Actress Alison Brie has delivered multiple stand-out performances in some of the greatest ensembles in the last 20 years of television. Mad Men, Community, and Glow are but a few of her most memorable projects. No matter the role, no matter the period, no matter the genre, she always pops, reliably delivering sterling moments in classic projects.
Now, she’s back on the awards scene with another stand-out performance in Peacock’s Apples Never Fall. Based on the best-selling novel by Liane Moriarty, the limited series introduces the audience to the Delaney family, a once-prominent tennis dynasty now struggling to stay together when the disappearance of matriarch Joy (Annette Bening) threatens to tear the family apart.
In this high-powered ensemble, Brie plays Amy, the spiritual youngest child who pulls together a prayer circle to send positive vibes out into the universe for the safe return of her mother. It’s a performance unlike anything else in Brie’s repertoire. Ironically, it’s probably the most like herself she’s ever been on camera.
“Not to stereotype, but I grew up in Los Angeles. I went to art school. I’ve done by share of crystal buying and candle lighting in the moonlight. I feel like I have an inherent understanding of that personality type, and that was helping in terms of giving her some semblance of dignity and not judging her the way the rest of her family does,” Brie explains. “Amy really spent her life developing coping mechanisms from the effects of spending time with her family. A big part of that is connecting with the spiritual world.”
Here, in an interview with Awards Daily, Brie talks more about her connection to Amy Delaney. She talks about working in ensembles in the past and in Apples Never Fall. She also talks about further finding the character in costuming (the gauzy green outfit she wears during her prayer circle is a particular favorite) and about how the role challenged her as an actress. Finally, she talks about playing that tightrope that the Delaney children walk as they become increasingly convinced that their father murdered their mother.
Apples Never Fall streams exclusively on Peacock.
