Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman joined forces to The gray housea new eight-episode historical drama miniseries, and is available to watch on Prime Video.
The two veteran actors, who serve as executive producers on the series, appeared together at a screening and panel discussion at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles on January 22, where they talked about what attracted them to the project and why they fought to make it happen.
The Gray House stars Mary-Louise Parker, Daisy Head and Amethyst Davis as the unlikely trio of women who, during the American Civil War, risked their lives to transform their Underground Railroad operation into something much more dangerous, a clandestine spy network.
The series directed by Roland Joffé also features a cast that includes Ben Vereen, Rob Morrow, Robert Knepper, Christopher McDonald, Colin Morgan and Keith David, among others.
Costner was candid about the creative approach the series takes to its subject, emphasizing the importance of not watering down what audiences were about to see.
“I think the closer we get to human behavior, which exists in every century, in every decade, we haven’t changed that much. But I think when you tell a story like this, you have to get as close to the violence as possible because it was a very scary time,” he told the audience.
“You try to stick to the language and… the evil that’s really just inches away.”
He also spoke warmly about the role Freeman played in pushing the project forward when they presented it to network executives.
“It was easy. I mean, we all respond to writing. Writing moves us. We have to continue to be able to move us,” Costner said, laughing as he described his co-producer’s presence in the room.
“If you look Morgan in the eyes, [they] They are very formidable. Very formidable. I’ve seen that and, but he stood up to me and said, ‘What’s so hard about this decision?’ And there was nothing. And now it lives, we can pass it on. I swear it’s a war we still haven’t recovered from.”
