Placing Kim Kardashian (Los Angeles, 45 years old) in any situation, be it a series, a movie or a press conference, can cause a problem: being the center of attention. But of course this can also be an advantage, if what you want is for Kim Kardashian to be, precisely, the center of attention. And that’s what creator Ryan Murphy seeks, intends and achieves in his new series, All the law (Everything is fairin the original English, for the saying “All is fair in love and war”; anything goesin Latin America), which arrives on Tuesday, November 4th, on Disney+. Because although I surround Kardashian with stunning jewelry, heart-stopping homes, visual haute couture, sensual plots and, mainly, actresses like Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor and Niecy Nash, Kardashian is too Kardashian to lose an ounce of prominence.
Murphy made the reality star, businesswoman, aspiring lawyer, ex-wife of Kanye West, mother of four and creator of the most famous shapewear and thongs on the planet, the protagonist of his new series. The now actress is not a luxury guest, but rather has dialogues, plots and her own presence. His face and silhouette mark Hollywood today; surrounded by her companions, yes, but with her in the center of the image and one step ahead. The creator knew his presence would work and exploited it.
During the presentation of the first episode in Los Angeles, Kardashian was the star, from the moment she stepped into the room until, halfway through, she had to leave to give interviews, as she told the audience. Disney+ did not release the series to the press, so the only way to see this episode was to watch its premiere, in mid-October, in West Hollywood. Hence the room (two rooms, actually) was full; Also the curiosity to see the stars and the subsequent party at Chateau Marmont, one of the city’s most iconic hotels, brought followers to the call.
Everything surrounding the series has been both public – with big premieres and screenings in New York, Paris and London – and private: there have been almost no one-on-one interviews, except with big names. podcast as Call her daddyby Alex Cooper, by Kardashian. Thus, the series’ press conference at a Hollywood hotel was widely followed by the media. In it, once again, Kardashian became the center of the conversation, monopolizing the questions and answers.
During the 35 minutes of conversation, there was time for a dozen media outlets – including EL PAÍS – to ask questions. Three of them were directed at the six main actresses: Niecy Nash, Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson and Kardashian herself. One, for Watts and Close. The other six, for Kardashian. After all, being a woman surrounded by famous women (four sisters and a very famous mother), multimillionaire, businesswoman, lawyer and who has gone through two divorces is not that far from starring in a series playing a rich divorced lawyer who co-owns a law firm with several partners (and some fabulous jewelry and clothes) and a love life full of bumps.
In the talk, everyone talked about divorces (although without getting too personal), about the importance of their wives’ presence in their lives and the importance of receiving a call from Ryan Murphy, an unstoppable mind and acclaimed creator of sagas such as Strife, American horror story any Monstersand series like happiness, Pose any Cracked.
“When he called me and told me all the names involved, I said, ‘Oh my God, yes!’” recalls Teyana Taylor, whose career this season also includes a starring role in One battle after another. “I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to share the same space and the same air with these wonderful women, it’s incredible, an honor. I’m absorbing everything, I’m a student here.” Glenn Close, the oldest, explained that she doesn’t like repeating roles or genders, because she doesn’t want to get bored, but that she learned a lot here. “He called me and said he was talking about female lawyers, and I said, ‘I already did Damage. “I don’t want to be the same again,” she says. But he assured her that she would be “the matriarch, the mentor.” “And you’ll have amazing clothes,” she told me, which coming from where I’m coming from these days, sounded seductive,” Close acknowledges with a laugh. The production of the series is, like everything Murphy touches, spectacular, loaded with designer clothes and sequences in huge mansions.
Kardashian explained the importance of “repaying the trust and giving them everything they need” to the women who entrust them with their legal cases. “I feel pretty well-versed in family law and divorce,” Kardashian acknowledged. “I’m glad I was able to bring my knowledge to the character.”
Kardashian may be an expert in fame management and also in law, but she is not an expert in interpretation. He lent his voice to some animated films and made cameos and roles in music videos, series (CSI: New York, American horror story) and even films (8 of the ocean), but nothing like starring in a series. And your plate is full of tasks, from your reality, the basis of your fame, to their companies and their studies. “I knew that coming here I would work with women who were the best at what they did and who had been dedicated to this for a long time”, she explains in response to this newspaper. “So my job was to not waste anyone’s time and show up as well prepared as possible. And every day I learned from them just by watching them: how they lived their lives, how they practiced their craft… It’s the best lesson I could learn,” she says. And yes, she admits: “I had a lot of things to do and I do, but so does everyone here… Teyana has her album coming out at the same time… They all have a lot of things, projects, products…”, she explains.
Your colleagues also highlight your work ability. Close tells how, in between takes, “he had note cards for his law exams.” For Sarah Paulson, her attitude surprised everyone and that was how she was praised during a press conference. “I think we all felt that way, seeing you juggle everything you had on your plate and be able to do your job with dignity, grace, ease, joy and humor. For me it was inspiring, because sometimes I tend to quickly say, ‘Oh, I’m just tired.’ keep doing this even if we had to go back. You were going to wake up in five hours, and it was an inspiring lesson for me to see how you handled it, because it wasn’t easy and you did it very gracefully, you were still funny and you knew all your lines. Watts endorses her: “It was amazing to see how she managed everything. Plus, Kim is the calmest person I’ve ever met in my entire life, which is crazy considering everything she has in life. Your multitasking is on another level.” “We always talk about this,” admits Nash. “You have a kid on your cell phone, law books, a screenplay, you run a business on your computer… all at once.”
Was Kardashian, with so much going on at once, the right time to accept a proposal of this level? “When Ryan Murphy calls, there’s no right time,” he says. And face acting giants like your colleagues? If Glenn Close admitted that she had never been in the company of a group of women like this and that she was “really intimidated at first,” how did Kardashian feel? “When you expressed that you felt intimidated, I was scared to death. I thought, ‘Does Glenn Close feel intimidated? What am I supposed to feel? I don’t even know how to behave!'”