Here’s the first official look at Kate Winslet in Todd Haynes’ upcoming five-part HBO mini-series remake of Michael Curtiz’s film noir classic, “Mildred Pierce.”
Winslet will be stepping into the shoes of Joan Crawford whose stellar performance in Curtiz’s 1945 adaptation scored her the Best Actress gong at the Oscars. Haynes didn’t need too much convincing to get Winslet on board though. ”I only met with her twice. The second time she said, ‘You know what? I’m doing this. I can’t not do this,”’ the director recalled. ”I just grabbed her and we started hugging.”
Joining Winslet will also be the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Guy Pearce and Melissa Leo in what surely is already the front-runner for Outstanding Miniseries at the next primetime Emmy Awards (and one TV series we will be doing everything in our power to get our grubby paws on). There project has also earned recent attention in the press for Wood’s reported nude scenes; on which Winslet served as a personal mentor.
The story centers on a troubled single mom in 1930s Southern California who strives to maintain her family’s middle-class lifestyle in the midst of the Great Depression. When her unemployed husband is unable to provide, she separates from him, and with their children in tow, strikes out on her own. While Mildred achieves great financial success in the restaurant business, her relationship with her eldest daughter, Veda, becomes strained when she takes for granted the status they’ve attained.
Shooting took place in New York earlier this year with HBO set to air the series in the spring of 2011. We cannot wait, and yes, we’re truly bummed no one invited us to the set. [EW]