Interview With Joan Allen For LISEY’S STORY

Ahead of its release, I was able to speak with star Joan Allen for AppleTV+ newest Stephen King adaptation: Lisey’s Story. In the eight-episode series, Allen plays Amanda, the sister of Lisey (Julianne Moore). I was able to speak with Allen about the complexities of the role, what stood out about the story, and the unique elements that make this series special:

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

This is Kristy Strouse with Film Inquiry. Congratulations on the series, you’re incredible in it!

Joan Allen: Thank you!

I really love this story. I’d love to know how you originally got attached and what caught your attention?

Joan Allen: Well,  I think on a gut level, when I first read it, there was part of me going “Wow, this character is so out of control. She’s really out there.” And, because I think I’ve tended to play, in the past, characters that are more reserved a bit and taking care of other people (taking care of troubled husbands and children and things like that) it was like, oh! This is somebody who needs someone to take care of her because she is really challenged. She has a lot of issues. It was kind of exciting as an actor. And then I talked with the director Pablo Larraín, about the character and about how he imagined her. And I also found that I felt like I had a lot of compassion for her and her plight.

Definitely, this is a character that is going through a lot. So, it kind of felt like a role reversal from a lot of your other ones?

Joan Allen:  Yeah, you know, it did feel a little bit like a role reversal. And it really was, because her sisters [played by Julianne Moore and Jennifer Jason Leigh] have to take care of her. We got to figure out how they take care of her. And that was a little bit unusual for me as an actor.

Is that something you often look for? Something that will challenge you?

Joan Allen:  Yeah, it is! It’s fun to have something that is just a little bit different, you know? And when you get that opportunity, like most actors, you’re happy about it.

Were you familiar with Lisey’s Story prior?
Joan Allen: No, and I hadn’t read it beforehand. But I did once the series came to me. It was actually a book of Stephen King‘s that I hadn’t heard of. It’s a wonderful novel.

And this is your second King adaptation with Good Marriage (also terrific). I heard that he worked a lot with some of the actors, did you do that at all to get in touch with the character?

Joan Allen: I’m sure he had a lot of discussions with our director, Pablo. And I think writers can be pretty deferential in terms of like… not wanting to speak maybe as much directly to the actors, because it gets confusing. It’s like, well, who’s directing it? But, his presence when he would come to set and visit was always welcomed and wonderful. I had a few exchanges with him. It was really nice sometimes that he would share just a little of his personal life. My character was sort of inspired by one of his sisters-in-law. And so when he would say, “Well, my sister-in-law would do it like this, and this is how she would respond to it.” I felt like I got this little extra bonus.

Yeah, absolutely!  I know that he has a personal connection to this story. 

Joan Allen: Yeah.

And it’s a beautiful one! Yet it’s disturbing and strange. It also focuses heavily on family and the connections we make. 

Joan Allen: All of that Kristy, absolutely.

So what was it like working with Julianne and Jennifer? 

Joan Allen:  Oh, we had a great time together. We were reveling in getting to be, you know, three sisters, of a certain age, as actresses getting to do this. I had met them briefly before, and I think we all had mutually admired each other’s work in the past, and it was a great opportunity that we could actually work together and we built a really lovely rapport, on camera and off. I think all of us really universally had a wonderful time working together. And a lot of laughs too, which was great.

Was there anything particularly challenging about the role? 

Joan Allen: Just the subject. Yeah. It was intense at times, you know, for sure. With some sequences, I would get back to my trailer to change into my street clothes and go, “okay.” But also when it was done, it felt like… was this done to Pablo, to my satisfaction, and Stephen King‘s? This is what’s being asked, and if it’s achieved, there’s also a little sense of like, victory. It is kind of a duality of being intense and exhausting. Yet it is also exhilarating if you can really pull it off to the best of your ability. So, I think I kind of had both of those things going on.

Do you feel that when you start a role that you try to find relatability with the character?

Joan Allen: I definitely do, definitely. I think of my own life and my own life experiences. And some of it is useful, I think, to particular characters, and some of it not so much. But, it is kind of fun to go through. I’ll think about whether or not some things seem like it could be helpful, or that maybe not so much, and then pick and choose through these different things.

That makes a lot of sense! Stephen King is no stranger to fantastical elements and, yet despite those parts, I feel the show can be really grounded. Especially with what your character goes through. Is that something that really stood out to you, when you were reading the script or researching it?

Joan Allen:  Kristy, you know, that the psychological piece, that Lisey is going through, really did. My character has sort of a deep connection to her husband Scott as well. Because I think they speak, and have a similar fragility, and respond to life’s hardships in somewhat similar ways, but I also think they share a language that a lot of people couldn’t really necessarily understand. So, this family is going through a whole transitional period of him being gone. I think it gives it a tremendous amount of heart. Which I think is really fascinating, with how it melds with all the other elements and the genre that it is written in.

I agree. I feel like your character is, in ways, a connective element between the two characters [of Lisey and Scott]. 

Joan Allen: Yeah. Yeah.

So, lastly – how would you describe the series, to someone who isn’t familiar with the story?

Joan Allen: I would describe it as, basically, a woman’s meditation. One’s experience on grief and loss, who was married to her husband who was wild, (very much like Stephen King) and who was wildly imaginative and creative. And the journey that she takes into trying to process losing him. And all of this through the lens of Stephen King, who is masterful in writing mystery, suspense, fantasy, horror, and all of those different elements that actually filter through a psychological experience that a character is going through. That’s how I would say it: it’s very surprising, and it’s beautiful to look at. You just don’t quite know where it’s going to go, where it’s going next. But you’ll really be pulling for all the characters because it also has a lot of heart.

Very well said! Thank you for chatting with me. It was wonderful to meet you. Great work as always!

Joan Allen: Thanks Kristy, I really I appreciate that.

We want to thank Joan Allen for taking the time to speak with us.

Lisey’s Story is available on AppleTV+ with new episodes each week.