When HBO revealed they were definitely moving ahead with Big Little Lies season 2, even the most excited of Monterey mothers would not dare to hope that they’d have royalty coming for a visit to their schools. But here we are with acting royalty and screen legend, Meryl Streep, joining the second season of the hit series.
Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz all inked deals to reprise their roles in season 2. They're joining Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman in the revenge drama, this time with the legendary Streep.
Big Little Lies, the limited HBO series that couldn't stay limited, is on the way, this time with added Meryl Strep!
It's been 15 years since Streep graced the small screen in Angels In America, and in Big Little Lies season 2 she'll be playing Mary Louise Wright, Kidman's mother-in-law. We sense there'll be plentiful scenery-chewing ahead!
Streep was cast in the role of Mary Louise Wright, the mother of the first season’s troubled Perry Wright (played by Alexander Skarsgard).
Fans of Big Little Lies should vividly recall that Skarsgard’s Perry was a violent and abusive husband to his wife Celeste (Nicole Kidman) before in a spur of the moment decision, the five central women covered up how Bonnie Carlson (Zoe Kravitz) killed him in an attempt to save Celeste from Perry’s savage beatings. It appears that in season 2, Streep’s Mary Louise has come to town to check on the welfare of her grandchildren with Celeste… as well as discover 'answers,' likely regarding exactly how her son died. It’s worth noting that the police are still suspicious of Celeste given Perry’s 'accident' on the elementary school stairs, and given the implication of Perry passing down abusive tendencies to his son, who became the bully of his class after observing dad, it is not unimaginable to wonder if Perry’s parents, including Streep’s character, have their own history with domestic violence.
American Honey director Andrea Arnold took over from previously very grumpy Dallas Buyers Club auteur Jean-Marc Vallée (he really, really did not want the series to continue) when cameras rolled on season 2, and reporters at a TCA press tour went as far to ask about the chances of a third season going ahead.
“Everybody involved is so busy that it’s hard to imagine aligning everybody’s schedule again," Bloys responded. "The fact that we were able to get season two together is a small miracle. Could we do it again? Who knows! It’s a great group. They love working together and they’re really fun to work with. But everybody is really busy. So let’s see."
