June 18, 2018
Press Releases

This Generation's Leading Lady Amy Adams Talks Return to Television with HBO's Sharp Objects in June Emmy Magazine

In her new female-driven HBO limited series Sharp Objects, Amy Adams delves deeper than she ever has before to portray a self-destructive journalist investigating two horrific murders in rural Missouri. In the latest issue of emmy magazine, Adams reveals what brought her back to television, where her career had an unsteady start nearly 20 years ago.

The award-winning official publication of the Television Academy hits newsstands June 19.

The eight-episode Sharp Objects is based on the novel of the same name by best-selling author Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and was created for television by showrunner Marti Noxon (UnREAL, Dietland). The project marks a return to television for Adams, who appeared in several series early in her career but found far greater success in films. "It wasn't that I don't like television," she says. "I just sort of got [the feeling] that television didn't like me. It felt like I was in a relationship that wasn't working — and I don't know why."

But Sharp Objects drew her back to the medium. "I thought my relationship with television was something I'd left in the past — the nature of the work and the pace are so different [than film]," Adams says. "But I just loved the power team of females. We sat down, and I started hearing their point of view and how they wanted to approach it. That's when I was like, 'Oh, I can work with these women!' And that's when I started getting excited."
 
In the emmy cover story "A Special Relationship," Adams reveals the challenges of playing the role of Camille Preaker. "I've flirted with dysfunction in my roles, but I've never delved quite as deep," Adams says. "Camille is rough around the edges. She's trying ― she really is ― but she just doesn't do a good job of masking her issues, so a lot of her stuff is brought to the surface."

Noxon originally envisioned someone more obviously broken for the role but was thrilled to hear Adams was interested in both starring in and executive producing the series. "In my mind she's one of the few giant movie stars left," says Noxon. "Amy has a luminescence that's undeniable, and how true to the story is it that all these things about her character are hidden beneath the facade of somebody who has a glow to her?"

As an executive producer, Adams was involved in everything, from casting choices to production-related decisions. Adams even called in award-winning director Jean-Marc Vallée (Big Little Lies), whom she had previously worked with, to direct every episode of the limited series. "She was always engaged and opinionated and fought for the integrity of what is a very female story," Noxon says.

Sharp Objects debuts on HBO July 8.

Additional feature highlights from the new issue include:

  • In "Never Better," the cast and crew of the Emmy Award-winning comedy Will and Grace dish about the show's return and the social climate that has shaped its revival.
  • Emmy takes readers behind the scenes of Netflix's Old West saga Godless in "From Dust Till Dawn" starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Dockery and showcases the work of the dedicated craftspeople determined to recreate an authentic 1880s Western aesthetic.
  • "In Her Dreams" reveals the arduous process star and Executive Producer Jessica Biel undertook when portraying mentally unstable mom-turned-murderer Cora Tannetti in USA's The Sinner. Season two of the psychological mystery series is due this August.


About emmy
Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of the industry for a unique insider's view. It showcases the scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology. Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a six-time Maggie Award winner as Best Trade Publication in Communications or the Arts and has collected 52 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is available on selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single print and digital copies as well as subscriptions.

Download the press release here.

For issue/coverage contacts:

Carla Schalman
carla@breakwhitelight.com
310.827.3169

Daina Rama
daina@breakwhitelight.com
310.525.6496

breakwhitelight for the Television Academy

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