmed? “We had to be constantly thinking of those things,” said Zobel
That dynamic as well as the pandemic became manageable thanks to a calm working environment, continued Zobel. This calm feel and mindset made everyone happier and more productive, serving as a valuable lesson to apply to the future–even in the absence of a crisis like COVID-19.
Editor’s note: This is the third installment of SHOOT’s 16-part weekly The Road To Emmy Series of feature stories. The features will explore the field of Emmy contenders, and then nominees spanning such disciplines as directing, writing, producing, showrunning, cinematography, editing, production design, music, sound and visual effects. The Road To Emmy series will then be followed by coverage of the Creative Arts Emmy winners in September, and then the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on September 19 broadcast live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
