‘Pluribus’ star Rhea Seehorn reveals the show’s ‘loving nod, hug, and homage’ to Carol Burnett
Marcus James Dixon
Three years after initially being greenlit by Apple TV, Pluribus will finally see the light of day on Nov. 7. And lead actress Rhea Seehorn couldn't be happier.
"It's very relieving, because you're keeping this giant secret the whole time," she tells Gold Derby in our new interview, while also discussing the show's "homage" to Carol Burnett. Seehorn says it's "definitely the kind of show that you want to talk to people after you watched it." She is "very excited" to start having those conversations, adding, "My own family knows absolutely nothing about it."
The high-concept drama is created by Vince Gilligan (The X-Files, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and stars Seehorn as fantasy romance author Carol Sturka, whom Apple TV describes as "the most miserable person on Earth" after a mysterious contagion makes everyone else happy. The actress received two Emmy nominations for playing Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul, which, like Pluribus, filmed in Albuquerque.
The character's first name is "a loving nod, hug, and homage to Carol Burnett, who is a sometimes-collaborator and beloved friend of both of ours," Seehorn says about herself and Gilligan. Of course, the 92-year-old comedian appeared in the final season of Better Call Saul, and Seehorn declares she is "now killing it on Palm Royale — unstoppable."
As for the Sturka surname, that is inspired from a 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone, titled "Third From the Sun." In it, Fritz Weaver plays Will Sturka, a scientist who seeks out a new home world, which is revealed to be Earth. The Twilight Zone is one of Gilligan's "favorite shows," Seehorn divulges. "I believe he said he's watched every episode five or 10 times."
She describes Gilligan as a "big sci-fi fan" who "plays with certain tropes and genres — not to make fun of them or even satirize them, but to turn them on their head." She adds about the showrunner: "He appreciates that genre so much. I think he had a lot of fun taking fans on this journey. He assumes the intelligence of the audience. He doesn't dumb things down. You've got to pay attention. The audience can follow when he takes wild swings."
Seehorn is not a fan of spoilers getting out before a project airs, though she readily admits, "It's increasingly hard with the internet. I love to read TV and movie reviews, but there are times where I'm like, 'Oh, this is getting so deep-dive. I want to experience it for what it is.'" She adds, "I love being surprised by that journey. And Vince said he does it for his fans. He wants them to experience something that hasn't already been spoon-fed to them."
She and Gilligan have "such a great working relationship" after collaborating together for a decade now. "The collaboration grew even larger, partly just for practical reasons, because of the size of the workload I had on this, and how many scenes I was in and constantly being with him. We were able to have him on the ground in Albuquerque — sometimes directing, sometimes writing, but always showrunning and helming the ship."
The actress sees Carol Sturka as "cantankerous," a "misanthrope," and a "fault-finder." After the inciting incident happens in the first episode, Seehorn notes, "I would definitely say it's quantifiably true that Carol is currently the most miserable person on Earth in this new world we're in."
The crew on Pluribus is "amazing," she tells us, "and many of them are the same people, department heads, and crew members that we had on Better Call Saul, and many of those were from Breaking Bad." As for working in Albuquerque, Seehorn gushes, "It's a very welcoming city to film in, but they might have already realized that. And the food is great, but they probably already know that."
Seehorn praises the city's "mercurial weather," which can be "quite violent and quite beautiful," as well as "the open skies and the landscape." It is "perfect for the storytelling of this show, of feeling the difference of being alone in a meditative, content place, versus being alone in a terrifying void where you're not sure how to get out."
Pluribus will stream every Friday on Apple TV beginning with two episodes on Nov. 7.
