Janet Nepales and Amy Adamsd (Photo courtesy of Apple TV)
By Janet Susan R. Nepales
One actress who has remained humble, grounded and largely away from controversy is Amy Adams, whom we have interviewed several times through the years.
Now married to actor-painter Darren Le Gallo and a mother to 16-year-old daughter Aviana Olea Le Gallo, Adams has maintained a low-key life, keeping her private life largely away from the limelight and tabloid attention.
The two-time Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee has also chosen her roles and projects carefully.
Her latest project, the psychological thriller miniseries “Cape Fear,” created by Nick Antosca, once again showcases Adams’ dramatic acting range. As lawyer Anna Bowden, she takes on challenging scenes opposite Javier Bardem as sociopathic killer Max Cady, as well as emotional scenes with Patrick Wilson as her husband, former prosecutor Tom Bowden.
Also featured in the Apple TV miniseries is Juliette Lewis, who portrays Crystal Cady, Max’s troubled half-sister. Lewis also starred in the 1991 adaptation, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro as Max Cady. She played Danielle Bowden in that film.
Other members of the cast include Lily Collins as Natalie Bowden, Joe Anders as Zack Bowden and Ron Perlman as Robert Cady, among others.
Amy Adams (Anna Bowden)
Congratulations on this series. You are not only the lead actress but also one of the producers. Why is this a passion project for you?
Well, when I came on, Javier was already attached, and I just got very excited about the possibility of telling the story of a man, justice and people’s fear of him. Is he destroying them, or are they destroying themselves with their secrets and their fears? And so, I loved the examination of that.
You mentioned Javier Bardem. Why is he perfect for the role?
Javier is, like, one of the best people to play villains of all time. He is really interesting because he’s the nicest person you could ever meet, and just very sensitive and lovely. But I think he has this wonderful mix of masculinity and vulnerability that comes through, and the strength in his voice. It’s all there.
While filming, did he ever really scare you?
Yes, in the sense of being so lost in the character. And he would do things where I’m like, “That sucks. That’s really terrifying.” But mostly, it was the psychological games that Max would play. Not Javier, but just getting lost in those characters together. It felt like it was very fraught with tension.
How did you get involved with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who are also collaborating on this?
I had worked with Steven years ago doing “Catch Me If You Can,” so it was really exciting to have him reach out and want me to be a part of this. And, of course, Scorsese’s involvement, having been a part of the original and being such a proponent and advocate for this film and for this franchise. I loved that they were so present. We were getting notes from them, and their involvement just meant the world to me.
Your character is also a mother, like you. How much do you relate to your character?
I would do anything to protect my daughter. Yeah, I really relate to her. And also, just the idea of kind of building this life that is not based on truth, you know? So, she’s having to come to terms with who she used to be before she can really honestly appreciate and move on with the life she’s built. But I think Max got in there and probably messed that up.
How was it working with Patrick Wilson?
It was wonderful. The whole family. We fell into this really quick rapport and chemistry. Patrick is like an old theater boy, and I come from musical theater as well. So, we both have the same sort of attitude and work ethic. We just fell into such an easy rhythm of working together. It was wonderful.
What was the most challenging scene for you to do in this series?
There’s emotionally challenging, and then there’s physically challenging. So, I think physically, the most challenging was the final episode. It’s called “The Trial,” and I think that was just because I had to be zip-tied for a very long time. So, that was slightly uncomfortable. And we were also building up this emotional tension. It took a week to shoot, so I think that sort of endurance was probably the most challenging.
You’ve done a lot of genres. What is your favorite genre?
Oh gosh, I don’t know. I love musicals. I love good drama, a good monologue, you know. I think I like them all. That’s why I like to keep exploring.
Nick Antosca (Creator) and Juliette Lewis (Crystal Cady)
This is an amazing psychological thriller. Nick, can you talk about why this is a passion project for you and your collaboration with Martin Scorsese?
Nick: I loved the “Cape Fear” movies when I was young. There’s something elemental about them. As Juliette says, there’s something almost biblical about the story of vengeance. So, I started thinking a few years ago about what that story would look like in the present day, and I became very, very interested.
So, we reached out to Marty (Scorsese) and to Steven (Spielberg) and pitched this idea where both lawyers were a married couple and were involved in Max’s conviction. So, their happiness is built on his suffering. And fortunately, they were on board. It was a great working experience. I had an awesome time.
Juliette, how was this experience now that you’ve been part of “Cape Fear” before?
Juliette: This was so special to me. Nick had mentioned it. We had worked on another thing previously, and he mentioned, “What do you think about ‘Cape Fear’ as a series?” I was like, “I don’t know.” And then a few years went by, and then I saw Javier Bardem and Amy Adams, and I was like, wait a second, where am I?
Then I texted him, and he was like, don’t worry. Then he had a whole part written. It was like three pages long. I was really excited about Crystal’s backstory and her obsession, what she’s after and how she gets under Max’s skin. I thought this would be an interesting thing for me to play today.
Nick, why did you choose Amy Adams and Javier Bardem for their respective roles?
Nick: They were the first choices for the roles. I was picturing Javier when I was writing the pilot. I didn’t know if we would get him. But I sat down with him, and we talked about what this version of Max Cady would look like, how he would be different but honor the legacy of Mitchum and De Niro. And if you’re trying to follow in the footsteps of those roles but make it new, who can you get? It’s a really, really short list.
It begins and ends with Javier Bardem. Then, for Anna Bowden, we needed someone who could embody strength and also a very human fragility underneath the surface. Amy was always my dream person for it. I met with her pretty soon after I finished the script. I feel very, very lucky that we got to work with both of them.
Juliette, how was the experience working with both of them?
Juliette: Javier, there’s nobody who does darkness quite like him because he’s such an exuberant, lovely individual. He has this screen that comes over his eyes. Not many people can do it. To be this close to him is pretty impactful. I thought he just did a one-of-a-kind job with Max Cady.
Janet Susan R. Nepales is an award-winning journalist and the first Filipina voting member and Associate of the Golden Globe Awards. She has been a member since 2008 and is the first Filipina to be elected to the Advisory Board. She is the author of the coffee table book “FASHION. Filipino. Hollywood. The World” and the co-author of the first FWN book “DISRUPT: Filipina Women: Proud. Loud. Leading Without A Doubt.” A graduate of UST (AB Journalism, cum laude), she is based in Los Angeles and is a Hollywood entertainment journalist and TV correspondent.
