“Oh, it's usually a combination of things,” Annette Bening says about her personal process of choosing projects and roles. More than 45 years since she first took up acting, she’s made quite a few choices, and continues to do so. Most recently, she appeared in the Apple TV series Lucky alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Timothy Olyphant and Paramount’s Yellowstone sequel Dutton Ranch, alongside Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser.
“But it certainly starts with the writing and the story. And, of course, when you're talking about streamers, all of the writing hasn't been done usually. So, you're talking to them and you're listening to them tell you the story, and you're listening for what sounds like something you can get your teeth into — and maybe something that is different and new. Something you haven't tried before. That's the first jumping off point.”
With those two streaming projects under her belt, we’ve seen more and more of Bening on our TVs lately. After having already built an impressive body of feature film work, she says she finds TV projects “quite exciting” by comparison.
Bening in a scene from Lucky
“It's very different. You're working over a longer stretch of time. Certainly, Dutton Ranch did. So, you're living with a character and living with the crew — and living with the story over a really long stretch of time. There’s something exciting about watching it unfold as you go. I love that — going with the flow and seeing what happens, then having a voice and having an interest in it, and finding ways to maybe make things deeper, different. I don't know, every scene is a new exploration. It's a lot of discovery.”
And as many other actors will attest, “collaboration” is key for quality television work.
“It's always about who's in the room and what's happening between people,” she says. “That's what's fun. Whether it's you and the director, or you and the other actors, or you and the showrunner. It's this mish-mash of people's interests and talents and strengths. I love all of that — doing it together as a company.”
We asked Annette Bening to share some of the TV projects that help define her.
My first favorite show as a child: Bewitched
I remember being in the drugstore across the street from my house, pretending I was Tabitha from Bewitched. And I remember the magic of the show. I mean, that was when I was a little kid. And then, as time went on, we always watched Wild Kingdom and [The Wonderful World of] Disney on Sunday nights. Those would come on right after each other. We'd watch football, then Disney, then Wild Kingdom.
My dad loved McHale's Navy. And then, as I got a little older, I would say The Mary Tyler Moore Show, That Girl — I remember Marlo Thomas — and Columbo, of course. I just rewatched all of Columbo. I had to rewatch the entire thing. It's so exciting. Great show.
The shows that are must-watch weekly viewing for me: Landman, The Diplomat
Sam Elliott’s T.L. takes in a backyard sunset with his son, Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy
You know, I jump around and watch different things based on what I'm doing. I've also been working a lot, and I don't tend to watch as much when I'm working. But I've been watching a lot of different things. I've been watching Landman, certainly. I’ve really enjoyed that. And I'm a huge fan of The Diplomat.
One of the last shows I binged: Yellowstone
I usually only [binge a show] under unusual circumstances, like I'm away working somewhere and have a weekend off or something like that. Then I'll just binge something. But one of the shows I binged was Yellowstone, because I hadn't watched it at first, then I started hearing about it. I definitely binged that. It’s super fun.
The genre of TV I love that may surprise people: True crime
I'm kind of a documentary junkie. I love documentaries, especially true crime documentaries. I know what [lures me in]: It's seeing what takes people from being like you and me [not criminals] to crossing that line and doing something dangerous. That's an interesting thing. What is it in the psychology of people that causes them to do things; what's behind it? I would say that's what interests me: It's watching people's behavior and what drives them to do what they do.
Shows I consider to be ahead of their time: The Night Of, Ripley
All of Steve Zaillian’s shows are amazing, but The Night Of was just amazing. And he directed them all [minus one episode]. I thought that was an extraordinary piece of television, and I’m sure I also binged that. And then when he did Ripley, that also just blew my mind. I don't know if those would technically be “ahead of their time,” but I certainly love them.
It’s an important distinction, when a show is from the mind of one person and they’re shooting them all, too. Sometimes shows work great that way. Not always, because sometimes collaborations just really crackle.
