“Lucky” creator Jonathan Tropper praised Anya Taylor-Joy’s commitment as a first-time executive producer on their new Apple TV thriller.
The creator praised the actress for being particularly focused on emphasizing the “loneliness” and “isolation” of her character, the titular Lucky.
The limited series, which is now streaming on Apple TV, was produced by Reese Witherspoon, created by Tropper (“Your Friends and Neighbors”), and based on a novel of the same name.
The story follows con woman Lucky (Taylor-Joy) who is on the run from a mob boss (Annette Bening) and an FBI agent (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) after a botched heist.
“Lucky” was a natural fit for Tropper, who has created multiple shows — including “Your Friends and Neighbors” and “Banshee” — about thieves and grifters.
“My first talks were with Anya,” he explained, as she was attached to the project before he was brought on board.
Taylor-Joy, 30, focused on the character, while Tropper brought the “grit” and ”propulsive” nature of the plot, he said.
“Lucky” marks Taylor-Joy’s first time executive producing, but she has an extensive body of work as an actress, including the Netflix hit “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” hit horror movies like “The Witch” and “The Menu” and an upcoming role in “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.”
In the show, Lucky grew up under the tutelage of her criminal dad (Timothy Olyphant), and they were always on the move, which prevented her from having a normal childhood.
In her adult life, she also feels abandoned by her husband, Cary (Drew Starkey).
That’s why Taylor-Joy wanted to highlight her “loneliness,” according to Tropper.
He added that Lucky’s relationship with mob boss Priscilla is similar to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro’s dynamic in the 1995 movie “Heat.”
“Superficially, you could assume Annette’s character, Priscilla, is a villain,” he said.
But, he wanted the Oscar-nominated actress, “because she brings a humanity to the character that’s so important.”
“We didn’t want a show with villains,” he explained, whether it was Priscilla, or Lucky’s father. The show is about, “people who were all victims of their circumstance,” he noted.
Lucky is the one, “who actually has the fortitude to change the circumstance.”
The opening credits set the tone, with a moody new song from Fiona Apple called “Horns of the Bull.”
Notably, it’s a rare contribution from the iconic singer, as it’s been six years since her last album.
The show had an inside connection, as Tropper’s co-showrunner, Cassie Pappas, is married to Apple’s drummer, Amy Aileen Wood.
“We spent a lot of time on [the opening credits sequence],” Tropper told us, explaining it’s hard to make an opening that people won’t fast-forward through. “I always put a lot of thought into it, because I want it to be something that people may not skip.”
He added that Apple composing a song for them was a “bonanza.”
“The whole thing just seemed to organically come together, really well.”
“Lucky” is now streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes out Wednesdays.
