Doug Hyun/HBOThe stars and creators of HBO's Big Love hit the Los Angeles Times' Emmy Screening Series at the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood last night to talk about the show, and they spilled some good deets about season three.
Click in to find out which wife's star is rising, which character is going to finally get "payback" and the exact premiere date of season three.
• According to Bill Paxton, who plays patriarch Bill Henrickson, before he had the script, he had no idea Big Love was going to be a suburban family drama. "I thought it was going to be like Deliverance..."
• The recent stories in the news about fundamentalist Mormons will not go unaddressed on season three. Cocreator Mark V. Olsen said that in real life, the removal of children from polygamist homes has driven some of the "more mainstream" families underground, because they are afraid of losing their kids. According to Olsen, "There will be a heightened fear there, as we enter the third season." Meanwhile, Chloë Sevingy, who plays ultraconservative sister-wife Nicki Grant, says all the photos and footage of real sister-wives have finally "justified my hairdo."
• Nicki's going to ditch the "compound chic" look, at least at the beginning of season three. According to Chloë, Nikki starts dressing in "normal" clothes more often, but she may well restore the long skirt look before too long, for a "very particular story reason," according to cocreator Will Scheffer. Hmmm...undercover mission to reinfiltrate the compound?
• According to Jeanne Tripplehorn, who plays first wife Barb—the writers jokingly call her "St. Barb"—what you can expect next year is clear: "Season three: More creepiness!" For real though, I think the Henricksons hit the road. Someone asked about a family getaway and if the look on Jeanne's face was any indication, then, Bill, the wives and the kids are totally going on vacay this season.
• The fabulous ladies of Juniper Creek will continue to be present and accounted for this year: Just yesterday compound queen Mary Kay Place was shooting scenes in which Adeline writes her memoirs, and at some point in season three, Bill's mom Lois (Grace Zabriskie) "gets payback" against horrible husband Frank (Bruce Dern). You go, girls.
• According to the cast, Margie's star is rising this season as she enters into the world outside the family via her work for Weber Gaming. According to Ginnifer Goodwin, Margie is "going through puberty in a way," and Jeanne thinks that when it comes to Margie and the Weber storyline, "Margie is sowing her oat—singular."
• The Hollis clan is based on an actual homicidal Mormon cult of the '70s; several of the sister-wives are still at large and wanted by the FBI. Also, according to Mark Olsen, they will tell the story of Hollis Green's freaky-deaky and seemingly transgender wife: "We'll find out who she is."
Season three of Big Love premieres Jan. 11, 2009 (or so sayeth Will Scheffer, who really oughta know). See you then!
—Reporting by Jennifer Godwin
Updated! Press play above to get a look at the Big Love "saga sell" video they showed us at the event!