Olivia Williams, 58, on ‘The Good Daughter’s’ Female-Led Set: ‘It Was a Very Happy Working Environment’ (Exclusive)
Peacock’s thriller star shares what drew her to the role and how that compares to past roles.
Key Takeaways
- Karin Slaughter based the character Harriet "Gamma" Quinn on Olivia Williams.
- Williams contrasted the experience with her past encounters with Harvey Weinstein.
- She said the young actresses' difficult scenes were handled sensitively.
Olivia Williams is opening up about what drew her to her latest project, The Good Daughter, which is based on a 2017 bestselling Karin Slaughter novel of the same name. In a recent interview with Woman’s World to promote the show, the award-winning actress shared that while she hadn’t read the book, she knew she had to star in the show after learning a key piece of information about one of the characters. She also revealed how different working on this set was as compared to ones in the past, specifically ones run by former producer Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted of sexual assault and misconduct in February 2020. To see what Williams had to say, keep reading.
Olivia Williams reveals what drew her to ‘The Good Daughter’
The Good Daughter follows two sisters, Samantha and Charlotte “Charlie” Quinn, who return to their hometown after years away to deal with an unthinkable tragedy. Williams, age 58, plays Harriet “Gamma” Quinn, Samantha and Charlie’s mother.“I found myself very attracted by the fact that Karin Slaughter said she based the character in the novel on me,” Williams tells Woman’s World. “I accepted the job immediately, which shows the power of flattery. And then once I was involved, I loved the dialogue, the mixing of the principles of justice and all with the relationships between mothers and daughters and sisters. It’s a thriller, a cracking story, a mystery, a crime, all thrown into this beautiful rural Atlanta, Georgia, landscape.”
Like all Slaughter characters, Gamma does have her faults—we won’t spoil what they are—but Williams is hopeful that viewers will resonate with her in some way.
“What I love about these characters is that they’re flawed. Gamma is not a perfect mother. She loves intensely, but some of the things she does are wrong,” the actress says. “I’d like people to take away that good people can be flawed people, and not to seek perfectionism, and to stand up for a principle, even if it means doing so at your own loss.”
Olivia Williams opens up about the show’s on-set dynamic
Williams is no stranger to complex on-set dynamics. Years ago, she made history after revealing that Weinstein offered her an Oscar in exchange for sex. Williams declined the offer and has since become one of the women fighting for change in Hollywood.
And she got it. The Good Daughter is produced, directed and primarily cast with women, a fact the actress calls “beautiful.”
“There were many men involved who were on the set, and they didn’t have a problem with being told what to do by women in charge. You know that I’ve seen there be women directors before, where the male DP [director of photography] has disobeyed what they asked for, and to see that actually it was possible to have a female-driven set where the men were equally respected and behaved with respect and were treated with respect. It was a very happy working environment,” she continues. “And I have chased around sofas in two continents by Harvey Weinstein. Let me tell you, it’s not usually like that.”
Williams also shared that because the show’s story includes disturbing scenes, the on-set atmosphere mattered more than ever.
“The young actresses, Drew [Ann Cheek] and Audrey [Grace Marshall], were having to act through such appalling abuse at the hands of men that any other setup would have actually constituted abuse towards those young actresses,” she says. “I think it was incredibly sensitively handled.”
Be sure to catch The Good Daughter on Peacock now.
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