Matthew Weiner Wants ‘The Romanoffs’ To ‘Give Us Joy’ During ‘Divisive and Irritating’ Times
By Elizabeth Taylor
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – New York City’s legendary Russian Tea Room was given the royal treatment on Thursday night by the cast and crew of “The Romanoffs” during the series premiere.
The landmark venue played host to the family of the highly anticipated Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming anthology series.
Show creator Matthew Weiner reflected on the program’s entertainment value serving as relief from modern day agonies. “It’s a little bit of a strange time right now in the world,” he told Variety. “This is a global TV show shot all over the world that is about a relationship between people within nations real or imagined. There are subtitles. There are different languages.
“And, there is a public conversation right now that goes on that is extremely divisive and irritating and filled with conversation that is actually designed to antagonize and divide us,” he continued. “I just want to give everyone permission, because we all need it, to just enjoy things that are beautiful. And enjoy entertainment. You don’t have to feel bad about it. That is what it is here for – to give us joy in the midst of all of this.”
The show’s cast is wide-ranging and highlights actors with impressive resumes. Sightings at the star-studded premiere included Diane Lane, Marthe Keller, Aaron Eckhart, Amanda Peet, Corey Stoll, Jack Huston, JJ Field, Paul Reiser, Griffin Dunne, Cara Buono, Radha Mitchell, Juan Pablo Castañeda and Annet Mahendru.
The legacy of the extinguished royal dynasty lives on through romanticized fiction in this new series.
Eckhart related why the historical clan continues to have life in the streaming platform. “I think we all have an obsession with royalty because they are seemingly special and they get anything that they want,” he said. “Their lives seem to be very pleasurable and luxurious and easy. So, there is a fascination with them.”
Similar to Weiner’s “Mad Men” are creative plot lines and enriching characters in the TV auteur’s latest vision, especially for his actresses.
“He creates amazing roles for women,” Peet said. “That just doesn’t happen that often. For me to be 46 and given this rich and brilliant story is really unexpected. There are no car chases, there aren’t any dragons – no offense to my husband [‘Game of Thrones’ co-creator David Benioff]. It is just human drama. We need more parts like this.”
