“The Four Seasons” may be about three couples who make up a close-knit friend group but at its core, it’s a show about chosen families. That remains true for the superstar cast as well, who discussed growing into a family themselves at the Netflix premiere on Thursday night in Los Angeles.
“From Day 1 — you hear it a lot, but it’s actually true this time — we definitely loved each other from the get-go,” Steve Carell told TheWrap. “It was a great, great experience. It’s true, very special.”
Carell stars alongside Tina Fey, Will Forte, Marco Calvani, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Colman Domingo (who was not present for the DGA red carpet and two-episode screening).
“Right away, we had to do these scenes where we had to act like we’ve known each other for 20 years and it was so easy. That chemistry was so instant, it was Night 2 and we were having dinner and laughing around with each other. It just felt so real and then that grew into the real version of that friendship,” Forte said. “There are so many group scenes, you really get to know people in those situations and what a delightful group to get to work with.”
“I know it sounds a little pathetic, but it’s true, we just bonded so quickly and in such a strong way and we’re just so happy to see each other every time,” Calvani added. “We have a chat group where we constantly write and put thoughts and ask for suggestions for outfits and share photos. Every time we can, we hang together. This is very rare for a set, especially of this level — there was no ego at play. It was just amazing. Everyone was there to have a good time and be there for each other. I think you can see the vibrancy in the show and I’m so deeply grateful for the opportunity.”
“Projects like this, you hope that someday you can have a guest starring role for two minutes, let alone create something that continues in any way in any capacity,” Kenney-Silver echoed. “You could only dream.”
Based on Alan Alda’s 1981 romcom of the same name, Fey co-created the miniseries alongside frequent collaborators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield.
“A lot of our writing staff on this are people that I’ve known for about 20 years, since a lot of them wrote on ’30 Rock,’ ” the writer/actress explained. “It’s really nice, just a comfort level and a shorthand with people who’ve known you a long time and know everything about you.”
“In our writers’ room, it was a lot of writers who worked on ’30 Rock’ and people who we’ve worked on four shows with who feel like family, so writing that kind of dialogue is easy,” Wigfield further noted. “What really worked on this show is that a lot of our cast has previous relationships — Tina and Steve did a movie together, Tina’s known Will intimately for so long, Marco and Colman are friends in real life — so many people had relationships with each other and it made it feel authentic.”
“It’s crazy that I have friendships that are in this business that are that long, like as long as my marriage,” Carell added. “It’s incredible meeting up with people that you had done stuff with years and years ago, but you’re still connected and still have these shared experiences. It’s great. And this ensemble, these are people I will carry with me forever.”
The afterparty then took place at Laya in Hollywood, complete with seasonally themed cocktails, passed apps and a Polaroid photoshoot. Other notable guests included Amy Poehler, Thomas Lennon, Creed Bratton, Craig Robinson, Jack McBrayer, Ed Helms, Bela Bajaria, Stephanie Styles, Michael Ian Black and Jeff Richmond, just to name a few.
“The Four Seasons” premieres Thursday, May 1, on Netflix.
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