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Nicole Kidman leads the cast of ‘Expats’ in this rich story about life in Hong Kong

Expatriate games.
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It’s not every day that an Oscar winner asks you to helm their next major TV series.

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But this is precisely what happened when Nicole Kidman approached filmmaker Lulu Wang about creating an Amazon TV adaption of the 2016 novel by Janice Y.K. Lee, The Expatriates.

“[Nicole] said, ‘I have this book that I optioned and you’re really the only director that I want to make this,” Lulu told Deadline.

But after reading the fascinating story about the intersection of three starkly different American expatriates in Hong Kong, the Chinese-born American director had a counteroffer.

“I said to Nicole the only way that I could make this show is if I could do it completely my way… and have total freedom.” Fortunately, the A-lister agreed.

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The result is this six-part masterpiece drama series where each episode is feature-like in length and production.

Margaret and her husband Clarke (Brian Tee) suffer

a shattering loss.

(Prime Video)

“Obviously, when you have someone like Nicole who backs your vision, it makes it all the more compelling to make a series of this size”, says Lulu.

In Expats, the three main characters become inextricably intertwined after a sudden family tragedy affects them all. A bond is forged – but it also sets in motion a chain of life-altering events that leaves the women with unthinkable choices.

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Nicole plays Margaret, a married mother of three whose happy family life is upended by unbearable tragedy.

Margaret’s friend Hilary is played by Sarayu Blue, who brings to life a rich housewife conflicted by infertility issues.

Rounding out the lead trio is Ji-young Yoo who portrays Mercy, a young college graduate starting a new chapter in her life.

Hilary is played by Sarayu Blue.

(Prime Video)
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But if this sounds like a Nicole Kidman-heavy production, think again. One of the other provisos Lulu had was her insistence that Nicole’s character would be peripheral in certain episodes.

“Everyone thought I was joking but Nicole got it,” Lulu explained. “It was exciting for us to go against what [the studio] were expecting.”

“I said, ‘She’s not even getting a closeup,'” laughed Lulu.

“I’m joking, I tell them. She’s going to get closeups, but I really wanted to shift the perspective in [some] episodes.”

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