The Star-Studded Dark Comedic Anthology “Roar” Debuts Featuring Powerful Female-driven Stories
Reported by: Tammy Reese
“Roar,” Apple’s highly anticipated female-driven anthology series will debut all eight-episodes globally on Friday, April 15, exclusively on Apple TV+.
Based on a book of short stories by Cecelia Ahern, the series is the first to be released under “Roar” creators and co-showrunners Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive’s (“GLOW”) overall deal with Apple TV+, and features an all-star cast including Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”), who also executive produces; Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”); six-time Emmy Award-nominee Issa Rae (“Insecure”); Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever (“Unbelievable”); SAG Award nominee Alison Brie (“GLOW”); three-time Emmy Award-nominee Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”); and Meera Syal (“Yesterday”), Fivel Stewart (“Atypical”) and Kara Hayward (“Us”).
Tammy Reese of Cultured Focus Magazine attended the virtual press day. In attendance was Alison Brie, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Fivel Stewart, and Liz Flahive (Creator/Co-Showrunner/EP). Check out our exclusive interviews below. Check out Reese’s interview with Emmy Award- Winning Actress Merritt Wever (“Unbelievable” & “The Walking Dead”). Wever stars in the "Roar" episode titled "The Woman Who Was Fed By A Duck".
“Roar” offers an insightful, poignant, and sometimes hilarious portrait of what it means to be a woman today. Featuring a unique blend of magical realism, familiar domestic and professional scenarios, and futuristic worlds, these eight stories mirror the dilemmas of ordinary women in accessible yet surprising ways. How they emerge from their respective journeys speaks to the resiliency that exists within themselves, and with all women.
“I loved having bite marks on my skin. I’ve never read a script like this and I’ve never done a dark comedy before. It was awesome!”- Cynthia Erivo
Check out Tammy’s interview with Fivel Stewart below.
EPISODE DETAILS:
“The Woman Who Disappeared”
Cast: Issa Rae, Griffin Matthews and Nick Kroll
Written By: Janine Nabers
Directed By: Channing Godfrey Peoples
A young black author with a hit book on the best-sellers list is about to have her big break in Hollywood. But when she comes out for her big Hollywood meeting, she discovers their adaptation isn’t exactly what she had in mind. A timely cautionary tale about the commodification of black art in the wake of BLM.
The Woman Who Ate Photographs
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Simon Baker, and Judy Davis
Written By: Liz Flahive
Directed By: Kim Gehrig
With a son about to leave for college and a declining mother who has been diagnosed with dementia, one woman begins to obsessively eat her family photographs to preserve the past.
The Woman Who Was Kept On A Shelf
Cast: Betty Gilpin and Daniel Dae Kim
Written By: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Directed By: So Yong Kim
The wife of a famous business mogul is so strikingly beautiful, her husband literally keeps her on a shelf for the world to admire. But when he begins to ignore the wife he once worshiped, she decides to step down from her trophy case. What will she discover of the world, and of herself, in this new freedom?
The Woman Who Found Bite Marks on Her Skin
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Jake Johnson, PJ Byrne and Eric Lange
Written By: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Directed By: Rashida Jones
A successful venture capitalist goes back to work after the birth of her second kid and soon after discovers strange bite marks on her body. As the bite marks worsen, she is forced to grapple with her own feelings of maternal guilt.
The Woman Who Was Fed By A Duck
Cast: Merritt Wever, Justin Kirk (voice), Riki Lindhome, Jason Mantzoukas
Written By: Halley Feiffer
Directed By: Liz Flahive
A single woman enters into a relationship with … a duck. When the duck turns out to be an emotionally abusive partner, our protagonist is forced to reevaluate her sense of self-worth and identity.
The Woman Who Solved Her Own Murder
Starring: Alison Brie, Hugh Dancy, Chris Lowell, Jillian Bell and Ego Nwogim
Written By: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Directed By: Anya Adams
A comic feminist twist on the male detective genre as told through the POV of the murder victim.
The Woman Who Returned Her Husband
Starring: Meera Syal, Julie White, Peter Facinelli, and Bernard White
Written By: Vera Santamaria
Directed By: Quyen Tran
An older Indian immigrant feels stuck in her lackluster marriage. Her solution: To simply return her husband to the store from which she bought him. But will her decision bring her closer or farther from discovering her true self?
The Girl Who Loved Horses
Starring: Fivel Stewart, Kara Hayward, and Alfred Molina
Written By: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Directed By: So Yong Kim
A feminist twist on the Western revenge tale told through the lens of two teenage girls. One, avenging her father’s death, the other, an old friend intent on stopping her. The two forge an unlikely bond as they take on this picaresque adventure and decide for themselves what justice should look like.
Check out Tammy’s interview with Fivel Stewart (“Atypical”). Fivel stars in the "Roar" episode titled "The Girl Who Loved Horses".
Check out the trailer for the Star-Studded Anthology Series “Roar”.
ABOUT APPLE TV+
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For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.