The upcoming series, based on Sally Rooney's debut novel, drops in May.
Hulu's Conversations With Friends is digging into the heart of relationships.
Based on Normal People author Sally Rooney's debut novel, the 12-episode series follows Frances (Alison Oliver), a 21-year-old college student, as she navigates a series of relationships that force her to confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time. Joe Alwyn, Sasha Lane and Jemima Kirke round out the cast. The series is told through the perspective of Frances, complete with voiceover narration, a slight departure from the book itself.
Oliver, a newcomer to the screen, was in her final year of college when she auditioned for Conversations With Friends, and the best-selling novel, she revealed during the virtual Television Critics Association panel on Tuesday, happened to be the first book she read during the pandemic. The young actress acknowledged that stepping into Frances' shoes was daunting but exciting at the same time.
"I learned, as I went on, to just allow that kind of observational quality and that kind of analytical in her head way of being that she so is in the book, and really allowed for a lot of stuff to happen. And so much of that came from [executive producer/director] Lenny [Abrahamson] and his guidance and his directing," Oliver said. "In many senses, nothing really happens but then actually so much happens. For Frances, just allowing to play that, just allowing what's happening around her, what's happening to her... just letting it in. When you're working with such incredible people, once you open yourself up to that, I found it an enjoyable and exciting experience."
Alwyn, who's been in a relationship with Taylor Swift for five years, was asked whether he's ever had discussions or conversations about open relationships. (Swift was never named but was alluded to.)
"I think people can do whatever they want that makes them happy. I'm obviously happy in a monogamous relationship, but I think one of the interesting things about Sally's writing is exploring the ideas of happiness and love and desire and intimacy outside of the constructs we've created for ourselves, whether that's friendships or families or relationships," Alwyn said. "As a conversation, it's endlessly fascinating and one of the reasons why people love her books and her refusal to -- without giving things away -- tie things up at the end of her stories. It's just constantly thought-provoking."
Watch the first teaser for Conversations With Friends below.
Conversations With Friends premieres all at once in May on Hulu and BBC Three.
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