Another piece of casting for Damon Lindelof's pilot adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel The Leftovers has fallen into place, and it's a significant role, set to be played by a familiar face. Amy Brenneman, who's just coming off her role as Dr. Violet Turner in ABC's Private Practice, has been cast in the role of Laurie Garvey, the wife to Justin Theroux's character Kevin.
Perotta's novel takes place after a rapture-like event zaps a substantial portion of the human population into oblivion. With no perceivable rhyme or reason as to why certain people disappeared and why others were left on earth, those "leftover" people are left to push forward in their lives. So, the focus of the story is less on why this "Sudden Departure" happened as it is on how it affects the people who weren't taken. Some of them are grieving the loss of their families, while others experience drastic alterations to their perception of life and their place on earth. Among the leads cast in the pilot is Justin Theroux, who plays Kevin Garvey, the new mayor of a small town called Mapleton. While he attempts to keep the town functioning in the wake of the Sudden Departure, his wife Laurie has left him to join a cult called the Guilty Remnant. THR says Brenneman will play the role of Laurie.
Laurie is Kevin's wife, but as I mentioned, she's left him and their kids behind to join the Guilty Remnant, which means - if this pilot goes to series - we might not expect to see much of Brenneman and Theroux on screen together. But in the book, Laurie is linked to Liv Tyler's character Meg, a newcomer to the Guilty Remnant whom Laurie helps adjust to the vow of silence, chain-smoking and mastering the art of the judgmental stare - common behavior for Guilty Remnant people. But from the way THR words Tyler's role in Brenneman's casting news, Meg's a "target of recruitment," which could indicate that she's being pursued to join the cult and not actually a voluntary member. That seems like it might be a minor adjustment from the book, but could be an interesting way to introduce us to Laurie and Meg, and also the Guilty Remnant. Both roles are darker in tone in the book, but interesting roles nonetheless, as the Guilty Remnant is just one demonstration of how certain people are coping with the big rapture. In addition to Private Practice, Brenneman also starred in Judging Amy.
Also cast in the pilot are Emily Meade (Boardwalk Empire) and Jake Robinson (The Carrie Diaries). Meade will play a series regular of "an uninhibited high school student who seemingly takes the apocalypse in stride." I'm going to assume this is some variation of the book's Aimee, a friend of Kevin's daughter Jill, who comes to stay with them at their house. Robinson is playing the recurring role of "the guy we all wish we were in high school." No specific character name mentioned. These two high schooler characters join the recently cast Charlie and Max Carver, who will play twin brothers Adam and Scott, two other acquaintances of Jill Garvey.
The more promising casting we hear about this project, the more hopeful I am that this one will move forward at HBO.
