Warning: This article contains spoilers forLove & Death.
LESLI LINKA GLATTER: That was directed by the wonderful Clark Johnson.
Why do they feel so empty inside?
Elizabeth Olsen and Lily Rabe as Candy and Betty on ‘Love & Death’.Courtesy of Max
That is a balance that one has to be very careful with.
I did not want to glorify it in any way, nor did I want to vilify.
But it was a horrible crime.
Elizabeth Olsen and Tom Pelphrey as Candy and Don on ‘Love & Death’.Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max
I think to not tell the truth is a disservice to the story.
We chose not to show Candy striking Betty with an ax 41 times.
We maybe did eight, which is plenty.
Jesse Plemons as Allan on ‘Love & Death’.Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max
The rest is left to one’s imagination.
But again, you know, we’ll never know.
We only know this story told from one person’s point of view.
Lily Rabe as Betty on ‘Love & Death’.Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max
I have shot a lot of action sequences, but this was not that.
This was two housewives in a small space.
It was two women, two friends.
It was up close and personal.
But yeah, it was intense.
One of Candy’s attorneys, Robert Udashen, was an advisor on the show.
[Crowder died in 1998.]
What other types of research informed the trial scenes?
He was on the set, which was incredibly helpful in every way.
We were always turning to him.
It did become, like, ‘The circus is coming to town.’
Everybody came from miles around and wanted a seat.
It was nothing that anyone had ever experienced in this town or surrounding towns.
It was packed and people were turned away.
It definitely became a phenomenon.
The final scene comes full circle with Candy visiting Allan before she leaves Wylie.
Tell me more about that creative decision.
I think it was really important that Candy went to Allan.
I think she couldn’t leave that town and leave everything [after what] happened without saying something.
And they didn’t say very much to each other.
It was actually more about what wasn’t said than what was said.
Because how does one say I’m sorry for something that’s so horrifying?
And Allan’s story, I mean, everyone’s personal story life is so incredibly inexplicable.
People want to explore and make a run at understand what is profoundly inexplicable.
That’s why the story is so compelling.
Why did this happen?
How did this happen?
We humans are such complicated beings.
I remember the first time I read theTexas Monthlystory and I was like, oh my god.
She was found not guilty.
She was not found innocent because there’s a big difference.
She actually committed the murder.
When I read it the first time, I could not believe it was true.
It read like a short story.
That’s what was so intriguing about it.
She was found not guilty.
That is really hard to imagine.
All seven episodes ofLove & Deathare streaming on Max.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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