In the glamorous world of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” showrunner Jon Robin Baitz and creator Ryan Murphy transport viewers to the sophisticated allure of 1960s high society with one star studded cast.
Set against the backdrop of Park Avenue, the series chronicles the complex relationship between famed writer Truman Capote and a coterie of society’s elite women, including Babe Paley, C.Z. Guest, Slim Keith, Lee Radziwill, and Joanne Carson. These women, known as the Swans, epitomized beauty, elegance, and influence, only to be betrayed by Capote when he revealed their secrets in his infamous “La Côte Basque, 1965” piece.
The series features a stellar cast of actresses who themselves are no strangers to fame and “It” girl status. Naomi Watts portrays Babe Paley, Chloë Sevigny embodies C.Z. Guest, Diane Lane steps into the role of Slim Keith, Calista Flockhart portrays Lee Radziwill, and Molly Ringwald brings Joanne Carson to life. In an exclusive interview with TheWrap’s editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman, the actresses discuss their experiences inhabiting these iconic figures and the parallels between high society of the 1960s and celebrity culture today.
Reflecting on their characters’ lives of privilege and perfection, the actresses delve into the challenges of maintaining mystique and privacy in the age of relentless media scrutiny. Sevigny notes the Swans’ ability to uphold a facade of mystery, a stark contrast to today’s culture of oversharing.
She stated, “I think that the Swans were able to maintain a level of mystery and mystique that is very hard to maintain nowadays. And I think when that was broken, it was a real assault. I think that’s why the feud began because they were so protected by their husbands, even by society that wanted them to be a certain thing. So for that facade to be broken, it was like, “Well, they’re not used to that.” It was almost like the old Hollywood system where they were protected.”
Ringwald reflects on the evolving boundaries between public and private life, highlighting the Swans’ mastery of maintaining a sense of distance from the public eye.
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“I’ve been in the public eye way longer than I’ve been out of the public eye. I did my first movie when I was 13, but I’ve been acting in front of an audience since I was 3 years old,” she admits.
Ringwald also went on to admit, “But when I came up, I feel like it was possible to have a private life and a public life. And that was always really important to me. I always wanted to make sure there were times when I was working, and there were times when I was just me. And I feel like that’s not really possible now. And I feel like all the Swans were able to do that.
As the series explores the Swans’ relationships with Capote, portrayed by Tom Hollander, the actresses commend his transformative performance. The group also touch on the dynamic on set and dismiss any notion of rivalry, emphasizing their mutual support and camaraderie.
Sevigny admits, “We’re all professionals” with Watts also agreeing to the testament saying, “It’s usually just you and a bunch of guys. Maybe a sister or a daughter — or the other woman, of course! To be a group of women rooting for each other! We’ve given up on that competitive BS in our lives by now.”
Ringwald even goes on to say, “I felt like that’s something that was fed to us at a young age — that you were supposed to be competitive. That scarcity idea: Someone else’s success means your failure. And that’s just not the case at all.”
She went on to add, “The success of this show with all of these strong women, no matter who has more words, it’s great for all of us because that means that that idea that people don’t want to see women of a certain age is not true.”
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