Swimming with Sharks stars Diane Kruger and Kiernan Shipka; Credits: Roku Original

Hollywood has the ability to bring out the best in everyone and mostly, it doesn't matter if people go through their worst to reach the best that they desire. Swimming with Sharks starring Diane Kruger and Kiernan Shipka is one such story of reaching the heights with motives unimaginable. 

Swimming with Sharks is a Roku TV series that has everything from power play and control dynamics. Needless to mention, there is also enough drama involved as the leads of the show indulge in brutal combat to better safeguard their interests in an elite firm. 

The story follows Lou Simms, played by Kiernan Shipka, who could be mistaken as a harmless intern beginning to live her dreams at the Fountain Pictures in Los Angeles. Yet, the young lady is in the midst of hatching an elaborate plot that would help her dethrone the company CEO Joyce Holt, played by Diane Kruger. 

Thes series shows the real reasons behind Lou's beaming aspirations as she makes her way through Hollywood with ruthless precision and bests everything thrown at her during the 6 episode run of the series. On the other hand, tough and relentless Joyce is suffering from her own demons. 

She is facing ceaseless difficulties at the hand of a wealthy businessman Redmond, played by Donald Sutherland. Then there is also the issue of her private life, her marriage, and her pregnancy. 

Kruger has maintained a well-defined career in Hollywood for two decades now and is famous for roles like Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino. She also played Abigail Chase in the National Treasure films. 

Only recently, she was seen in the spy thriller film by Simon Kinberg, The 355.

Shipka has also been enjoying quite well-deserved Hollywood fame for some time now. Her first portrayal of importance was Sally Draper in Mad Men. She starred in the AMC series from 2007 to 2015. She also worked in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina from 2018 to 2020 as Sabrina Spellman for the Netflix series. 

Now, they star together in Swimming with Sharks, a remake of the original 1994 film by George Huang. The film starred Kevin Spacey and Frank Whalen and featured Kathleen Robertson in the roles of the creator, writer, and producer. 

Shipka and Kruger recently talked about their characters in the film and how they got to portray them. Beginning with Kruger's character Joyce, it is easy to see her tough demeanor while she is suffering from a little too many problems on the inside. She does have her own demons but the viewers can find some or the other thing to relate with her. 

So did actress Diane Kruger. 

Kruger shared that being a woman, she understands the struggles Joyce has to go through. Women have yearned for positions of power for a long time now, wanting to be in safe jobs with a good payroll, and dominate the world originally provided to men. 

But, there is also the desire to start a family life, the burden of which usually falls on female shoulders too. Hence, the dreams of having a family and children could relay a setback to career aspirations at times. 

Diane Kruger shared that she relates to this problem and also has empathy for others who go through similar hardships. While Joyce is not particularly the best leader, especially as a face for women leadership, for the company, she has the heart to grit and hustle. Kruger shared that she liked playing the character. 

Moving on to you, the young lady looks as submissive and meek as any other woman walking into Hollywood with the aspirations to earn herself a name. Yet, Lou surprises the audience as her real motives and actions are revealed in the series. 

Needless to say, Lou herself is a little good and bad. She is not necessarily the messenger of the devil but she does have a certain spark to her personality. her backstory reveals the sheer amount of pain she went through in her childhood and how that trauma led her to feel victimized as she grew up. 

The events affect her mental health, a topic for conversation for some other time, said Shipka. However, she did reveal that Lou does not shy away from doing some seriously wrong things. The series does not have a distinguished villain because both the main characters have their dark secrets, but they are morally grey at their best. 

Lou has explainable motives behind the acts she committed, yet if looked closely, there is not much that would help her get redemption. Shipka also added that she does sympathize with Lou and her conditions and seeing how far removed she is from happiness, it is understandable why she is inclined towards committing the wrongs. 

Lou also relies a great deal on Joyce to draw her inspiration. She has an obsession with the lady and idolized her at the beginning of her career as an intern. Kruger shared that she had her own celebrity to idolize as a young child and it was Michael Jackson. 

Kruger did reveal that now she idolizes people who are brilliant in their art and have an authentic way of thinking. The person in question need not be related to the industry, an actor or a director, but someone who helps her see things on better terms.

Check back soon for our interview with Swimming With Sharks creator Kathleen Robertson.