Busy Philipps, from top, Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Paula Pell star in Netflix's “Girls5Eva.” “It's not just the chemistry” that makes the program work, Goldsberry says of her camaraderie. “It's the writers' understanding of who these women are.”
(Annie Noelker / for The Times)
Three seasons later, the reunion girl group sitcom “Girls5eva” sings a fair truth: The Emmys need an ensemble award. All hail the dynamite alchemy of singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, actress and writer Paula Pell, actress and sometimes talk show host Busy Philipps and Tony-winning “Hamilton” star Renée Elise Goldsberry, as their characters reconcile ambition , personality clashes and the cruelty of showbiz to live. their best second chance lives.
Even in post-photo shoot interview mode, this talented and superbly cast quartet display conversational harmony on any given topic, with warmth, humor and insight on full display. (At one point, Pell and Goldsberry even start singing a song from “Fame.”) “It's not just the chemistry, which we find amazing,” Goldsberry says of their camaraderie, “it's the writers' understanding of who these women are.” , its rhythms. It looks like an orchestrated score. “We all have our own tonal area, but for some reason, it works.”
The fact that they clearly like each other so much seems to reflect how creator and showrunner Meredith Scardino envisioned the arbitrary family nature of the premise. “Workplace comedies work very well because the characters don't choose to be together at the beginning, they come together,” Scardino said recently over Zoom. “And now, they would choose each other. They are true friends. “I pinch myself when I get to work with them.”
Pell, a respected comedy writer for 30 years, returns the gratitude, saying that television is hungry for what Scardino has created: “Having big, deep, ridiculous, densely interspersed feelings and jokes that have punchlines that make people laugh.” people laughing. “We need more of this.”
On what each person loves about their character:
Sara Bareilles: What I like most about Dawn is that she's messy. I identify a lot with that, the low-grade anxiety, good intentions but making mistakes. That not everything is good or bad. Especially this season, I love that she makes it clear that she really has this big dream. It's not just that she wants to write songs. It's: “I want to shoot the moon.” I love seeing that in the character. In fact, I'm in a phase right now, creatively, where I'm trying to loosen the grip of judgment, to kick the editor out of the room a little earlier in the process.
Paula Pell, from left, Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Busy Philipps play the reunited girl band in “Girls5eva.”
(Heidi Gutman/Peacock)
Paula Pell: What I love about Gloria is that it is parallel to my personal life, living my second chance and believing that magnificent things can happen at 60 years old. Women are always told, especially in show business, to just put it in neutral and let it go to the toll bridge. Well, Gloria has this thing about making up for lost time. I went back to acting, I started doing these things, I got married again and I want to live it all. That hunger and joy.
Renée Elise Goldsberry: I am a perfectionist and tremendously self-conscious. “Is this right? Is my motive right? That's me. Wickie is stepping on the accelerator. Literally the opposite. He has a high level, but the goal is to go somewhere. “I booked Radio City Music Hall the morning of Thanksgiving.” That's [my] nightmare. Because he is very selfish. We suffer the consequences of that part of Wickie, but because she does it with this group of women, it all ends up working out. It's how different she is, and that it's happening at this time in my life is a miracle.
Philipps busy: I love Summer's resilience, her openness, her ability to try. On the surface, she is a loud, blonde, excitable woman who may not have the brightest ideas, so I have to find the underlying layer of sadness and depth. I was fascinated by the idea of a person who was stuck at a certain age, in a certain place, and was having a hard time moving forward. Trying again for these girls forces Summer to live in the present, instead of being able to remain in the fantasy of who she was.
Paula Pell, from left, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sara Bareilles and Busy Philipps play a musical group reunited in “Girls5eva.”
(Heidi Gutman / Peacock)
On female solidarity in the world of entertainment:
golden berry: If you're here this long, the only way you made it is because you didn't see another woman as competition, you saw a sister. That's the formula to survive this. Even if our experiences are different, another woman can look at you and in her eyes say, “I'm here. You're not alone.”
pell: Now, when there are creators, directors and producers who are women, who bring together genuine female stories, you see the power it has. How much people love it. For years, I proposed something and they said, “Would 14-year-olds like that?” Then “Bridesmaids” happened and those same executives, all they talked about was, “I want it to be like 'Bridesmaids.'” Do you know what “Bridesmaids” was? About female friendship. And everyone loved it.
Bareilles: It does make me think about the music industry in particular, though. I have had experiences where you can confront this person or not. And I'm not competitive in any way. I would rather be aligned. I think in music, especially now, I feel a little regression, so it's cool to put a name to it. So I agree with you 1,000%. If you want to exist for a long time in this industry, the only way to advance is to become friends with other powerful, beautiful and creative women.
Philipps: I came up with so many actresses that I was constantly trying out, and these girls are still my close friends. The trick that society always tries to pull, in every industry, is that there's only room for one, but there's room for 17 men. Culturally, we are all struggling with that. And I just heard about someone who hosted a show about four women and [the response was]”In fact, we just bought a show about four women.” And that seems like a setback because of the tightening of this industry right now.
