Looks like we aren’t the only ones who are superfans of HBO’s Big Little Lies. During a panel for her new book, Whiskey in a Teacup, Reese Witherspoon revealed that Meryl Streep had a special request when it came to her highly anticipated role in season two — she wanted to be in every scene possible.
“We just finished shooting the second season,” Witherspoon said, adding, “Meryl Streep is in it. She’s in every episode! She wanted to be in every episode and I told her she didn’t have to be, but she was having fun.”
More: Meet the Newest Cast Member of Big Little Lies
Did you hear that, fellow fans? Not only are we getting a second season of BLL, but we’re also more Streep than even Witherspoon originally thought possible. News of Streep’s casting originally broke in January, with sources pegging her character as the Mary Louise Wright, the mother of Alexander Skarsgård’s character, Perry Wright, who was killed at the end of season one.
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Although Witherspoon insisted during her panel appearance that she was “not allowed to tell anyone anything about the season,” the actor and producer (two hats she wears for Big Little Lies) did hint at what will undoubtedly be a nuanced performance by Streep. “I’m always looking for a different perspective or something I haven’t seen before and she got humor in a very serious story.”
The serious part? That we get. Perry’s life came to an abrupt, albeit arguably well-deserved, ending. When we last left Celeste (Nicole Kidman), Jane (Shailene Woodley), Renata (Laura Dern), Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) and Madeline (Witherspoon), they appeared to be under surveillance by cops — presumably over the death of Perry.
The fact that Streep is in every single episode suggests she is a pivotal character. We always suspected that, as Mary Louise, she’d be disrupting the sense of calm that had swept through Monterey after Perry’s death, but with this new hint that she figures into every episode, we have a feeling she’ll do more than just disrupt. Will she become an ally to her daughter-in-law, Celeste, and the other women? Or is she coming in as an adversary, possibly trying to get custody of Celeste and Perry’s sons?
More: Big Little Lies Almost Didn’t Get Made, Because Sexism
According to a report from Variety at the time of Streep’s casting, Mary Louise is concerned for her grandchildren and wants answers about her son’s demise. In other words, she could stir up big trouble for our favorite ladies of Monterey. Plus, considering leaked photos from the set of season two show Witherspoon hurling an ice cream cone at Streep, we’re pretty sure Mary Louise bumps heads with the women along the way.
All I care about are these photos of Reese Witherspoon throwing ice cream at Meryl Streep.
If these were the only photos to ever exist, that would be okay. pic.twitter.com/68pZP0Isxf
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) August 1, 2018
To be honest, though, we’re excited either way. Having an actor of Streep’s caliber on the show is, well, fitting. The series has one of the best casts on television today. That’s the good news (it was a lot, so yay!). As for the not-so-good news, HBO has yet to release a premiere date for the second season of BLL, and that’s only making this waiting game even harder.
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