Lots of new scans have been added, covering today’s premiere of “Big Little Lies”. Most of the reviews come from the British press, and there are two new cover stories – from the Spanish Supertele and from the Australian Sydney Morning Herald (wonderful cover!) Many thanks to Alvaro and Jess for the heads-up. Enjoy reading.

As we all know, the second season of “Big Little Lies” will premiere this Sunday on HBO, and the reviews coming in make it even a bit more eager-anticipated. A collection focused on Meryl’s performance is below, alongside new production stills from the series.

Vanity Fair, Sonia Saraiya (June 05, 2019)
Streep’s performance – erratic, buttoned-up, and confrontational – is going to win her an Emmy. She’s mesmerizing as the grieving Mary Louise; in one scene with Celeste and her grandsons, she encourages them to scream to release their emotions, then demonstrates herself. To Maddie’s consternation, Mary Louise is impossible to intimidate; the older woman makes faces and sucks in her teeth, responding to the pressure to conform with the strength of weirdness. Watching Streep go toe-to-toe with Witherspoon—who, with catty, self-deluded Maddie, is doing some of her career-best work—is Olympic-level barb-trading, the most satisfying meanness in the show.

Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall (June 05, 2019)
Working under a muted brown wig, with a clipped and slightly nasal voice, Streep is a passive-aggressive wonder as Mary Louise. The character as written can be cartoonishly awful at times, even though she’s meant to be processing grief over her son — and struggling with the news that her sweet boy grew up to be a wife-beater and a rapist. But Streep finds nuance in the awfulness while also going big when moments call for it. (You won’t forget the sound of her screaming anytime soon.)

USA Today, Kelly Lawler (June 07, 2019)
Lots of praise and attention will be given to Streep, but in many ways, the Oscar-winning actress is incidental to the success of Season 2. She’s wonderful, as she almost always is, but the real joy of “Lies” is the five core women, who have made their characters feel so lived in. For once, Hollywood has found a way to gracefully re-create a phenomenon.

The cast of “Big Little Lies” – Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Zoe Kravitz – were featured in a taped interview on today’s Good Morning America to promote the series’ second season. The full interview can be watched below and in the video archive. Additionally, an interview from yesterday’s New York premiere from Entertainment Tonight has been added. Links and screencaptures can be found below.

It’s one of the most anticipated shows of 2019, returning almost two years after the critically-acclaimed first season. The all-star cast stepped out in style Wednesday night in New York City for the season 2 premiere of the hit HBO drama. Even Alexander Skarsgard – whose abusive character Perry was killed at the end of the first season – was there, inducting he is likely to appear via flashback in the new season. Streep co-stars as Perry’s mother Mary Louise Wright, who arrives in Monterey looking for answers about her son’s death. Pictures from the premiere have been added to the photo gallery.

The cast of “Big Little Lies” stepped out in New York for the premiere of season 2 (see following update). In a conversation moderated by “Vanity Fair” editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, Streep joined stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Laura Dern hours before their season 2 premiere to discuss their experiences with the celebrated HBO drama and why they were so determined to bring it back. When asked to join a second season of “Big Little Lies,” Meryl Streep didn’t hesitate. “[My agents] asked me, ‘don’t you want to read it?’ And I said no,” the actor laughed, sitting alongside her co-stars Wednesday at the Wing Soho in New York City. “The first season was the greatest thing on television.” “You get to explore [the characters] and the consequences on a deeper level,” said Kidman of the decision to continue after the climactic finale, which coincided with the end of Liane Moriarty’s novel and was originally meant to end the series. “You see their lives unfold in a much deeper way.” Another big part of the decision to return was the huge reaction the show received. “The year at the Golden Globes when Oprah gave that incredible speech…and we were able to go up there and talk about this show was truly one of the greatest moments of my life and career,” Witherspoon said. Plus, as they all agreed, “Big Little Lies” represented a rare treat in their careers when they got to collaborate with many women rather than be the sole female voice on set; the fact that they even get along well enough to have an ongoing group chat is a bonus. (While they wouldn’t reveal the content of their conversations, Kidman at least allowed that she’s the most enthusiastic emoji user, while Witherspoon said that she “likes a gif.”) The full article can be read over at Variety, hopefully there will be a video of the panel posted soon. For now, enjoy the pictures.

The following article comes from CNN with many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up: There’s a golden rule in Hollywood: Meryl Streep can star in whatever project she wants to star in. So, when writing “Big Little Lies” Season 2, Liane Moriarty, who wrote the novel the series was based on and is a producer on the show, had a trick up her sleeve. She created a new character – the grieving mother of deceased Perry (played in season 1 by Alexander Skarsgård) – and named her Mary Louise. “Mary Louise is my actual legal name,” Streep said during a panel discussion at The Wing SoHo on Wednesday.
Streep said she joined the project without reading a script and thought the first season of the show “was the greatest thing on TV.” 
Nicole Kidman, who was also on the panel, first revealed Moriarty’s “secret” to landing Streep back in February. “That was Liane Moriarty. That was her telepathic message to you Meryl, because [the cast] did not know that. We did not know that that was your name,” Kidman said. “Liane wrote the novella and said, ‘Get me Meryl Streep.'” Streep praised the complex portrayal of the women in the series and said that “Big Little Lies” viewers will see her character head into a “dark place” following the murder of her son.

Her son is dead. I thank God I don’t have that experience, but imagining it, just going into the dark place of imagining it. That feeling of protecting him while he’s gone is still there. The motherhood never stops.

Streep also thanked Kidman and co-star Reese Witherspoon for having the foresight to option the book rights for the screen in 2014. “I was of a generation that waited to be asked to dance and I’m so admiring of you for getting on the balls of your feet and looking for material,” Streep told Witherspoon, who also sat on the panel. A giddy Witherspoon then asked for whoever filmed that to send it to her so she could “post it to Instagram tomorrow” for proof that it actually happened. “Big Little Lies” premieres June 9 on HBO.

Most of the “Big Little Lies” actors are currently busy promoting the series’ second season, which will premiere on HBO next Sunday, June 9. Unfortuantely, Meryl is not among those doing the talkshow circuit right now. Maybe she will be seen next week since not all late night shows have announced their guests yet. In Reese Witherspoon’s appearance on Good Morning America earlier today, a clip was shown which seems to be the first meeting between Madeline and Celeste’s mother-in-law, Celeste. While we’ve already read that Mary-Louise is up to no good, the clip gives us a better understanding of what to look forward to – and judging from the brief scene, there’s a lot! You can watch the clip below, in the video archive or catch Reese’s full appearance on GMA here. Additionally, a couple of new production stills have been added to the photo gallery.

HBO has released the full trailer for the series’ second season. While the trailer gives great insight into what happens in Monterey after the faithful night, Meryl’s character is still only shown in short bits. It might be a good sign that they keep all the powerful scenes for its airing, starting June 09 in the United States on June 10 in United Kingdom and other European countries. Additionally, the UK poster as well as Meryl’s character poster have been released and added. Screencaptures from the trailer have been added to the photo gallery as well.

The headline should be the other way around, since Nicole Kidman is the cover star of the latest Vanity Fair, including an in-depth interview. However, Krista Smith’s article features interviews with her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep as well, giving a wonderful insight into the show’s second season: Meryl Streep says that camaraderie is why she didn’t hesitate when the call came to join the cast for the second season. “The fans wanted more, I wanted more. I signed on without even knowing what the part was because I had such confidence in this group and just how smart they all are and how high the bar was going to be.” Kidman nods to the prototypical happy ensemble. “Look at the Friends cast, they spent all that time together—they’re different because there are no men in our equation. I mean, there are, but they’re not on the group chat, let’s put it that way.” Wait. Nicole, Reese, Laura, Zoë, and Shailene have a group chat?! What about Meryl?! “Yes,” says Kidman. “And she’s very funny.” Witherspoon describes the ultimate girls’ night. “Can you imagine that we got to go to dinner with Meryl every week? And hear her stories!? It’s like years and years of actresses being siloed off, and finally they let us intermingle. You can only imagine the conversations that we had. It was a really amazing experience of sharing our indignities and our triumphs, and just every rainbow of the female experience in our business.”

HBO released the official first look and premiere date for the second season of the Emmy-winning drama on Sunday. The seven-episode season premieres June 9. The second season picks up where the first left off and, according to the HBO description, will focus on how the tragic events of the finale fundraiser impact the main characters’ seemingly picture-perfect lives. The season description reads: On the surface, in the tranquil seaside town of Monterey, California, everything seems the same. The mothers continue to dote, the husbands support, the children remain adorable and the houses are just as beautiful. But the night of the school fundraiser changed all that, leaving the community reeling as the “Monterey Five” bond together to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. In a major casting scoop, Meryl Streep adds to the already impressive ensemble cast. She plays the role of Mary Louise Wright, who is described as a woman concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son Perry’s (Alexander Skasrgard) death and who arrives in Monterey searching for answers. At one point in the season two trailer, she confronts Witherspoon’s character, Madeline. The new season will explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, and the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Relationships will fray, loyalties will erode — and the potential for emotional and bodily injury shall loom, HBO warns. The teaser trailer can be watched above. Screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.