Top 5 Surprising Facts About Big Little Lies
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VOICE OVER: EB
WRITTEN BY: Savannah Sher
Script written by Savannah Sher
Big Little Lies has taken home 8 Emmys and 4 Golden Globes, and now it's coming back for a second season. For this list, we're looking at the most interesting behind the scenes info about one of the most talked about shows of 2017. Did you know that the show was almost on Netflix? Not long after the book was published, several networks were vying for the rights to put the compelling story on screen. What ensued was a reported bidding war between two entertainment giants- HBO and Netflix. The show as almost a movie. At first, there were thoughts of adapting the novel into a movie instead of a mini series, but as Kidman said in an interview with Variety, “We wanted [the stories] to be properly dealt with, and to squeeze it into two hours would have been tough.” Did you know that the therapy session scenes weren't rehearsed? Considering how emotionally fraught and intense the scene ends up being, you would imagine that tons of practice went into it.
Big Little Lies has taken home 8 Emmys and 4 Golden Globes, and now it's coming back for a second season. For this list, we're looking at the most interesting behind the scenes info about one of the most talked about shows of 2017. Did you know that the show was almost on Netflix? Not long after the book was published, several networks were vying for the rights to put the compelling story on screen. What ensued was a reported bidding war between two entertainment giants- HBO and Netflix. The show as almost a movie. At first, there were thoughts of adapting the novel into a movie instead of a mini series, but as Kidman said in an interview with Variety, “We wanted [the stories] to be properly dealt with, and to squeeze it into two hours would have been tough.” Did you know that the therapy session scenes weren't rehearsed? Considering how emotionally fraught and intense the scene ends up being, you would imagine that tons of practice went into it.
#5: The Show Was Almost on Netflix Many fans already know that “Big Little Lies” the miniseries was an adaptation of a 2014 novel by Australian author Liane Moriarty. Not long after the book was published, several networks were vying for the rights to put the compelling story on screen. What ensued was a reported bidding war between two entertainment giants- HBO and Netflix. We all know how this story ends, because of course HBO ended up airing the show’s 7 episodes. Many viewers loved the anticipation of waiting week to week for another piece of the story, so we have to say we’re glad it didn’t go to the streaming service instead.
#4: It Was Almost a Movie Before the novel was even published, actress and producer Reese Witherspoon got her hands on a copy of the galley. She knew right away that the story was something special, and got in touch with friend and colleague Nicole Kidman to collaborate on the project. At first, there were thoughts of adapting the novel into a movie instead of a mini series, but as Kidman said in an interview with Variety, “We wanted [the stories] to be properly dealt with, and to squeeze it into two hours would have been tough.” After watching all 7 episodes, it’s hard to imagine which plotlines could have been cut!
#3: Some Major Plot Points Were Changed One of the biggest differences between the book and the show is the setting; the source material takes place in Australia while HBO’s version is set in Monterey, California. There are also several storylines that look different: for example Madeline is never unfaithful to her husband, and in fact the entire Avenue Q plot doesn’t exist. Also, in an interesting twist, Jane does remember what Perry looks like but doesn’t end up seeing him face to face until the climactic scene of the books. We also learn more about characters’ backstories that explain their actions- like the fact that Bonny actually grew up with an abusive father.
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#2: The Therapy Scenes Weren’t Rehearsed Speaking of changes, did you know that some of the most powerful scenes from the series didn’t appear in the book? In the novel, Celeste goes to therapy by herself, and never involves Perry in the process. Considering how emotionally fraught and intense the scene ends up being, you would imagine that tons of practice went into it. But in fact, the actors never even rehearsed their lines, so they were approaching the content in a way that was totally fresh and candid. While they ended up shooting all day, the final result that we saw on our screens was actually their very first take.
#1: The Team Will Be At It Again “Big Little Lies” the book is a standalone story, not a series, and all of the plotlines are quite neatly tied up by the final page. But when the limited series concluded, fans were clamoring for more content, despite getting a satisfying ending. It was announced in December of 2017 that the team was signing on for a second season, and viewers were understandably thrilled. Not only that, Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman have also obtained the film rights to Moriarty’s 2016 novel, “Truly Madly Guilty”, so it looks like we’ll be seeing much more from this dynamic duo.
