HBO Max’s Julia explores the early career of the force of nature known as Julia Child. The series deftly balances comedic and dramatic material as it focuses on the creation and first season of her groundbreaking public television series The French Chef, Julia Child’s pioneering work not only in the world of American cuisine but also in the world of televised cooking shows. Don’t laugh: Child’s The French Chef created the mold that hundreds of cooking reality series such as Top Chef or Martha Stewart Living would follow.
To tell a version of Child’s story, series creator/co-writer Daniel Goldfarb and show runner Chris Keyser (both also serving as executive producers) helped assemble a legendarily talented cast to play this larger-than-life characters. Acclaimed British actress Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) transforms into Julia Child, nailing her physical and vocal mannerisms perfectly. Emmy-winner David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) co-stars as her husband Paul who works to support his wife at a time when men did not take a backseat. Bebe Neuwirth, Fran Kranz, Brittany Bradford, Fiona Glascott, and Judith Light round out the fantastic ensemble.
Here, in an interview with Awards Daily, Goldfarb and Keyser chat about assembling the team and filming during the COVID-19 pandemic. They reveal what drove them to the project and why they think Julia Child is having a moment again. They also talk about key sequences that explore Black life in the early 1960s as well as the gay drag scene in San Francisco at the time (not to mention Julia Child’s status as a drag inspiration). Finally, they talk about what to expect as we continue the story of Julia Child and The French Chef in Julia season two.
Julia streams exclusively on HBO Max.
