Three Women’s Cast & EPs Talk Bringing the Book-to-Screen Adaptation to Life

Three Women premieres September 13 on Starz.

The series highlights some taboo and controversial issues that three distinct women experienced, and it will resonate with audiences.

The issues these three women experienced could have happened to any of us. Their stories needed to be told and heard.

We talked with them and several of the cast to understand this dramatic series, which we’ve seen almost entirely and can’t say enough fantastic things about.

These women shared some enticing information about the series and what to expect from their characters’ journeys.

We hope you enjoy these interviews and return for our weekly reviews of the upcoming season.

Three Women follows Shailene Woodley as Gia Lombardi, the narrator, based on Lisa Taddeo’s character as she finds and befriends each of these women.

Each woman’s storyline explores sex and relationships differently, as they need to be seen. Betty Gilpin plays Lina Parish, who is in a loveless marriage with a man who refuses to kiss or touch her.

To worsen things, most people assume her chronic endometriosis is a condition that’s all in her head.

Gabrielle Creevy portrays Maggie, a teenager who had a relationship with her high school teacher when she craved affection.

Five years later, she reported him for sexual grooming when he was nominated for Teacher of the Year.

DeWanda Wise plays Sloane Ford, a gorgeous woman who goes after what she wants and participates in swinging with her husband Richard and other men he finds. Things get complicated when she wants to invite another man named Will.

When we chatted with Taddeo and Woodley, they shared details about the importance of adding Gia’s character to the TV adaptation and how it helped to make the other characters feel more comfortable.

Taddeo also added how they changed Sloane’s character from the book to the series.

Since I love book-to-screen adaptations, I truly enjoyed hearing the changes that had been made and how they would impact the series.

Woodley has acted in big book-to-screen adaptations, such as Big Little Lies, and I was excited to talk to her.

Woodley discussed the importance of having someone like Gia or Lisa Taddeo share women’s stories so that others don’t feel as alone. She and Taddeo have genuine respect for one another. Take a look.

I read the book to prepare for this series, and it was an extremely faithful adaptation. The series covers many taboo topics, such as swinging, sexual grooming, loveless marriages, and longing for affection with respect.

So many women experience these issues. We want to be seen and loved for who we are, but few television series delve into the intimate side of these relationships.

Laura Eason is an Emmy-nominated producer, screenwriter, and playwright who’s adapted and produced many works for the screen and stage, including House of Cards.

She was delightful to talk to about adapting a difficult narrative nonfiction book with taboo topics.

Since Lisa Taddeo wrote such emotional, gripping material, Laura shared that they tried to capture its emotional beauty with cinematography and the characters’ gazes.

She also reiterated the importance of the viewers realizing they are not alone in these experiences.

Gabrielle Creevy portrays Maggie Wilkin, a teenager who has a relationship with her high school teacher, Aaron Knodel.

She had to grow up too fast because of her family life, and she craved attention, but then he ended it as abruptly as it began.

Years later, Maggie still hasn’t healed, and she decides to report Mr. Knodel when he’s nominated for Teacher of the Year because she wants to protect other young women.

Creevy shared that she hopes other grooming survivors will know they’re strong by watching Maggie’s journey. She also discussed how she prepared for this emotional arc. Take a look.

I found Lina Parish’s (Betty Gilpin) storyline arc the most relatable.

So many women stay in loveless marriages or struggle with endometriosis or another form of chronic invisible pain, and many people ridicule them for it.

While I’m in a happy marriage, I have dealt with endometriosis for years and know the effects of it on a woman’s body and marriage.

It meant a lot to chat with Betty Gilpin about which part of Lina’s storyline she connected with the most.

Gilpin shared that she thought that Lina’s suppressed pain and unfulfilled desire tore her body apart and made the pain worse.

She added that Lina was tired of meeting people who ridiculed her and needed people in her corner, like Dr. Henry and Gia, who believed she was special.

Like the other women, Gilpin hopes this series encourages you to capture what you want, no matter what or who is in your way.

Check out the full interview below.

Three Women premiers on Starz on Friday, September 13 at 10/9c.

Be sure to return to TV Fanatic that night to for a full review of the Three Women premiere.

We’ll be sharing more of our thoughts on the thought-provoking limited series through further weekly episodic reviews.

This series deserves lively discussion, so we encourage you to join us in discussing some topics that aren’t often broached.