Five Actors, Five Monologues, One Message: HBO’s COASTAL ELITES is Both Funny and Poignant

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede It’s true that HBO’s COASTAL ELITES could have been made before the pandemic, and it still would’ve had plenty to say. But the format speaks specifically to the COVID-19 era, with five characters played by five well-known actors – Bette Midler, Dan Levy, Issa Rae, Sarah Paulson, and Kaitlyn Dever, in order of appearance – giving five monologues about current times that will make viewers think, while also tugging at their hearts. COASTAL ELITES, which debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on Crave, is from playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick, and director Jay Roach. It’s described as a “socially distanced comedy,” but the five characters still pour their guts out as they lament the current political climate and pandemic repercussions in the United States. Midler’s character is a chagrined liberal theatre-lover and widow. Levy’s character is a conflicted actor. Rae’s character is a would-be “trophy friend” for Ivanka Trump. Paulson’s character is a virtual self-help guru whose own family is driving her nuts. And Dever’s character is a beleaguered nurse. “What I found was so right for this, particularly with Jay Roach directing, was that it provides a kind of intimacy, that you had a real one-on-one experience with these characters,” Rudnick said. “I started writing COASTAL ELITES over a year ago, when I realized that everyone I knew was angry and heartbroken, and concerned about the future of our country. I was trying to figure out a way into that material, into that level of emotion, and these monologues sort of burst forth.” The Canadian Levy admitted he hasn’t done any monologue work since high school theatre. “Thank you to Jay (Roach) for seeing something in me, but it wasn’t until learning those lines that I realized the process of actually learning a monologue was quite difficult,” Levy said. “I just thought that the monologues were so interesting, and revelatory, and everything was kind of unexpected. Every character that you had an impression of off the top ended up revealing things that were so surprising, and funny, and heartbreaking, that it was just such a thrill.” Learning a monologue is one thing, but performing it alone under quarantine conditions adds another layer. Was the isolation freeing in any way? “I thought I was actually going to be less nervous doing a monologue in the comfort of my own home, but I was way more nervous,” Dever said. “It was bizarre. Being on Zoom with people, and talking to Jay and Paul, oh my God, it made me so much more nervous.” Paulson agreed. “I’m sweating just thinking about it,” she said. Rae, star and co-creator of HBO’s INSECURE (available for streaming on Crave), said her role in COASTAL ELITES kind of opened up a new world, for better or worse. “For me this was kind of an education, because I do tend to try to avoid as much of the Trump family as possible,” Rae said. “Ivanka, in particular, I’ve always found fascinating, but not fascinating enough to listen to, so it took a lot to research. And the more I found out, the more horrified I was, and a lot of that is expressed through the work. But it’s a testament to Paul’s writing – it was incredible to read, and immediately resonated.” The legendary Midler identified very closely with her firebrand character. “I felt almost as if Paul had written it for me, because he knows how nuts I am on the subject of the current inhabitants of the White House,” Midler said. “So for me, it was cathartic. Unfortunately, not cathartic enough, because I’m still in a state of rage and anxiety.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv