‘Station Eleven’: Writer/Creator Patrick Somerville & Producer Jessica Rhoades Talk Their Life-Affirming Global Catastrophe Series [Interview]

One can argue that the art they create in the show—the plays, the stories, etc.— are just as integral and desperately needed for this survival, to cling to their sense of humanity.  It’s their survival tool too.

PM: Yes, it’s total survival. Storytelling to me is another one of those fancy things that actually was the oral tradition— trying to remember something that happened, right? Like,  40 years ago, all of us got killed by that tribe down the way, and the reason it happened was the guard fell asleep or whatever.

There was a reason, you told that story— to remember it, and it gets passed down. It gets embellished and a little bit more literary, and it’s exciting, but you told stories, originally, to keep you safe in the future.

I’m sure there were all kinds of practical, logistical challenges in making the show, but I’d love talk about the cast and casting choices starting with Gael Garcia Bernal as Arthur, who isn’t even in it all that much, but such an important catalyst and presence, even after he’s gone.

PS: Gael has an almost superhuman ability to be the most charming, likable, magnetic gem of a human being that I’ve ever been around. It just him, his spirit, and we needed that. Because his character Arthur is someone who’s done some questionable things morally. He hasn’t been the best husband or father, but you have to like him in this show, those two things needed to be true. And, you can cast a villain who definitely reads “bad guy,” and vice versa, but Arthur, like all the characters, is just complicated.

So, we also needed to believe the celebrity in him. We needed to believe that in our alternate world, Arthur had been embraced as special. And you can feel on screen and in his brief appearances. There’s not a ton of Arthur, but when he’s there, I buy it. I buy this guy is the leading man in lots of movies because Gael just feels like that. And that charm predates his fame, I think it’s just his spirit.

OK, let’s talk Mackenize Davis then too because I think she’s just outstanding in general, but she gets to shine here as well in a complicated role as well.

PS: For one, Mackenzie’s really funny, she’s hilarious.  I think the linking factor is she’s attracted the material. She’s drawn to things that have that tonal mix. “Station Eleven” has a hefty dose of gallows humor, to make this thing bearable, just like our pandemic. We’re in big trouble if we can’t laugh, right?

Mackenzie also has some of that same ineffable magic sprinkled around her in her spirit like Gael. I remember the first time I met her; her presence, she’s an incredibly present person when listening and in conversation. Her intellect is terrifying, honestly. I mean that as a compliment, her analytical brain is a force to be reckoned with. And oftentimes that can work against some actors.

But she’s ultimately a reader, studious and doesn’t let it pin her down. When she plays a scene, she has a palpable, vibrating power of emotional energy, she’s also like a high strung, powerful colt, about to bolt in any direction, but then also incredibly vulnerable, gentle, empathetic, quiet and sensitive. She could turn corners that not a lot of actors can turn, and we needed all of them for our Kirsten to be convincing.

I like where the character goes, because she’s the lead, the hero as it were, but she also gets really dark, intense and feels like she’s holding on too tight.

PS; For a time, she’s holding on too tight, yeah, but I think her journey in the season is about letting go. But also, it’s good to hold on tight to things sometimes, especially when the world’s ending. That’s quite a skill to have, especially when you are responsible for the well0being of 25 humans in the Traveling Symphony. She actually holds on tight, but I think that’s exactly what you want in a shipmate in this kind of story.

As you suggested earlier, there are versions of “Station Eleven” happening all over the world within your fictional world. I do love a finite limited series and I think you ended this so gracefully, but the nature of storytelling these days is an ellipses on the end of everything that could create more. Are you interested in telling more “Station Eleven” especially as the word of mouth on this show seems to keep growing?

PS: I’ve learned a new way to answer this question because of our pandemic. It’s like asking, what are you going to do after the pandemic is over? [laughs]. I’m not able to speak to that matter, because I have to get through today. It’s also true of people who have had cancer—as someone who’s had people in my family who cancer— you just don’t do much prognosticating about the future, or dwelling much on the “why” of what got you here. You just have to put one foot in front of the other. We just tried to make the best version of “Station Eleven” the limited series. The rest? Talk to me tomorrow [laughs]

JR: I do think the series has, and the world, has really put a fine point on looking at the present and trying to be as present. Just like McKenzie is always in the present and not looking at the before or after and, and enjoying this moment and the people we made it with. I think we need to just take a deep breath for a second and look at what was built.

It’s funny, you guys are basically explaining the show in your answers.

JR: We are creatures of this show, we spent a lot of time here. [laughs]

PM: There is no before, there’s no other show.  [laughs].

“Station Eleven” is now available on HBO Max. My guess is if you haven’t heard about it yet, you likely will by the time next year’s Emmy nominations are announced.