Dirty Laundry of the Rich is a subgenre of television drama that has gained prominence in recent years. After great soap operas starring a family of millionaires and powerful, in the purest Dallas or Dynasty style and with an obvious reference point in the nearest Nashville, Monarch (which premieres this Friday on AXN Now) delves into the story of betrayals and allegiances, brewing within the country’s industry, with one family, the Romans, at the center. Her ambition drove her to build a great musical empire, but it’s all based on a lie that could end her reign. That is why the heir to this legacy will do everything possible so that nothing undoes what has been achieved.
The presence of the actress Susan Sarandon is the main claim of this series that arrives in Spain, although it is already known that it will not go beyond the first season. “One of the great extras of being an actor is that you have the opportunity to delve into worlds you don’t know about, and I didn’t know anything about country music,” Sarandon told EL PAÍS in an interview that took place via video call.in August 2022 when it premiered in the US: Now the series is coming to Spain. She plays the matriarch of the family, a woman willing to do anything to protect her loved ones. “I’m similar to her in that, but I’ve never been as committed to my career as she is, nor have I had any desire to build a dynasty or anything. My kids are older now but we talk almost every day and I always worry if they will get home safely. I bring them little rolls when I visit them… I guess that never changes.”
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In the fiction, Anna Friel plays his eldest daughter, heiress to the empire built by her mother, a major country music star. Friel highlights how family saga dramas have managed to reinvent themselves and remain one of the most popular genres. “I remember on Tuesdays my parents would let me stay up and watch Dallas on TV. You wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters, and the next day they talked about it.” He also admits it was addicting to see the rich suffer too. “You think their life is perfect, they are rich and surrounded by wonders, but that’s not always the case, nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. Everyone has their own problems. The Romans are incredibly fortunate to live the lives they do, but they also come under tremendous pressure to do so,” adds the actress.
Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins, in the first episode of “Monarch”. Steve Swisher (Steve Swisher/FOX/Sony Pictures Television)
Josh Sasse plays her brother and another of the three sons of Susan Sarandon’s character. “I think they are stories about yourself, because in the end, even if we go as far as Cervantes and Shakespeare, everyone wants a drama that reflects their own life. The series takes place in a world of fame, celebrity and money. But the problems are the same, the family dynamics don’t change, and everyone enjoys looking into each other’s world. “It’s cathartic to see other people’s problems because it stops you thinking about your own problems,” says the actor. “These are funny stories with all these twists and turns and rich families and the themes of parenting and manipulation and murder,” says Susan Sarandon. “And there’s also something that other shows don’t have, which is music, real music with real country stars,” he adds.
Another central element of the series is songs and country music, a genre in which Friel emphasizes his storytelling ability. “It’s music that can make you laugh, dance and cry… It’s an immensely soothing genre.” For her, learning and performing the songs was quite a challenge given the little time she had to do it. “Sometimes they would give us a song for a week, then two days later you would record it in the studio and then you would play it on stage and you had to be confident enough to do it on stage because you can dance too , walk in high heels and try not to fall…”.
Beth Ditto and Anna Friel, in a moment of the series “Monarch”. Steve Swisher (Steve Swisher/Fox/Sony Pictures Television)
television and cinema
Recently, Susan Sarandon has increased her presence on television. Feud, Ray Donovan and Search Party are some of the series he has worked on. Are there more opportunities for an actor to work in television than in cinema today? “Honestly, I think there are better roles for women on television. There have always been soap operas and series in which women can play important and powerful roles. The characters who carry the weight of the story are women. And I think there are now more projects that focus on women because there are more actresses who are able to tell stories about women. “Yes, I think there are definitely more interesting roles for women on television than in the cinema,” defends the Thelma and Louise actress.
It’s clear that the rich cry too, but on these shows it can seem like they cry even more than normal people. Do the rich have more problems than mere mortals? Known for her political involvement, Susan Sarandon is somewhat raised in her calm tone at this point. “Currently, many people in the United States do not have access to health care. There are many people in the world who cannot eat. We have a climate crisis that is burning and flooding the world. These are real problems for working people. Right now is the time of working people. There is a big gap between rich and poor. During the Covid we clearly saw the differences between people with and without money and what happens when there is a crisis. If you have money you can be healthy, you can isolate yourself, you can stop working. Day-to-day people have much more pressing problems. Everyone thinks their problems are the biggest in the world, but I don’t think those of the rich and famous have anything to do with those of someone figuring out how to feed their kids or finding a safe place to live. These are really pressing issues.”
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