The release of Nicole Kidman’s new, six-part limited series, Expats – based on the internationally best-selling novel, The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee – has been a long time coming for its stars.
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“Unbelievable honestly,” Ji-young Yoo, who plays Mercy, told TV WEEK of the release of Expats, which is available to stream in Australia from January 26, 2024.
Nicole Kidman stars as Margaret in Expats.
(Credit: Prime Video)
“It’s felt like this little secret that I’ve had for so long that I’m almost not ready. I’m incredibly excited to release it to the world and share it with everyone but it’s a weird feeling to be finally at the end of it.”
It has enveloped the lives of cast and crew for more than two years, for Sarayu Blue, who plays Hilary Starr, it is a “really vulnerable” experience to share it with the public.
Expats is directed by non-other than Lulu Wang, who is best known for her work in Big Little Lies and The Undoing. The raw undoing of the storyline is something never seen before, and as Saraya described it:
“I mean Lulu is this project, this project is Lulu,” she told TV WEEK. “There’s so much about it that’s really her way of storytelling, her intentional storytelling, so many elements came together because of her.”
With Director Lulu, Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman as producer, and a writers room full of females, Expats star Brian Tee, who plays Clarke, describes how it changed the on-set environment. Watch the reel below from TV WEEK to hear Brian’s response.
Expats centres on three American women – Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue) and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) – whose lives become intertwined following a sudden family tragedy.
Set in the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Ji-young revealed it was an “incredible” experience to be on location for filming.
“I can’t talk about it enough, its such a unique place,” she told TV WEEK. “There’s really nowhere else like it on the planet, I encourage anyone who hasn’t gone to go. I’m so grateful that was something Lulu really wanted us to do, to shoot on location. I think that absolutely informed the show and how we saw it.”
The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred.
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Who is cast in Expats?
Alongside Kidman, the series stars Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever, Blockers), Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere, Smoking Tigers), Brian Tee (Chicago Med, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows), and Jack Huston (House of Gucci, Fargo).
Other cast members include Sarayu Blue.
(Credit: Prime Video)
Where to watch Expats in Australia
The six-part limited drama series premieres on January 26 on Prime Video with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes launching weekly until the finale on February 23.
If you also want to familiarise yourself with the story before tuning in to the series, you can shop a paperback copy of Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel The Expatriates now on Amazon for $35.23.
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