‘MORNING’ RUSH HOUR
Director’s frenetic style drives new Apple+ drama
W ATCHING “The Morning Show” on Apple+ might bring back memories of “ER,” NBC’s ’90s-era medical drama known for its quick-cut editing and frenetic pacing.
There’s a good reason for that — and her name is Mimi Leder, “The Morning Show’s” director/ executive producer. Leder was a major force behind “ER” in its pioneering use of camera gymnastics. She brings the same feel to “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.
“We did a couple of ‘walk and talks’ [on ‘The Morning Show’], which is a signature we brought to the forefront when we did ‘ER,’ ” says Leder, 67, who also worked on “The West Wing” and “Shameless.”
“In this fast-paced world of morning-show television, things happen very quickly moment to moment. You want to keep the action on its feet, you want to keep people moving . . . it has that feeling of urgency.”
Already renewed for a second season, “The Morning Show” stars Aniston as Alex Levy, a Katie Couric-type co-anchor of a morning talk show. When the story begins, her co-host Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell in the vein of disgraced former “Today
Show” anchor Matt Lauer) has been fired for sexual misconduct
— throwing Levy’s career and future into jeopardy. Her path then crosses with fiery underdog field reporter Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon), who gets the chance to replace Kessler as Levy’s co-host.
“This show is structured almost like a love story between these two characters, Alex and Bradley,” says Leder. “[They’re] colliding at very different points in their lives ... from very different backgrounds. It’s a great exploration of the different roles women are allowed to play. The pressure to be all things to all people — smart without being too smart, feminine but not too sexy, motherly but not matronly.”
While viewers will most clearly see Lauer in Carrell’s portrayal of Mitch Kessler, Leder says he’s a compilation of similar figures.
“Our show is not based on one story. It’s an amalgamation of many stories that are, unfortunately, still happening,” she says. “It’s not any one moment in the news cycle. We talked about keeping [Carell’s] character very real and very grounded. Mitch is successful, well-loved, charming, smart, and never questioned on his behavior. He’s a classic narcissist. He never thought of himself as being a bad guy.
“So it’s certainly up to the audience to determine that.”
To get the aesthetic right, Leder visited the sets of the “Today Show” and “Good Morning
America” to soak in the atmosphere around the set and check out their offices.
For scenes shot in Alex’s apartment, Leder collaborated with Aniston and the show’s set designers.
“Alex lives in a glass penthouse. She’s isolated. She can look out [but] not many people can look in,” Leder says. “Jen [Aniston] was very involved in what her apartment would look like. Every little detail was discussed, from what’s in her bathroom to what coffee setup looks like.”
Leder — the first female graduate of the AFI conservatory and one of the first women to direct a big-screen blockbuster that grossed over $300 million (1998’s “Deep Impact”) — says the topic of the industry’s changing gender dynamics was of particular interest to her.
“The show is really a snapshot of where we are right now in that process in this moment in history,” says Leder. “I’ve seen the industry change from being completely inappropriate in the workplace — we didn’t have HR years ago. This show takes a good look at where we are in that process and takes a look at the #MeToo movement.
“Things have changed. Misconduct is unacceptable. Those words didn’t exist a while back,” she says. “Bad behavior was normalized, without even realizing it. But not anymore.”