In 1968, Tammy Wynette’s entire world changed.
The small-time country singer had been working tirelessly to break into the charts, and despite some success, record labels weren’t taking her seriously as an artist.
Arriving in Nashville, Tennessee, Tammy was overlooked by male performers and was holding onto a marriage that had run its course.
”I had begun to realize I was working in a man’s world, and most of them looked down on women in the business,” Tammy said in her autobiography Stand By Your Man.
After her first chart hit Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad and her iconic single Stand By Your Man, Tammy’s luck had changed. Her star was on the rise, bringing her into the realm of country music icon George Jones.
After several meetings, Tammy and her then-second husband Don Chapel invited George for dinner. But the pleasantries were left behind when Don, suspicious of the chemistry between Tammy and George, began to argue. George, who was in love with Tammy, flipped the table in a defensive rage and declared his feelings for her on the spot.
In 1969, they married.
Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon were inextricably linked in George & Tammy.
(IMAGE: Supplied)Their real-life love affair is the subject for biopic series, George & Tammy.
Over the course of three decades – charting how they met, their tumultuous marriage, and their relationship post-divorce – the couple created a legacy that would last forever.
Jessica Chastain, who plays Tammy, says she’s ”never seen anything like it”.
”I was so interested in how they performed together after they had separated – even being married to other people,’ she tells TV WEEK via Zoom.
”I’ve never seen the energy that George and Tammy had together on stage. It was quite exciting to watch.”
Country music star George was drawn to the married Tammy when they met in the late 1960s
(IMAGE: Supplied)Meanwhile, it was George’s personal life that struck a chord with his portrayer, Michael Shannon. Despite his success, he battled alcoholism and addiction for years, which led to bouts of violence and destruction. But he yearned to be better, a family man with purpose.
”You see George get so close to being settled and having some peace, and the struggle to hold onto that,” Michael, 48, says.
”There’s a moment when he’s on the lawn mower and talking to his little baby girl Georgette [about his future]; that part was compelling to me.”
With multiple Academy Award nominations between them (and a recent win for Jessica who took home the 2022 Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Eyes Of Tammy Eye), their performance met with anticipation – and they didn’t disappoint. But the research and preparation were unlike anything else they have done.
On top of vocal training to sound and sing like real-life musicians, they had to tell a story that depicted trauma and a deep, unwavering love.
”I got to talk to Earl ”Peanutt” Montgomery, who was one of George’s best friends and he played guitar in his band. It was so helpful,” Michael says.
After her first chart hit Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad and her iconic single ‘Stand By Your Man’, Tammy’s luck had changed. Her star was on the rise, bringing her into the realm of country music icon George Jones.
(IMAGE: Supplied)Jessica, 45, adds that their daughter Georgette Jones, who is also a singer, was a critical factor to understanding Tammy, as well as the many recordings of the duo and of people who knew them.
”Tammy’s hairdresser knew her for most of her life and was present for their last tour together, so she had all these secrets about how she and George behaved together,” she says.
But for all their research, you can’t fake chemistry.
Together, they deliver George and Tammy’s profound connection in both music and small moments; a simple glance that implies more than a conversation or a fleeting touch that signals their devotion.
Michael says their friendship off-screen enhanced the connection we see in the show.
”We were inseparable,’ he says.
”In between set-ups, we’d play a lot of board games or would always be hanging out. We always showed up even if I or Jessica were doing a solo performance, we gave each support. It was a blessing to have each other to rely on, it made things less scary.
WATCH NOW: The cast discuss what it was like working with one another. Article continues after video.
As Jessica jokingly chimes in to say ”It was hell” working together, she adds there was no one else who could become George Jones in her mind.
”I love Mike. We really took shelter together and I trust him,” she says.
”It wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else.”
George & Tammy is available for streaming on STAN from January 1st.
