How did HBO Max bring foward Julia Child's cooking show?
by Jaskiran Kaur | Wed, 06 Apr 2022 18:56:06 GMT
Julia is based on the life of the iconic chef Julia Child, her rise to fame, and her marriage; Credits: HBO Max

Julia Child led a very amazing life in the kitchen, and HBO Max is making an eight-episode series on the phenomenal cook. The lady could be credited for drawing the audience to the charm of cooking shows and making easy french recipes that even the feeble in kitchen skills could follow. 

However, the show by HBO Max, created by Daniel Goldfarb from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and producer Chris Keyser from The Society, is not only about her legendary prowess at cooking. The series is a little more expansive than that.

 Julia can be remembered for her first-ever public television show, The French Chef, which basically followed her cooking style. The series shows how the chef managed to balance her career and growing popularity, along with her personal life which consisted of a very doting husband Paul, played by David Hyde Pierce. 

The character of Julia Child is portrayed by Sarah Lancashire with utter brilliance. 

Though her fame reaches the masses very quickly, it was not easy for Julia to reach that turning point. She relies greatly on the guidance of producer Aline Naman, played by Brittany Bradford, and her best friend Avid DeVoto, played by Bebe Neuwirth. Her editor Judith Jones, played by Fiona Glascott, also provides her immense help. 

The series uses Julia's relationship with her husband as the fundamental foundation for her booming career and shows how the greatly skilled American chef became so popular. 

Sharing why he decided to begin on the journey and story of Julia Child, Chris Keyser shared that Julia Child was a "part" of his life. He had grown up watching her back in the 1960s when he was a child. 

His family was not very keen on cooking and would usually order takeout and eat out of cans. The simple joys of cooking made him happy. 

Additionally, she also imbued a great sense of joy in the way she presented her cooking which ultimately reflected the way she lived her life. She led a life of complete happiness and emotional freedom, a quality that can be easily transformed into reasons for cooking since food is fuel for life. 

Not only did she create great food but never shied away from making mistakes. All these qualities could be a major hit in a series, said the producer, and hence motivate him to create the show. 

The producers and the creators spent a lot of time going over the finer points of her life, as much as eight hours per day talking about the chef. It provided them with an opportunity to not only show her as a chef but also as a person living a real-life with chances and joys. 

The series also shows its take on "food culture" and how cooking influences life along with the rise to fame for women back in the time when feminism was not as appreciated as today. Not to mention, the series also focuses on Julia's marriage which though being set in the 1950s was nothing short of modern-day aspects. 

The life of Julia provides a way to look back into the time and see how things could have been developmental and joyful even back then. 

Admitting how Sarah got the role in the series, Daniel Goldfarb said that the series is very lucky to have her as the lead. The actress read the script of the show and accepted the offer right away. 

The actress fits the role and character of Julia Child perfectly from her minor sarcasm to her inherent love for drama and comedy. Being a great actress, Sarah did not require much to transform into her character, but it was in her capability to play the role with all conviction. 

She added both humor and theatrics into the series with her talent and added dimension to the portrayal of the famous chef. A comedian would not have been a perfect fit for the role, but Sarah has all that Julia embodied. 

The show will be able to stream on HBO Max.

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