NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) 鈥� In preparation for their upcoming series 鈥淕eorge & Tammy,鈥� Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain spent months learning the songs that George Jones and Tammy Wynette made famous, working with a vocal coach and making the pilgrimage to Nashville to record.
鈥淭he studio we recorded at butted up against the cemetery where George and Tammy are,鈥� Shannon said. 鈥淲e would go visit them. It was like this kind of spiritual odyssey that we went on.鈥�
The two Grammy winners and Country Music Hall of Famers sang the most enduring and memorable songs in country music: 鈥淭ennessee Whiskey,鈥� and 鈥淒-I-V-O-R-C-E.鈥� But the relationship between Jones and Wynette during the height of their careers wasn鈥檛 the fairy tale romance many fans had hoped for the couple often nicknamed 鈥渢he first lady and president of country music.鈥�
The limited six-part series premiering Dec. 4 on Showtime pulls back the curtains on their lives as they both struggled with the pressures of fame and addiction and poured their real-life pain, love and heartache into their unforgettable and emotional performances. Chastain, whose production company Freckle Films helped produce the series, said she was drawn to their story after seeing videos of their live performances, noting that their stage presence together 鈥� both before and after their marriage 鈥� was authentic and sometimes messy.
鈥淚 was so interested in learning about what was feeding the stuff that was happening on stage,鈥� the Oscar-winning actor said.
Wynette died in 1998 at the age of 55, of after years of chronic health issues. Jones died in 2013 at the age of 81. Originally planned as a full-length film, writer Abe Sylvia adapted the series based on the autobiography of Georgette Jones, the daughter of Jones and Wynette.
鈥淥ne of the big theses of the show is that we鈥檙e always looking for somebody else to provide salvation for us in love, and that that鈥檚 an impossible task,鈥� said Sylvia during the red carpet premiere in Los Angeles. 鈥淲hat George and Tammy see in each other is someone who might be able to save them. And that鈥檚 the ongoing theme of the show."
Chastain, found strength in another Tammy鈥檚 story: a successful woman with powerful men all around her trying to take advantage of her talent.
鈥淣ashville was really tough on women,鈥� Chastain said. 鈥淎nd she showed up so brave. You think about it: She showed up as a single mom and this incredible voice and just thought, 鈥楾his is what I鈥檓 going to do.鈥欌��
Shannon had the equally tough role of portraying Jones at his lowest, as his self-destructive tendencies threw his marriage and his career into a tailspin. Jones earned the nickname 鈥淣o Show Jones鈥� during the 鈥�60s and 鈥�70s for being so wasted that he regularly failed to show up for his concerts or just refused to perform.
鈥淕eorge has a very complex relationship with singing,鈥� Shannon said. 鈥淚 think he loves singing. But I also think because of his childhood and certain situations where he was kind of forced or ordered to sing that were very traumatic to him, I think that was always in his subconscious. I think he resented having to sing for his supper, so to speak. He didn鈥檛 want it to be conditional.鈥�
The actors even got a chance to step into George and Tammy鈥檚 shoes. Chastain wore original stage clothes from Wynette. Shannon, however, discovered on a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum that he was taller than Jones, so the wardrobe department got him replica Nudie suits, originally designed for Jones by the .
But Shannon was taken aback when he had to literally throw the expensive suit away on the roadside during a scene of one of Jones鈥� drunken binges.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 indicative of the lifestyle that George was living,鈥� said Shannon. 鈥淗e was very, very into design, loved fashion and loved decorating. And on the other, if he got in the wrong headspace, he could just throw it on the side of the road and walk away, you know?鈥�
But the biggest challenge for the actors was singing live during filming in front of hundreds of extras.
鈥淵ou sing them a cappella because they want to get your take, your vocal take," said Shannon. "So you have an (in-ear monitor) and you can hear the track. But the extras are just sitting there watching you sing a cappella.鈥�
鈥淚t was incredibly intimidating to do,鈥� Chastain added.
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Associated Press writer Krysta Fauria in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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This story was updated on Dec. 2 to correct the show鈥檚 release date, which is Dec. 4.
Kristin M. Hall, The Associated Press
