AppleTV+’s Five Days at Memorial is not an easy sit. The acclaimed limited series, based on the book of the same name by Sheri Fink, gives the audience a window into the events at New Orlean’s Memorial Hospital during and following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Both brutal and poignant, Five Days doesn’t shy away from the tough questions raised by the case of Dr. Anna Pou who faced second-degree murder charges in connection with four deaths at LifeCare, a private health care company located in Memorial Hospital.
But the complex material never fails to compel thanks, in part, to the stunningly brilliant performances from Vera Farmiga and Cherry Jones. Jones plays Memorial’s traumatized disaster coordinator Susan Mulderick, and Farmiga has the key role of Pou. Both actresses command your attention at all times, bringing deeply honest portrayals to this painful true-life story. No matter your take on the events and on Dr. Pou’s (among others’) actions, you simply cannot deny the power of this balanced, thoughtful limited series anchored by Jones and Farmiga.
Here, in an interview with Awards Daily, both Jones and Farmiga sit down to talk about their approach to the material. What about this project intrigued them both? How did they approach their characters without access to the actual people? They talk about filming in the painstakingly recreated Memorial Hospital and how it helped them connect to the material. Finally, they reveal deeply personal connections to the material found in their own lives.
Please enjoy this fascinating interview with two of the greatest actresses working today.
Five Days at Memorial is now streaming on AppleTV+.
