- Stars Niecy Nash-Betts and Glenn Close dish on what to expect from their fabulous, “shiny” new show, All’s Fair.
- Close also teases her and Sarah Paulson’s characters get to “really go at each other,” which she describes as a “really fun” experience for her.
- Plus, Nash-Betts and Close divulge all the details about a “rowdy” cast screening of Fatal Attraction at Kris Jenner’s house, that came about because Kim Kardashian revealed she’d never seen Close’s iconic film.
When it comes to the women in her fabulous new show, All’s Fair, Niecy Nash-Betts says they can best be described — on screen and off — as “a band, a girl group.”
And it’s not hard to see why. After all, the show follows a team of all-female, game-changing divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated firm to open their own powerhouse practice. Described as fierce, brilliant, and emotionally complicated, they navigate high-stakes breakups, scandalous secrets, and shifting allegiances — both in the courtroom and within their own ranks.
Nash-Betts’ part in this girl group is Emerald Greene, whom she describes as a brilliant investigator who is also the single mother — “by choice” — of three boys she had via artificial insemination.
“She was an investigator, and then she passed the bar and she started this brand new law firm with the ladies, with Kim [Kardashian’s] character and Naomi [Watts’] character,” Nash-Betts tells Entertainment Weekly. “If you do your job right in the boardroom, you don’t even have to go to court. You know what I mean? So we try to get it done in the boardroom, and then you also get to see my life with my children, my life as a single woman, and you get to see how we work well — or not — with others.”
Those others include Allura Grant (Kardashian), Liberty Ronson (Watts), Milan (Teyana Taylor), Carrington “Carr” Lane (Sarah Paulson), and Dina Standish (Glenn Close). Nash-Betts breaks the who’s who down for us.
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“Kimberly Noel Kardashian is way busier than Allura Grant, and she’s running a whole law firm. But she is the leader of the pack, and we take our instructions and we know what part we play in it all through her,” the Emmy winner gushes. Watts’ Liberty is described as “very smart and very savvy,” but is having some troubles in her personal relationship.
As for Carr, Nash-Betts says, “With Sarah Paulson, ‘frenemy’ might be kind to say in this series, but she’s definitely an adversary in the world Ryan created, and you have to watch to find out why.” Taylor’s Milan is described as the newbie of the group, who acts as Allura’s secretary, but ends up getting herself “mixed up in the mayhem right up to the top.”
But perhaps the biggest surprise for Nash-Betts was Close, whose character is “the mother hen” and mentor to all of the women. “Glenn Close, she’s first of all the funniest person in the world,” she says, laughing. “Now, I’ve been around a lot of comedians. I’ve been on Reno 911 for over 20 years. But that Glenn Close, baby, I ain’t never seen nothing like it. This has been the best surprise of my life is that she has such a wicked sense of humor.”
“That’s great coming from Niecy, who’s one of the most hilarious actresses I’ve ever worked with,” Close tells EW when we mention this to her. “Yeah, we had a lot of laughs. I think most people don’t think of me as maybe a funny person, but I guess those people who know me know that.”
The series hails from writer and executive producer Ryan Murphy, who also directs alongside Anthony Hemingway. It’s a far cry from Nash-Betts’ other ventures into the Ryan Murphy-verse of monsters, grotesqueries, and all-American horror.
“This is very shiny,” she says of All’s Fair. “This is boss chicks in great clothes who have their own private plane to go see clients if necessary. It’s kind of like the old-school soap operas where you used to gather to watch Dynasty and Knots Landing. You get the shiny version of people, but with the backdrop of their drama.”
Close, who had never worked on a Murphy joint before, confirms this. “Some outrageous things happen, I have to say,” she says, teasing that her and Paulson’s characters especially get to “really go at each other,” which she describes as a “really fun” experience for her. “Never a dull moment,” the eight-time Oscar nominee adds. “And we all are very glamorous. That’s another thing that Ryan promised — that we’d all have fabulous clothes and fabulous jewels and that kind of thing.”
Okay, so that’s how the gang comes together on screen, but what about off the screen? Nash-Betts tells EW that in fact, her favorite memory of working on All’s Fair actually occurred off the set. As she tells it, one day Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner, who executive produces the series, came to set. All the ladies were talking about Close’s iconic role in Fatal Attraction, when Kardashian let it slip that she had never seen the 1987 film.
At this, Jenner insisted that everyone take “a field trip” over to her house to watch it, and Nash-Betts claims it was her idea to have everyone do so in their pajamas. “We went over and we got to watch Fatal Attraction with Glenn Close, and it was just one of my best memories ever,” she gushes. “And that was off camera, but it only happened because we all met each other and vibed on a higher level on camera.”
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Close carpooled with Paulson, who accessorized her pajamas with “a whole neck-load of beautiful gold necklaces,” which surprised Close. “In my life, I live in blue jeans, so I was just in my pajamas, but I did bring a black bathrobe,” she says, laughing at the memory. Jenner went all out for her starry guests, according to Close. Each seat in the house had “every single theater candy you could ever dream of” — which for Close meant Milk Duds, popcorn, and martinis (specifically two martinis, which she calls her “absolute limit”).
As for the rewatch of her film, Close says she was shocked by “how much you saw of my body” in the movie, joking, “I haven’t seen this for a long time.” But overall, she feels that, when it comes to off-set memories throughout her acclaimed career, “not much will come close to matching that [memory], just for its unexpectedness and fun and us all hanging out in pajamas.”
When asked if the group of ladies used good cinema etiquette since they were in the presence of one of the movie’s stars, Nash says, “Are you kidding me? This rowdy bunch of us, we was asking all the questions: ‘Is that a body double? Is that really your body? What were you feeling right here? What did he say? What did you do?’ Oh, no, we were asking all the questions.”
It’s this exact type of camaraderie that Nash and Close say they’re most excited to see viewers experience with their new show. “I think I’m most excited to see how the audiences react to this group of women and their relationships and how they relate to each other and the women they defend,” says Close.
Adds Nash, “I think that there are a lot of shows that pit women against each other, and I’m just happy to have something out there that really is what sisterhood looks like on camera. You know what I mean?”
All’s Fair comes to Hulu in November.
