Conversations with Friends, which will premiere on Hulu on May 12, tells the story of Frances (Alison Oliver), a college student who is best friends with her ex Bobbi (Sasha Lane). The pair perform poetry at pubs in Dublin, which is where they meet thirty-something writer, Melissa (Jemima Kirke), who befriends them and introduces them to her husband, an actor named Nick (Joe Alwyn). Their lives become tangled together as Frances and Nick embark on an intense affair and Melissa and Bobbi get closer. There is angst and sex and angst about sex—as if you’d expect anything less from a Sally Rooney story. For more details on when the show is premiering, who’s in it, and who’s working behind the scenes, take a look at our guide below!
Is there a trailer for Conversations with Friends?
Yes! Here it is in all its angst-ridden glory, set to the tune of an original Phoebe Bridgers song called “Sidelines.” You can see Frances and Nick’s connection, as well as Melissa and Bobbi’s. There is a lot of dialogue and the chemistry is palpable, even in just this short snippet.
Who’s in the cast of Conversations with Friends?
Conversations with Friends stars a few familiar faces and one very new one. Alison Oliver stars as Frances, the book’s narrator, and with that lead role Irish actor Oliver will be getting her very first screen credit. She’s that new! Elsewhere, you’ll recognize the married guy she falls for, Nick, who is played by Joe Alwyn. Yes, he’s Mr. Taylor Swift, but you might also know him from films like The Favourite, Harriet, and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Nick’s wife Melissa is portrayed by Jemima Kirke, who is best known as Jessa from Girls but more recently can be seen in Netflix’s Sex Education. The final member of the Conversations with Friends foursome, Frances’s ex Bobbi, is played by Loki’s Hunter C-20, Sasha Lane.
When is the release date for Conversations with Friends?
All 12 episodes of Conversations with Friends will be available on Hulu on May 15, for your bingeing pleasure.
How many episodes will Conversations with Friends have?
Sally Rooney’s novel will be told over 12 half-hour episodes.
Who is directing Conversations with Friends?
The majority of the 12 episodes are directed by Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson, who also had a hand in the adaptation of Rooney’s other novel, Normal People. The other episodes are directed by Leanne Welham, who most recently directed several episodes of HBO’s His Dark Materials adaptation.
Are there any Conversations with Friends spoilers?
Of course—there’s a whole book of them. If you’d like to know ahead of time how things work out between Frances and Nick, the married actor she begins an intense love affair with, or what happens between Nick’s wife Melissa and Frances’s best friend and ex Bobbi, it’s all right there in the novel. Anyone who reads the novel knows that Conversations With Friends—like Rooney’s other books—is about small, intimate interactions between characters and it sounds like the team behind the scenes took great care to once again make sure that shows up in the show. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Jemima Kirke spoke about how devoted director Lenny Abrahamson was to getting the adaptation right, even taking 10 hours to film the small but momentous scene in which Frances, Bobbi, and Melissa meet: “I was so impressed with that,” she says, “there was something at stake here.” So, suffice it to say that the series is aiming to be a faithful adaptation. Next, find out everything you need to know about Angelyne!
