Awards Focus
Apple TV+’s Platonic premiere takes over Regal LA Live with stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen
The cast and the creatives of Apple TV+’s original comedy series, Platonic, graced the green carpet for its premiere Wednesday night in Los Angeles at the Regal LA Live. This series marks a welcome reunion for Neighbors stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, who also serve as executive producers alongside co-creator Francesca Delbanco.
With the streaming premiere just weeks away, Byrne reflected on how she helped put the series’ package together. “It was a conversation I started having with Nick Stoller (Platonic showrunner and director) and Francesca (Delbanco) literally four or five years ago,” said Byrne. “They pitched me this idea, and I suggested Seth, thinking they could write to our strengths as a duo.”
Byrne’s first collaboration with Stoller came in 2014’s Neighbors film, which co-stars Rogen as thirty-something parents dealing with unruly fraternity brothers living next door. Byrne saw and jumped at the opportunity to get the band back together for Platonic.
The series follows former best friends Sylvia (Byrne) and Will (Rogen), who reconnect after a long rift and comically explore themes of friendships through midlife crises. This rekindling of their friendship eventually becomes all-consuming for the pair and destabilizes their lives.
“I thought it was such a funny idea and couldn’t think of why there hasn’t been more exploring of male and female platonic friendships,” said Rogen. “Rose and I work well together and improvise a lot, which is one of the things we like about each other’s styles.”
Also in attendance was an ensemble of comedic performers, including fellow Neighbors castmate Carla Gallo as well as Luke Macfarlane (“Bros”), Tre Hale (“Love and Monsters”), and Guy Branum (“Bros”). “Francesca and Nick were very open and knew they were working with talented performers with Rose and Seth,” said Branum. “They fill the set with people they want to hang out with. There’s no space for negativity or ego.”
“My goal every day was to try and make somebody break, and Nick was always the easiest,” added Hale. “There was constant laughter on set, and we had so much fun making it.”
Although not present for the carpet, Stoller was a common thread of conversation among other members of the cast, who beamed at his ability to make everyone feel at ease on set. “Nick has this great, infectious laugh when we’re doing something funny on set, which always makes you feel confident,” said Luke Macfarlane about his director and “Bros” collaborator.
Additional castmates Andrew Lopez (“Blockers”) and Alisha Wainwright (“Raising Dion”) shared their experiences about landing the project and working on set with comedy giants Rogen and Byrne. “I was a writer’s assistant on Neighbors, so this is a full circle moment for me,” said Lopez. “I was a student on this set, learning a lot from some amazing mentors and teachers.”
“It’s kind of strange to do a chemistry read on Zoom with Seth Rogen in your living room,” commented Wainwright on her audition process. “But it was such a cool experience.” Wainwright enjoyed the freedom on set given to the cast, allowing actors to improvise in the moment. “We were kind of spit-balling lines, so it was very collaborative,” says Wainwright.
Platonic will premier globally on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes on Wednesday, May 24, followed by new episodes every Wednesday.
