Annie Weisman (‘Physical’ showrunner) on embracing the ‘challenge of bad behavior from a good person’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“I like the challenge of bad behavior from a good person,” reveals Annie Weisman. She serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer for “Physical” on Apple TV+. Season 2 of the series sees plenty of poor behavior from its core characters, but Weisman always manages to lure viewers into rooting for her characters no matter their missteps. Watch the exclusive video interview above. This chat was recorded before the writers strike began.
“I really love exploring characters that you think you’re done with, and then finding the empathy again,” explains Weisman. A prime example of the writer meeting this challenge head on this season is with Danny (Rory Scovel). It’s safe to say that his wife Sheila (Rose Byrne), and the audience, had written off their marriage as a goner after Danny’s poor decisions in the first season. But here he is pitching in with childcare, doing chores, challenging the patriarchy, and attempting his wife’s aerobics workout. Suddenly we love him again. “His flaws are not in his character, they’re more of his circumstance,” notes Weisman of why the shift resonates with viewers, “It really is kind of watching him wrestle with everything he’s been taught.”
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Of course, Sheila is the character that Weisman most often pushes to a breaking point. The writer believes that there is so much possibility within the role to go to extreme places because of the bravery of actress Byrne. “I appreciate the collaboration we have,” she admits. She built upon Sheila’s duality this season after seeing what “special and unique” qualities Byrne brought to the table in Season One. “You want to see how high she can jump and if she can clear it,” confesses Weisman, “and she always does.”
WATCH Stephanie Laing interview: ‘Physical’ director and EP
The most complex aspect of Sheila’s character is her inner voice that’s constantly trying to fill her head with doubt and self-loathing. Weisman explains that Sheila’s relationship to this voice is “like being in an abusive relationship.” Towards the beginning of Season 2, when the character feels close to success is when the voice tries angrier and more aggressive tactics to control Sheila. “It’s at the point of trying to leave when it’s the most dangerous,” says Weisman, “It’s not going to go quietly.”
At several points in Sheila’s journey, Weisman created heartbreaking moments where Sheila speaks aloud what the voice tells her. This includes some brutal confessions to her best friend and her husband, causing disastrous rifts in her relationships. Yet, Weisman keeps the audience cheering for Sheila, and the writer credits Byrne for the way the actress channels so many sides of the character. “I think she inhabits all of the complexity of it,” explains Weisman, noting that the actress allows the viewer to see Sheila’s inner struggle. With the performer bringing to light the duality of this character, viewers are easily able to empathize with Sheila’s “best self” and root for that version to succeed.
It’s easy to fall for the characters in “Physical” because Weisman creates them from a place of empathy and care. “I spend so much time with these characters,” she claims, “I have to love all of them.”
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