Rhea Seehorn Trades Legal Battles for Saving the World in Apple TV’s “Pluribus”
After her stint as a lawyer fighting for justice in Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s “Better Call Saul,” Rhea Seehorn takes on a new challenge in Apple TV’s sci-fi drama “Pluribus.” In this series, Seehorn stars as Carol Sturka, an author tasked with saving the world from a mysterious virus that threatens to eliminate happiness. What sets this role apart for Seehorn is the exploration of female anger and its consequences, a theme that resonated with her on a personal level.
“I feel like for me as a woman specifically playing this role, one thing that I got really interested in was that a woman’s anger is seen as a detriment and having dire consequences. But then, it’s this special quality that makes her different. That was very interesting to me as somebody that suppresses my anger, and I really loved exploring somebody that is impulsive and reactive, and then dealing with the obstacle of being told there are dire consequences,” Seehorn shared with Variety at the “Pluribus” premiere in Los Angeles.
Creator Vince Gilligan, who specifically wrote the lead role of Carol Sturka with Seehorn in mind, expressed his admiration for the talented actress. “I created ‘Pluribus’ for Rhea Seehorn and because I wanted to work with her again,” Gilligan stated. “I was very selfish. I knew that she is such a wonderful actor that people would snap her right up and put her in a movie or a TV show, and I wouldn’t get to work with her for a while.”
To bring “Pluribus” to life, Gilligan reunited with several collaborators from “Breaking Bad,” forming a creative team that he trusts and enjoys working with. “I like working with people I worked with before, and I like working with my crew behind the camera too,” Gilligan explained. “To me, it’s like working with a family that you really get along well with.”
Actress Karolina Wydra, who plays the character Zosia in “Pluribus,” hopes that viewers will connect with the characters and themes of the series. “With Carol, she’s such a strong female character that is a reluctant hero, but she’s a hero who fights for something that she truly believes in. There’s an empowerment in that. For Zosia, her kindness and her sereneness has something inside that is so stunning and beautiful,” Wydra shared.
The first two episodes of “Pluribus” are now streaming on Apple TV, offering audiences a glimpse into a world where happiness is at stake, and a group of unlikely heroes must rise to the challenge of saving humanity.
