From co-creators Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro comes UnREAL, a new TV series by Lifetime Television starring Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer. Set against the backdrop of the hit dating competition show, Everlasting, the provocative drama provides a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding its production.
The female lead, Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby), is a young producer whose sole job is to manipulate her relationships with and among the contestants to get dramatic and outrageous footage that the program’s executive producer, Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), demands.
Produced by A+E Studios, what awaits you is an eye-opening look at what happens in the crazy world of unscripted television, where being a contestant can be vicious and producing it is a whole other reality. Other cast include Craig Bierko, Freddie Stroma, Josh Kelly, Ashley Scott, Nathalie Kelley and more.
To learn more about the highly anticipated TV series UnREAL, we had a chat with the lovely American actress Shiri Appleby about her leading role:
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about UnREAL?
S: UnREAL is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a reality dating competition show and I think people should watch it because it’s a really fascinating look at the people who make reality television and the lengths took to create an episode for TV.
Q: You’ve been in the industry for a while now. How is UnREAL different from anything else you’ve done?
S: Well, UnREAL is different in the sense that I’ve never done a real reality show. It’s definitely an interesting look on how productions go and the relationships that happen behind the scenes. I don’t think those relationships have been explored completely, at least not lately.
Q: Tell us about your favourite parts of UnREAL.
S: I think what’s so fun about the show is that it has a sense of humour, but at the same time, it can be really dark, raw and edgy. Then, it surprises you with some emotion. It’s a show that has a tone of its own, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Q: I’ve seen the trailer and it seems like your character falls in love with one of the contestants on the reality dating competition show. Is there anything you’d like to share?
S: My character’s journey throughout the season is definitely to figure out who she is and the life she wants for herself. One way she deals with that is her romantic relationships and she gets into a romantic relationship during the season.
Q: How was it like working with the cast? What exactly happens on set?
S: It’s wonderful working with the cast and it was a really big cast. A lot of them were actually very supportive of each other and they were all different. They came from different parts of the country and the world. Because the show was so wild and so out there, everyone had a really good time and a real good sense of humour. We were shooting at night outside and there’s a lot of camaraderie between everybody. I was really pleasantly surprised and happy over how well everybody got along.
Q: Will there be a second season for UnREAL?
S: We sure hope so.
UnREAL premieres on the 4th of June 2015 and will be airing every Thursdays at 9pm, express from the U.S., exclusively on Lifetime Television (Astro Ch 709).
