{"id":216322,"date":"2025-10-15T22:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T22:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/216322\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T22:50:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T22:50:08","slug":"the-morning-shows-chris-confession-nicole-beharie-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/216322\/","title":{"rendered":"The Morning Show’s Chris Confession: Nicole Beharie Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains spoilers from season four, episode five of The Morning Show<\/a>, \u201cAmari.\u201d]<\/p>\n

\n\tLast season, The Morning Show writers crashed in an episode<\/a> centered around the overturning of Roe v. Wade, reopening a finished script when news first leaked in May 2022 about the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson decision. The Apple TV series was already prepping production on season three, which then began filming in August.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn that episode, titled \u201cStrict Scrutiny,\u201d<\/a> most of the TMS anchors were together attending a high-end fashion event in Manhattan when headlines hit about Roe. Rising morning show anchor Chris Hunter, played by Nicole Beharie<\/a>, ranted to eventgoers that the news would mean \u201cwomen are going to die of ectopic pregnancies,\u201d \u201crape victims will be forced to carry their assailants\u2019 child\u201d and \u201cthe maternal mortality rate will skyrocket, mostly for women of color.\u201d She then memorably drew on the bathroom mirror in red lipstick, \u201cAbort the Court,\u201d and posted it on her social media with her middle finger.<\/p>\n

\n\tFlash-forward to the currently airing fourth season that just released its fifth episode, and viewers now understand more about Beharie\u2019s passionate Roe reaction. In \u201cAmari,\u201d athlete-turned-anchor Chris, who will be leading the upcoming Olympics coverage for her network, is accused by a former teammate of doping before winning her gold medal during her own Olympics run in Rio.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a shock to viewers and everyone who knows Chris, she goes on the network\u2019s podcast, hosted by Joe the Rogan-ish Bro (Boyd Holbrook) and gets outed. The evidence causes Chris to open up about the tragic story behind her steroid use, prompting a riveting monologue from Beharie where Chris reveals she turned to performance-enhancing drugs after losing her unborn son, who they named Amari, five-and-a-half months into her pregnancy. She found herself broken \u201clike all the way down,\u201d she says of her pain and depression. \u201cMy body was just gone.\u201d So she tried the drugs to get back on the track and never told anyone, not even her husband (Alano Miller). <\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Hunter opens up about the powerful episode \u2014 which she says she can\u2019t quite bring herself to watch \u2014 and how she hopes it makes people feel seen.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tChris\u2019 admission episode is a tour de force acting hour for you. When you met with showrunner Charlotte Stoudt <\/a>ahead of this season, what was the arc she laid out for you with Chris?<\/p>\n

\n\tCharlotte had a naughty kind of laugh because she was like, \u201cRemember how you said you wanted a little more complication and for things to be messy?\u201d And I was like, \u201cYeah, I want that as an actor. What you got?\u201d I was thinking boardroom nonsense. Then she suggested it might be something along these lines, but didn\u2019t tell me how it resolved; she didn\u2019t tell me all of it.<\/p>\n

\n\tThen I read it. So I had gotten a little sprinkle, and then once I got in the full shower, I was just drenched. I was like, \u201cThis is going to be a doozy and a major departure for Chris, and for what we expect from her and know her to be.\u201d It\u2019s difficult to embody, but a gift as an actor that speaks volumes about what the show and Charlotte and Mimi [Leder, director] are able to do, handling this conversation of legacy and loss and love so delicately. And this also involves Mia [Karen Pittman] in an interesting way. I only came into this show in season three, so being a fan of the show for the last few years, I\u2019ve been rooting for Mia. It was cathartic and rewarding for me to see these two women \u2014 one falling from grace and one coming into her own.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat questions did you have for Charlotte after you read and digested this monologue?<\/p>\n

\n\tWe went back and forth about little parts of it, and there were a few iterations. I had to figure out the timeline; even little details like how Chris\u2019 husband, Marcus [Miller], didn\u2019t know any of this, so he\u2019s not implicated. Even her husband, being that close in her life, did not know what she had done in order to get herself back together, so there\u2019s this determination and cost. I also had questions about the blind spots with Chris\u2019 former running mate, Tunde [Ashley Romans], and where she was coming from. You build a bio as an actor, and then the showrunners will introduce things. I built a whole bio last year and then they introduced some new things and I was like, \u201cThat wasn\u2019t in my bio!\u201d (Laughs.) So it shifts the trajectory of the character. It grounded her and gave her a little more depth.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe beautiful work Ashley did as Tunde was thoughtful and honest. It revealed something about their dynamic and what it means to have survivor\u2019s remorse and leave people behind. People don\u2019t necessarily know what the cost is of that, and that\u2019s something we also see in Bradley\u2019s [Reese Witherspoon<\/a>] character this season.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNicole Beharie as Chris Hunter in The Morning Show season four, episode five.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApple TV<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, Chris was such a central part<\/a> of the Roe v. Wade episode last season.<\/p>\n

\n\tYes.<\/p>\n

\n\tGoing back to Chris\u2019 reaction in that episode, now knowing what you know, does this fill in more of the character for you?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt did fill that in. I definitely didn\u2019t have that before, but like we said, it\u2019s like you\u2019re this basket and they keep adding new materials that they\u2019re weaving. So her reaction then made more sense when you know now.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat episode packed a powerful punch releasing so soon after Roe\u2019s overturning, and abortion and reproductive rights remain just as urgent now. How do you think this episode will land?<\/p>\n

\n\tI actually couldn\u2019t watch it. I had to watch some of it for ADR [automated dialogue replacement], but I couldn\u2019t get through the monologue \u2014 just because it\u2019s your face yapping the whole time. I don\u2019t watch myself a great deal. So I don\u2019t know [how it will land]. I hope it feels like it was handled with care. That\u2019s the biggest thing for me, because I feel a responsibility. We\u2019re on this show about women in the workplace, and this is a big thing that happens to women \u2014 being a mother, loss, sacrifice and what happens to our bodies.<\/p>\n

\n\tImagine giving birth, life, all of these things and not having time off maternally. This is the closest we get into that [topic on the show]. This is a huge deal, and I think there\u2019s a huge responsibility because we talk about so many aspects of being a woman in the workplace. So I hope it is well received and that people see themselves or feel seen, and that we treated it with dignity and integrity. It\u2019s a privilege to get to act something like that. We combed through to make sure the language was sensitive. We thought about all of those things, and how you can feel seen or it could even be a little bit triggering.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was it like when filming the scene on Bro\u2019s podcast set?<\/p>\n

\n\tEveryone was in the control room. Nobody was filmed later. So in real time, this is happening with Karen [Pittman] and William [Jackson Harper] and Amber [Friendly] on the other side. Other people were in the corner. Every time we got going, everyone was present, so it felt real. We delivered the whole take. There wasn\u2019t a lot of stopping and starting the way [director] Millicent Shelton shot it. It felt as real as it could feel, shooting a show. Sometimes you get close-ups and moments by yourself, and it wasn\u2019t like that. The pressure was on.<\/p>\n

\n\tBoyd is playing this Bro character who is in the manosphere and going to be the least understanding. He\u2019s ready to pin Chris against the wall and he does. Boyd is a terrific guy, amazing actor, super sweet. But it was tough playing with him. He poked at me a little bit. We did some improvisation that didn\u2019t make it in the final cut that helped us find a playful banter.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tChris makes her confession on Bro\u2019s podcast (played by Boyd Holbrook).<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApple TV<\/p>\n

\n\tI read in a prior interview that you have a big place in your heart for working moms. That\u2019s a throughline with Chris\u2019 storyline. What resonated with you most?<\/p>\n

\n\tJust look at someone like Reese [Witherspoon] and all she does \u2014 she\u2019s so successful, creates all these opportunities for us, blows our minds with entertainment. When we were talking [about working mothers], she was like, \u201cMom guilt never goes away.\u201d There\u2019s a lot of investment in all of these things that make so many people happy, but then somewhere in the back of your mind, you\u2019re like, \u201cI could be somewhere else.\u201d I was raised by a single mom and I source her all the time. She\u2019s nothing like Chris! She\u2019s a very different woman. But the strength and resourcefulness that I saw growing up, there\u2019s nothing like a mama bear lioness, and there are so many out there. I did a film called Miss Juneteenth<\/a>. I like [playing] moms who remain unsung. Maybe it does culminate here, but I\u2019m not done yet. I\u2019m writing other things. I love mommies, teachers, musicians.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat kind of prep did you do for Chris\u2019 storylines this season?<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the beginning of this season, Chris is really living her dream. This episode, she gets knocked off. But the beginning of the season is the culmination of her life. She was an athlete who now gets to host the Olympics. Simultaneously, I was watching the Olympics and so many of these documentaries where I became really invested in athletes and dancers, in particular. We see these amazing bodies move through space and collaborate and take on a lot of coaching, but we don\u2019t see the blistered feet and icing of the joints, and the crying and the painkillers.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd that\u2019s parallel with mom life. You can\u2019t be walking around crying. You have to take care of the kids and do all the things. Chris is all of that, so that was a huge gift for me because if it weren\u2019t for the Olympics, I wouldn\u2019t have been so inundated in that world. Runner Allyson Felix has an amazing organization. She\u2019s an Olympic athlete, top of the class, and she has gotten some legislation within the Olympic community to have a room for moms and kids so that you can have space with your children as you\u2019re competing and time to heal and all of these things that were just unfathomable.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat happens to Chris\u2019 career after this episode?<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the car, when Chris and Mia are deciding what to do next, Mia says, \u201cPeople will love you more if you are authentic and speak your truth. They don\u2019t hate you for making a mistake.\u201d It\u2019s about coming clean, and Chris benefits from that in some capacity. People probably understand and relate. We\u2019ve all done things. We have secrets, shadows, dark sides and this is the first time we\u2019re getting to see that from this particular woman. People relate and it shifts her career, also because of the people she\u2019s surrounded herself with.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you talk about a badass woman, that\u2019s one of the things I\u2019ve learned being on this show. Not only the people we\u2019re playing, but the people I\u2019m working with surround themselves with an amazing community of people; people who can execute things. That\u2019s something Chris has. Her husband, Marcus, who is also her manager, and Mia. They\u2019re going to Kris Jenner it! They\u2019re going to make an empire.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking of your co-stars, what energy did Marion Cotillard bring to set<\/a> when joining this powerhouse female cast?<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t have any scenes with her, so I\u2019m pissed about that! But I love her. La Vie en Rose is one of my favorite movies. We had a moment in the trailer. I was like, \u201cYou know, I love you, right?\u201d She\u2019s so classy and cool. It seems like she was always in this Morning Show world, like she was just overseas and flew in, and was waiting for season four. She definitely brings something wonderful to the show, as do William and Boyd and Aaron [Pierre]. There are so many wonderful additions. But I am mad I don\u2019t have scenes with Marion! We discussed it.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Morning Show releases new season four episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains spoilers from season four, episode five of The Morning Show, \u201cAmari.\u201d] Last season, The Morning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,117151,134,132280,132281,55906,19560,427],"class_list":{"0":"post-216322","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-charlotte-stoudt","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-mimi-leder","13":"tag-nicole-beharie","14":"tag-reese-witherspoon","15":"tag-the-morning-show","16":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}