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Connie Britton and Sam Nivola Star in Hulu's 'Phony'
· Confirmed
In Short: Connie Britton and Sam Nivola, who previously starred in separate seasons of 'The White Lotus,' are now co-starring in Hulu's new mystery series 'Phony,' premiering on October 20.
Connie Britton and Sam Nivola, who previously starred in separate seasons of 'The White Lotus,' are now co-starring in Hulu's new mystery series 'Phony,' set to premiere on October 20 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
The series centers on high school student Sonny (Nivola), who wakes up in the hospital after a car accident to find his mother, Ellen (Britton), replaced by an impostor.
In the trailer, Nivola's character, Sonny, declares himself lucky and calls his mom, Ellen, his 'favorite person,' as they laugh and enjoy each other's company at various moments.
Britton's character, Ellen, is described as Sonny's only parent and best friend, but after the car accident, Sonny is convinced that his mother has been replaced by an imposter.
Britton and Nivola connected over their shared experience of working on a Mike White set, with Britton noting, 'We did really sort of confide in each other and sort of support each other and lift each other up.'
Britton, known for her roles in 'Friday Night Lights,' 'Nashville,' and 'American Horror Story,' expressed her excitement about the new series, saying, 'I'm going to discover something new.'
Nivola, whose star is on the rise, has been part of successful shows including 'The White Lotus' and 'The Perfect Couple.'
Britton advised Nivola, 'Try to make it your own. Give yourself ownership over it, and love it. Know that you're all trying to accomplish something that feels special.'
The actress also shared her thoughts on the series, noting, 'It's such a relief to have a big part like this because I think a lot of the time when you're young and you have a small part, you feel like your job is to kind of be seen and not heard.'
Britton and Nivola's characters are both grappling with the bizarre reality of the situation, with Britton explaining, 'We are both playing, like, ‘Something crazy has happened.’ And we are both having to respond to that.'
What this adds
The series 'Phony' is a coming-of-age mystery that takes a darker turn after Sonny's car accident, diverging from Britton's previous roles in 'The White Lotus' and 'Friday Night Lights.'
Background
Connie Britton and Sam Nivola, who previously starred in separate seasons of 'The White Lotus,' are now co-starring in Hulu's new mystery series 'Phony.' The series premieres on October 20 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
What's confirmed
- After starring on separate seasons of The White Lotus, Connie Britton and Sam Nivola are sharing the screen in Hulu’s new eerie coming-of-age mystery series Phony.
- The trailer opens with Nivola’s Sonny declaring himself lucky and calling his mom, Ellen (Britton), his “favorite person,” as the two laugh and enjoy each other’s company at various moments.
- Things take a darker turn after Sonny gets into a freak car accident and wakes up to a woman who isn’t his mom, but vaguely resembles her, in his hospital room (both women are played by Britton).
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- The show centers on high school student Sonny (Nivola), who is convinced that his mom Ellen (Britton) has been replaced by an imposter after he is involved in a car crash.
What's still developing
- Britton spoke to Collider's Isabella Soares when Phony was in the early stages of development (she's also an executive producer) and revealed that she and her co-star connected over working on a Mike White set.
- While there has been talk of rebooting Friday Night Lights, Britton told Soares that she's not involved in it but had some advice for the new cast.
- Connie Britton helped launch the show's first season, while Sam Nivola starred in the third season.
- "It was very different. It's really uncomfortable, really," Britton told Newsweek.
- Playing a wealthy resort guest in White Lotus or Texas football royalty on Friday Night Lights is familiar territory, but here she is actively running in the opposite direction to keep things interesting.
- "I find that every single character that I've been able to play has just been such a complete, full experience, and I feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to do it," Britton said.
- " White Lotus, you know, I loved that experience and that character so much. And so that, therefore, I always try to go as far away from it as I can, you know what I mean?"
- Few people return for subsequent seasons of HBO's hit show The White Lotus after their time on it is done.
- Along with calling Sam a “great work partner,” she gushed, “He is so incredibly intelligent and kind."
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- “Sometimes, I would look back and I’m like, ‘Wait, which one? Who was she in this one?'... I hope it will be clear."
- "And he doesn't have social media and stuff, so I'm hoping that's not really on his radar."