What if you get a sneaking suspicion that your mother was replaced by an impersonator?
That’s the question that “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” co-writer Nick Paley asks in Hulu’s “Phony,” which follows a teenager named Sonny (Sam Nivola) who wakes up from a traumatic accident to realize he no longer recognizes his mother (Connie Britton) in light of sudden shifts to her appearance and behavior.
The concept is sold by Britton, whose suite of maternal roles makes it all the more difficult for Sonny — and the audience — to admit there might be something sinister afoot. That “emotional association” to Britton isn’t why she was cast — with Paley pointing to her acting chops and ability to balance tones — but it was certainly a strong benefit.
“She’s like Erin Brockovich, or Henry Fonda in ’12 Angry Men,’ or Atticus Finch with way better hair – you just know Connie will always stick up for the little guy. That’s probably why so many people tell me that they secretly want Connie to be their mom,” Paley told TheWrap. “When Sam’s character wakes up in the hospital to a new mom, the audience feels the loss of Connie personally and that unnerving experience binds them to Sam’s journey for the rest of the season.”
And to Britton, twisting that maternal association was “the best part.” “I obviously have played a lot of moms, do play a lot of moms, but … every single one is completely different … it’s about finding what makes them distinctive,” Britton told TheWrap, noting that “Phony” explores a more tangible separation from a child.
“It’s just a very different take on that experience, and yet it also feels like it comes from something that is very relatable,” Britton continued. “[It’s] a metaphor for what happens between a parent and their teenage child … in those teenage years — that child’s role is to separate, and there’s a lot of pain and a lot of psychology and a lot of emotion that comes along with that.”
That teenage angst is brought to life by Nivola, who was cast even before mainstream audiences saw him in “The White Lotus” Season 3, based on smaller roles that impressed Paley and made him confident Nivola was their Sonny. “He intuitively understood Sonny’s humor, his people-pleasing instincts, and he had all the depth and talent to play the darker moments of the story,” he said.
For Nivola, “Phony” was the hot project in Hollywood after a sizzle reel of the premise featuring Fred Hechinger spread around town. “It was just unbelievable,” Nivola recalled. “It was clear that it was someone who just had such a clear understanding of the show they wanted to make that they could make the show before the show got made.”
By the time Nivola was paired with Britton for the chemistry read, Nivola recalled Britton “assuaged all [his] fears by being the incredible lovely kind supportive woman that she is,” laying the ground work for their collaboration to come.
As for the transformation of Britton’s Ellen following the accident, Paley’s goal was to “shift her appearance just enough to make Sonny, and the audience, question their own instincts and to make them believe this could be another person, but not feel sure.”
For that reason, he avoided “anything that tipped it too far,” including changing Britton’s eye color, which he admitted they tried and decided against, “because it made us feel more secure in our conviction that she’d changed.”
“It was really quite a journey of discovery, finding how we were going to achieve that because it had to be so subtle,” Britton said, revealing that the final look came together with prosthetics as well as VFX.
And by the time Britton saw the alternative version of her face, it was “weird,” to say the least. “I’ve been hearing from people who see it that it’s unnerving to them. But … let me tell you, it’s unnerving to me too,” she said.
But it’s more than just Ellen’s appearance that shifts after the accident, with Nivola applauding Britton’s subtle performance shift. “It just was such a gift to me because it gave me so much to react to,” he said.
Those shifts are what prompts Sonny to think something sinister and potentially supernatural is happening, but those could just as easily be explained away due to a trauma response, with Nivola noting an accident of that volume is “incredibly intense, and would absolutely change you.” But he notes Sonny is never quite certain where he feels.
“I think a lot of that is actually metaphorical for … growing up and coming of age — you actually have to — for the first time — put a lot of faith in your own feelings because you realize … you’re no longer a tentacle arm extension of your parents,” Nivola said. “You, for the first time, have to really take responsibility for your own thoughts and actions and decisions.”
While the answers have yet to be revealed, Britton and Nivola revealed some plans are underway to continue the story, should it land a Season 2 greenlight.
“I think Nick has this thing laid out through probably five or six seasons,” Britton said. “He’s so clear about what the story is, and so I would be very surprised if he has doesn’t have Season 2 all ready to go.”
“Phony” drops new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu.
