In two hours, Leila George will be leaving for the airport. Her destination is Venice, Italy. Speaking to the actress over Zoom, she’s clearly excited, but also nervous. The trip marks some big firsts for the Australian actress: her first time attending the famed Venice Film Festival, and her first time watching her new series on Apple TV+. Disclaimer In front of an audience and on her first big, prestigious red carpet appearance, the anticipation is at an all-time high.
The premiere went off without a hitch, George, styled by Kate Young in two stunning outfits, a diamond-encrusted Dior dress and a plunging Alessandra Ricci gown, both accessorized with Chopard jewels, and the show was met with a rapturous, six-minute standing ovation.
Disclaimer is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated shows of the year. Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón makes his television debut and Cate Blanchett stars in the seven-part thriller. Based on the novel of the same name by Renée Knight, the thriller follows acclaimed documentarian Catherine Ravenscroft as she finds herself a key character in a new book that threatens to expose her deepest, darkest secrets. As the events of a tragic encounter are uncovered, Catherine’s life and career are put at risk and the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred.
Cuarón, Blanchett, Apple TV+ – it’s a project any actor dreams of being a part of, so when George got the call to meet with the famous director, it didn’t seem real at first. Almost two years to the day we spoke, George heard from her agent in London that Cuarón wanted to talk to her the next day about a project he was working on. “It’s one of those mythical, legendary things you hear about in the industry, where out of nowhere someone gets a call, and I never thought it would happen. I’ve heard rumors that this happens, but until it actually happens, I can’t believe it could happen,” the actress says. Wanting to make a good impression, she immediately bought the book and read it all night, thinking that if she knew what it was about, she’d impress Cuarón. “He said, ‘No, you cheated,'” she laughs. He offered her the role of young Catherine on the spot.
Three days later, George was on a plane to London, and she packed up her whole life and never looked back, knowing that in a sense she would be leaving Los Angeles for good.
George was up for an exciting challenge: Until now, she has played post-apocalyptic socialites. Mortal EnginesA fugitive in an American western Kidand young Janine “Smurf” Cody Animal KingdomBut Catherine is unlike any character George has played before: “I’ve played a lot of strong female characters, but playing a strong woman in such a captivating way was really fun for me,” she says.
While we can’t reveal too much ahead of the show’s October 11 premiere, there are two versions of Catherine’s hidden story, which takes place on an Italian holiday: the perspective of a grieving mother trying to unravel the accidental death of her son, and the perspective of the actual death. This contrast was another interesting challenge for George. While the young Catherine is selfish and manipulative, making her easy to dislike at first, George experienced the opposite. While reading the original book and the script, even while filming, she was always sympathetic to Catherine and found reasons behind her actions. It wasn’t until George watched the show later that she realised what everyone else was seeing. “I thought, ‘Oh, she’s awful,’ but I didn’t know that when I was playing Catherine,” she says. “It was amazing to actually watch the show and see the evil in it for the first time.”
George shares the role of Catherine with fellow Australian, Oscar-winner Blanchett. The pair had met once before, when George was younger, but even then, it was just a brief encounter to informally take over the role. “She was so generous,” George says of his experience working with the star. “This is the character she created. This is her treasure. I thought that at some point handing it over to somebody else would be quite daunting, but with her it didn’t feel that way at all.” The pair discussed some scenes and Blanchett’s ideas, but that was it. “She just said, ‘This is you,'” she adds.
Apart from working with a dialect coach to mimic Blanchett’s movements and physicality, and to match her voice, George had a great deal of freedom in her portrayal of the character. Her more intimate scenes are quite numerous in the show, but George and co-star Louis Partridge (Enola HolmesTo perfect the scene, George worked with intimacy coordinator Samantha Murray. George likens working with Murray to choreographing a dance or fight scene; every move was meticulously planned. To avoid awkwardness, George and Partridge spent quality time getting to know each other while filming in Italy, and used various exercises, such as long hugs, to get them used to touching each other’s bodies. “We became so close that we trusted and supported each other, which was lovely. He was a real gentleman,” she says.
Although the subject matter was sometimes dangerous and heavy, filming was not for George. Half of her scenes were shot on sound stages in London, while the other half were shot on beaches in Italy. George thinks she will never get to experience this indescribable luxury again. Most of the filming took place at sunrise and sunset, with the crew getting up early and working until about 10 or 11 am, then enjoying a sumptuous Italian buffet lunch with a stand of mozzarella and pasta, Parmesan wheels, and a table of desserts such as pistachio croissants. After lunch, they would nap for an hour or two, then return to filming again at 4 pm. “It was really like a dream. We took our dogs and went swimming in the middle of the day. We were very spoiled,” George says of the lavish schedule.
As her time with George draws to a close (she has to catch a flight), Disclaimer The film left an indelible impression on the actress. The show was a turning point for her in many ways, and she is now eager to work more with writers and directors like Cuarón, with whom she feels safe enough to give herself completely to the role. “The whole thing was magical, Cinderella. I was waiting for the clock to strike midnight and everything to turn back into pumpkins, but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m just riding the wave. It’s been a really crazy, incredible dream,” she says.
Disclaimer It will premiere on Apple TV+ on October 11th.
Photographer: Ashley Batts
stylist: Carolina Orrico
Hair Stylist: Graham Nation
Makeup Artist: Patty Dubroff
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