When you think of female-focused television, you probably associate it with all things light and fluffy, but Roar is the gritty new series set to shake up the game. Starring industry heavyweights like Nicole Kidman and Alison Brie, the show tells eight different stories of what it means to be a woman — but not in the ways you’d expect.
Co-creator Liz Flahive (who also created Glow) describes it as “a bit warmer to the touch than Black Mirror”, but definitely still provocative in nature. “We hope that they linger after you watch them. They’re all made to be very distinct but I think the fun part is smashing them up against each other and seeing what that does to your brain after you watch them and think about them,” Flahive told marie claire Australia in an exclusive interview.
Below, everything we know about Roar, including a behind-the-scenes insight on filming Nicole Kidman’s Australia-driven episode.
What is the plot of Roar?
Based on the collection of stories by the same name, written by Cecelia Ahern, each episode of Roar tells the story of a different woman and the challenges she’s facing. From one woman attempting to solve her own murder to another who enters an abusive relationship with a duck, they seem to border on the absurd, but are rich with deeper meaning.
“When we read the book of short stories, Carly and I were both struck by just how sticky the ideas were,” Liz said. The writing was fairly spare in terms of the characters and specifics as well, so we were able to really put ourselves into the story and make it our own. We had a lot of space to play, which was exciting.”
No two stories are the same and none of them are interconnected in any way. Each episode is a brand new woman and a brand new tale to tell, you’ll just have to watch to find out exactly what they are.
Who will appear in Roar?
The series features a star-studded cast, with Nicole Kidman working as both an actor in one episode and a producer. Alison Brie, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Issa Rae, Fivel Stewart and Kara Hayward star in the remaining episodes.
Liz Flahive on working with Nicole Kidman
“Nicole was the only actor we had attached initially, because she’s also a producer and wanted to act in one of them, which we were thrilled about,” Liz explained, when asked how Nicole’s involvement in the show had come about.
“We had months and months of working with her just as a producer, to the point where I kind of forgot she was an actor. Then all of a sudden, she got in front of the camera and you were like, ‘Oh, right, she’s Nicole Kidman, she can do anything’. It was insane.
Upon watching the episode, viewers will immediately notice that everything feels distinctly Australian. Watching Nicole eat Cheezels in the car while singing along to INXS will likely unlock a core, nostalgic memory for many Australian viewers — but above all else, it’s nice to watch Nicole return to her Aussie roots, which feels like a rarity for the actress.
“We had a lot of talks about where she would live, where her mother would live and her being married to a tradie,” Liz said, of their decision to push the Australian angle as far as they could. “It was delightful to have a real lesson in Aussie culture for me, because I was the American writer,” she explained, before going on to add that the entire team working on the episode (including the director) were Australian, so it was a fully immersive experience for her.
“It was also thrilling to hear her be Australian on screen, you know. There was such an ease to it. I think she was honestly just so thrilled to be shooting in Australia and it was exciting for all of us, honestly.
As for the other chosen songs in Nicole’s road trip playlist, Liz confirmed that they were “hotly debated,” before adding that she “really wanted to make sure it felt right for Nicole’s character.”
“The thing I loved about her was just how generous she was as an actor. She would try anything,” Liz said with a smile.
Recalling the specific scene where Nicole eats a photograph in order to preserve her most precious memories, Liz laughs about how willing Nicole was to do the same take over and over again to ensure the finished product was the best possible result.
“Well, do you want me to try to shove it into my mouth differently?” Nicole would ask the film crew. “She just was so playful and collaborative and game and invested, and she could have been like, ‘I can do this in two takes. I’m done’, but that’s that’s not how she rolls.”
Liz Flahive on creating a female-focused show
While Roar is undeniably female-focused, it doesn’t exclude the stories of men, it’s just flipped the typical script on its head. In an industry where male actors are encouraged to try new things and step outside the box, Flahive asked why women weren’t able to do the same.
“I keep having that feeling of ‘boys get to be weird all the time, so why can’t we?’. That was a fun space to play in and I hope it provokes conversation at the very least,” she said.
Jake Johnson, Alfred Molina and Daniel Dae Kim are just a few male actors who appear in various episodes, and while they’re certainly not taking on leading roles, they were all too happy to supplement the bigger storyline and takie a backseat to the strong, female characters.
“The male actors we worked with were extraordinary and it was cool to see how many incredibly talented, leading men would come play supporting roles to these extraordinary women. A lot of people have talked about how it can be hard to get people of a certain caliber to be supporting actors, because they’re always offered more than that. We had these amazing actors who were like, ‘Yeah, I’d love to’, so it’s really encouraging,” Liz explained.
When will Roar premiere?
Roar will premiere on Apple TV+ on the 15th April. You can start your subscription here.
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