‘The Morning Present’ Director on the Intercourse Scene Designed to “Break the Web”

[This story contains spoilers from the sixth episode of The Morning Show season three, “The Stanford Student.”]

The celebrities of The Morning Present continually make controversial selections. That’s what makes them relatable, in response to the inventive workforce behind the Apple TV+ sequence who had promised eyebrow-raising choices to come back from their starring protagonists performed by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon within the at present airing third season.

And following final week’s 2020 flashback reveal that Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson buried proof across the Jan. 6 riot, the sixth episode within the media drama now positioned Aniston’s Alex Levy within the sizzling seat as she decides to blur moral traces — as soon as once more — in relation to her private relationships.

Alex famously had an intimate relationship along with her disgraced former morning present co-anchor, Mitch Kessler, performed by Steve Carrell. Mitch, who was fired from the present throughout the present, additionally titled The Morning Present, over sexual assault, practically value Alex her profession: She was labeled an enabler and practically canceled when information of their affair went public. Following Mitch’s dying, nonetheless, Alex emerged as a truth-speaker within the COVID period and the star entered the third season with sufficient backing behind her to have the ability to combat for a seat on the desk at her company community UBA.

Then, nonetheless, in walks a brand new tech titan performed by Jon Hamm and his character, Paul Marks, threatens to set her off her axis. Early episodes simmered with stress between the pair as they sparred over large tech’s rising function in legacy media corporations, as he’s pursuing a deal that will give him the keys to UBA. The sixth episode then noticed Alex sitting down for a one-on-one interview with Marks that led to the pair hopping into mattress collectively.

For director Mimi Leder, who helmed the sixth hour titled “The Stanford Pupil,” the possibility to seize Aniston and Hamm’s chemistry — which begins with passionate kissing and ends with them mendacity, stark bare, on prime of each other in mattress — was, effectively, enjoyable.

“Capturing that chemistry between Jon and Jen? I don’t know. Let me simply say, I believe it’s going to interrupt the web,” Leder advised The Hollywood Reporter in an interview at the beginning of the season. “That they had such nice chemistry collectively and it was so enjoyable bringing it to life on digital camera.”

Added Media Res government producer Michael Ellenberg, “Mimi, Jen and Jon did lovely work there. They’re fearless. Jen’s fearless. All of them went for it. It’s two good, iconic actors and I believe Mimi is appropriate. It’s a extremely viral episode and it’s a extremely explosive one which we’re in search of audiences to see.”

As THR beforehand reported, the audition checklist for the Paul Marks character was that of 1. Hamm was the one actor eyed for the half, steered by co-star Aniston, as the buddies had lengthy needed to work collectively. The character, although harking back to billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — as is clear by Marks’ ardour for the area race and media mixed — is an amalgam of various people, mentioned the inventive workforce. However his entrance was meant to shake up the whole season, which isn’t dissimilar to the evolving function of massive tech and media on the present second.

At one level within the present, the competing channel’s information anchor performed by Julianna Margulies warns {that a} Paul Marks takeover represents a “billionaire with an outsized aversion to the press be[ing] handed the keys to a legacy media firm at a time when fact issues greater than ever.”

The episode, which is now airing amid the backdrop of the real-life information of the Israel-Hamas conflict and surging questions on how social media corporations like X (previously Twitter) and Meta are dealing with the unfold of misinformation and violent movies, is yet one more manner The Morning Present, which has Charlotte Stoudt as its showrunner this season, continues to be a prescient piece of tv.

“Every little thing on the present is researched very fastidiously,” mentioned Lauren Neustadter, who produces the sequence with Witherspoon by means of Whats up Sunshine, when chatting with THR forward of the season. “You possibly can inform by the authenticity of the best way we peak backstage of those morning information reveals that there’s nice consideration to element, so I believe that Paul Marks is extremely grounded and genuine in a manner that feels very Charlotte Stoudt. He’s clearly a divisive particular person and an individual who acts as a catalyst for a lot of the drama and the battle within the season, however he’s additionally a dwelling, respiration human being who subverts expectation in actually fascinating methods.”

She added, “When fascinated about UBA and the way forward for the community, and likewise simply fascinated about broadcast entities and media corporations typically, there was a number of wanting into the longer term and imaging, but in addition an actual dedication to inform these tales and take into consideration these items from very nuanced and various views.”

Neustadter additionally praised Hamm for his ease in becoming a member of the ensemble, which additionally consists of Billy Crudup, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman and Mark Duplass. “It’s like altering faculties in your junior yr, the place you are available and everybody is aware of one another, and it was like he was at all times there; like he had belonged from the start. He was only a professional,” she mentioned. “He was so enjoyable and straightforward to work with. Jen and he have unimaginable chemistry. Very sizzly.”

At one level within the sitdown interview between Aniston and Hamm’s characters, Paul Marks appears to make his intentions publicly clear. “I believe the information may be mounted and I’d like to present it a strive earlier than it’s too late,” he says, whereas additionally acknowledging that it’s “more healthy to smoke a pack of cigarettes than log onto Twitter, however good luck retaining folks from scrolling.”

His true intentions, mentioned Kristin Hahn, Aniston’s producing companion with Echo Movies, shall be up for viewers to decipher because the again half of the season unfolds: “You’re at all times asking your self: Is he on the proper aspect of making an attempt to avoid wasting journalism? Or does he wish to implode this world? You by no means actually know, do you?”

The Morning Present releases new episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV+.