Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction series — a reimagining of the iconic ’80s erotic-thriller — stands out for many reasons, but maybe most especially for the brilliant dynamic crafted between actresses Amanda Peet and Alyssa Jirrels. The pair portray the mother-daughter duo Beth and Ellen Gallagher, respectively. The pair wind up dealing with the ramifications of their family patriarch Dan (Joshua Jackson) having an affair with his colleague Alex Forrest, played by Lizzy Caplan.
After Alex turns up dead and Dan goes to prison for her murder, the two women move on with their lives, but are forced to face how to handle things once Dan is released more than a decade later. PopCulture.com had a chance to speak with some of the Fatal Attraction cast, including Peet and Jirrels, who opened up about their mother-daughter dynamic in the series, and why it’s so important to a modern depiction of parenthood under the unusual circumstances. “I think it would be really scary to not let your daughter pursue her own agenda with her estranged parent,” Peet offered. “So I also think it’s a really interesting dynamic and a good mother-daughter moment.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Sharing her perspective, Jirrels recalled the day they filmed Ellen and Dan reuniting after so many years of him being behind bars. “I definitely had whatever picture in your head you have before you go into a scene that you’re not supposed to have,” she said. “I had that picture of like ‘Oh, I feel like in my head, Beth, she’s going to be thinking about herself in this situation.’ And then Amanda came in and I could feel that it was really hard for her, but she was so taking care of me and making sure that it was okay. It just posed so much more for me in that moment and it was really beautiful and complex.” Jirrels then added, “I think it would be troupey if it was just one or the other, but you have a beautiful pull in that scene and things are going against each other. It’s lovely.”
Interestingly, during a roundtable interview with producers Alexandra Cunningham and Kevin J. Hynes — who developed the new series — as well as director Silver Tree, Cunningham revealed that angling the show more toward Ellen “was one of the first things” she came up with for an evolution on the . “I pitched it to a couple of people and they gasped. I kind of went, ‘I don’t know there might be something to this.”
When it comes to Peet, however, she almost didn’t portray Beth, as Cunningham also revealed that the actress was originally helping her find someone for the role. When PopCulture.com asked Peet about this, she confirmed the story. “I didn’t know if she wanted to talk about that,” she quipped. “Yeah, she called me maybe twice to see if I knew anything about the personalities of a couple of actresses. Then, I guess one night or two nights went by and then she called and was like, ‘What about you?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, sure. Sign me up.”
Jirrles then revealed that this was the first time she was hearing about this. “Wow. News to me. That’s cool.” She later added, “It’s interesting because I can so hear your voice in the writing, so it’s interesting that it was foresight. I feel like you and Alex have a similar voice, so that makes sense actually.”
The first four episodes of the Fatal Attraction series are now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes debuting on Sundays. The original film, starring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas, is also available to watch on the streamer. Those interested in trying out a free trial of Paramount+ can do so by clicking here. Keep it locked to PopCulture.com for more coverage of the Fatal Attraction series!
