Billy Magnussen, Simon Helberg and more stars from AMC’s “The Audacity” convened for Variety‘s Behind the Show presented by AMC to discuss what drew them to the dark comedy and its extreme relevance today.
Magnussen stars as Duncan Park, an “audacious data-mining CEO,” and explains that he was eager to join “The Audacity” in part due to its creator, Jonathan Glatzer. “In 20 years of being in this industry, I’ve never come across a script like that,” said Magnussen. He was also intrigued by the Silicon Valley-set show’s premise, which revolves around a cast of characters typical of those in the tech bubble: “We all have the ability to be so audacious in our daily lives, and its whether or not you cross that threshold,” he said.
Ava Telek, who plays Jamison Park-Hoffsteader, was drawn to the show’s writing. “[It’s] incredible. It’s so funny, but it’s also so dark and we handle so many interesting topics that are really timely,” she said. Helberg, who plays Martin Phister, revealed he actually originally read for the part of Duncan before Magnussen was cast. “I was like, ‘Please, I’ll do anything to be part of this world, to say those words,’” he said. For Lucy Punch, who plays Lili Park-Hoffsteader, the draw was her character. “I love playing unpleasant characters and Lili’s particularly toxic and poisonous,” she said. “Just what a treat!”
Currently, the show’s subject material is especially relevant as conversations around tech continue to expand. “While we were shooting every single day, there was something that came out in the news that was like, ‘This is what we’re doing right now,’” said Meaghan Rath, who plays Anushka Bhattachera-Phister. “Throughout history, there’s been a renaissance of people coming together and creating an industry. And tech is the industry of the world right now,” added Magnussen on the show’s resonance with audiences.
Glatzer created the show with those ideas top of mind. “As the writer of the show, I don’t want to be doing it from the perspective of of a tech expert,” he said. “I want to actually be with the 7.5 billion users whose experience is something that I can relate to, and, frankly, that’s who I want to be watching the show. I want every one of those 7.5 billion people to tune in.”
The show’s eight-episode first season made its world premiere at SXSW on March 14 before debuting on AMC and AMC+ on April 12. Ahead of it’s release, the show scored a second season order on March 9.
Glatzer, who previously produced and wrote on HBO’s “Succession” and AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” created, wrote and executive produced “The Audacity” alongside executive producer Gina Mingacci. “The Audacity” is an AMC Studios Production.
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