Fox's 'Pivoting' follows the friendship of three women after they decide to upend their lives

Jan. 19—Eliza Coupe was humbled when Liz Astrof sought her out for a role in the sitcom, "Pivoting."

Astrof is the series creator and reached out to Coupe to be part of the series.

That was back in 2019.

Flash forward to today, "Pivoting" is airing at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays on Fox and the series is resonating with audiences.

"They came to me for the show and that in itself is a special thing," Coupe says. "We were supposed to go into production in 2020 and we all know what happened next."

"Pivoting" follows the friendship of Jodie, Amy and Sarah, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, Coupe and Maggie Q, respectively.

After the death of a friend, the three women upend their lives in an effort to find happiness while there is still time, taking on the mid-life challenge they never saw coming.

Coupe plays Amy, who is a morning show producer that doesn't have time for her family.

Yet, after her friend's death, Amy decides to make it home early and be a mother to her two young children.

A few episodes into the series, Coupe has heard a lot of response from fans about making the big leap into something else.

"This series was happening before everybody needed to pivot," Coupe says. "I'm so glad that people are taking time for themselves and figuring out what makes them happy."

Amy is married to Henry, played by Tommy Dewey, which reunites Coupe and Dewey.

"Tommy is one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life," Coupe says. "We worked together on 'Casual,' that's where we met. When they said Tommy was going to play my husband, it made the project so much better. We just have so much fun on set."

In playing Amy, Coupe found an opportunity to break some stereotypes with women.

Being given the opportunity to show that Amy doesn't always feel like a mother is alright.

"Amy doesn't like being a mother but she loves her children," she says. "The beautiful thing here is why I wanted to do the role. We've been programmed and conditioned that a mother needs to be a certain way. As long as you are loving and nurturing to your children, that should be seen as success. Amy isn't a bad mother. It's beautiful to watch her embrace and open up to motherhood."

And then there's the part of Coupe that's playing a role different than herself.

"I laugh when I think of my parents and realize I'm 40 now and my mom had two kids by that age," Coupe says. "I have moments in my life where I didn't feed my dogs for a day. I'm realizing that parents are still learning with each day. There's no set out path and they are figuring it out as they go."

Coupe hopes "Pivoting," helps an audience realized that there shouldn't have to be a life-changing event happen in order to make change.

"Life is really an experience," she says. "We don't have it all figured out. Every single thing is a lesson and tool for growth. We should step back and ask, 'How do I want to make the best of life today?' We have these choices. What people do to us is out of our control. It's how we react to it that makes the difference."

Being a veteran actor in a movie industry, Coupe admits to having moments of clarity on what she would do if she weren't acting.

"I want to learn to be a farmer and to be self-sustaining all in the 'Captain Fantastic' way. Throw in Viggo Mortensen as my life partner," she says with a laugh. (Mortensen starred in the film "Captain Fantastic," which was filmed in New Mexico.)

Coupe does see herself making a change and moving from Los Angeles.

"New Mexico is on that list," she says. "My ex is from Albuquerque and I was there so long ago. I really loved it. I want to go visit Santa Fe and Taos. I'm really considering there or Sedona, Arizona, or Costa Rica or Italy."

ON TV

"Pivoting," which stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Eliza Coupe and Maggie Q, airs at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on Fox.