Cathy Ames enters John Steinbeck's story as a woman who is difficult to explain in simple categories of good and evil. In the new series “East of Eden“ Florence Pugh takes on the role of the heroine described by the writer as a “psychic monster“ with a “deformed soul“, but she looks for in her not only a threat but also a human story.
“She can still make terrible decisions and suffer terrible consequences, but she can also have an understanding of her history and past that made her who she is,“ Pugh told Reuters. According to the actress, the task of the adaptation is to show what lies behind Kathy's actions, without erasing their dark consequences.
Kathy steps out of the shadow of the family saga
The seven-episode miniseries was written by Zoe Kazan, who is also an executive producer, and Jeb Stewart is a co-showrunner. The story follows several generations of the Trask and Hamilton families in California - from the Civil War to the end of World War I.
The novel, published in 1952, is built on the motif of Cain and Abel and on the question of whether a person is doomed to repeat the sins and conflicts of previous generations. The new TV version places Kathy closer to the center of the story than the 1955 film, in which James Dean played one of his most famous roles.
“We wanted the audience to be able to identify with each character - the ones who seem good and the ones who seem evil“, says Kazan. She says if evil people are perceived as inhuman, society will not understand anything about itself.
Zoe Kazan also has a personal connection to the novel
Kazan says she read “East of Eden“ when she was 15, and the book has haunted her for a long time. Her interest in the theme of the inherited past also has a personal dimension: her grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 film adaptation and remains a controversial figure for his testimony before the US Congress during the McCarthyism era.
The screenwriter describes this family connection as both “baggage“ and “a gift“, but emphasizes that the series should not be seen as a story about her grandfather. “We want people to walk away thinking about their own families - about the fathers, the sons and the things they did“, says Kazan.
Mike Feist, who plays Charles Trask, believes the novel continues to resonate with viewers because it raises fundamental questions about morality. Jeb Stewart also says that different ages change the way you read the book. After the death of his adult son, he returned to the novel and read it as if he were reading it for the first time.
“East of Eden“ will be available on Netflix from October 1. It stars Florence Pugh, Mike Feist and Christopher Abbott.
Sources: Reuters