Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman joined forces for The Gray House, a new eight-part historical drama miniseries, and it’s available to watch on Prime Video.
The two veteran actors, who both serve as executive producers on the series, appeared together at a screening and panel discussion at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles on 22nd January, where they spoke about what drew them to the project and why they fought to get it made.
The Gray House stars Mary-Louise Parker, Daisy Head, and Amethyst Davis as the unlikely trio of women who, during the American Civil War, risked their lives to transform their Underground Railroad operation into something far more perilous, an underground spy network.
The Roland Joffé-directed series also features an ensemble cast including Ben Vereen, Rob Morrow, Robert Knepper, Christopher McDonald, Colin Morgan, and Keith David, among others.
Costner was candid about the creative approach the series takes to its subject matter, emphasising the importance of not softening down what the audience was about to watch.
“I think the closer you could stay to human behavior, which exists in every century, every decade, we haven’t changed that much. But I think when you tell a story like this, you have to get as close to the violence as you can because it was such a scary time,” he told the audience.
“You try to stick with the language and … the evilness that really is just inches away.”
He also spoke warmly about the role Freeman played in pushing the project forward when they pitched it to network executives.
“It was easy. I mean, we all respond to writing. We’re moved by writing. We have to continue to be able to be moved,” Costner said, laughing as he described his co-producer’s presence in the room.
“If you look in Morgan’s eyes, [they] are very formidable. Very formidable. I’ve seen that and, but he stood with me and he said, ‘What’s so hard about this decision?’ And there was nothing. And now it lives, we can pass it on. I swear that’s a war we still haven’t recovered from.”
