“Very complex character”: The Morning Show’s Marion Cotillard discusses playing Celine Dumont in Season 4

The Morning Show quickly went on to become one of Apple TV+’s marquee dramas, winning over audiences with its bracing look at power and ambition as well as the vagaries of workplace life. Every season has built on the show’s world, adding new characters who challenge the existing power structure and mirror contemporary discussions in society.

An upmarket, prestige story and performances such as these make The Morning Show a yardstick for the genre – one that’s got people watching not just because it’s full of big names but also for the nuanced drama it brings to the messy world of professional and personal relationships.

As The Morning Show heads into Season 4, the show seems poised to push even more boundaries. The new Season takes place nearly two years after the end of Season 3 and is filled with an ensemble cast of old and new characters.

Marion Cotillard on playing Celine Dumont in The Morning Show Season 4

Marion Cotillard joins The Morning Show as Celine Dumont, a woman whose power and influence are matched only by the expectations placed upon her. Cotillard spoke to CBR about the complexity of her character, saying:

"Celine is a very interesting character because she's the board president. So, she has a very high place and powerful place in the network. And she also is a very complex character. There are a lot of expectations around her about what she's going to do. As a woman, she has a lot to prove because we expect a woman today to still prove herself. And so she is kind of trapped into her desire to own her place, her desire to do much better than what was expected from her, and at the same time, to fit the box."

Adding further:

"Those are a lot of angles to play. Is that kind of complexity what you look for in a role? A complex character is so fun to build, you know? A strong, complex, and also human [person]. And even her weakness, I mean, makes for such a strong personality."

The cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Academy Award-winners Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons, Aaron Pierre, William Jackson Harper and Boyd Holbrook.

The Morning Show explores power, ambition, and behind-the-scenes newsroom drama

The Morning Show has always mixed the professional and personal lives of its characters, chronicling women dealing with the demands of working in positions of power in a fiercely competitive newsroom. The synopsis of the show, according to IMDb:

An inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by the team.

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Season 4 places the action after the UBA-NBN merger, with Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy overseeing the network and Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson dealing with professional consequences when she returns. The show mixes up corporate intrigue, personal struggle and moral questions to present viewers with a complex story in which no one is a complete hero or villain.

As The Morning Show is already renewed for a fifth Season, it continues to provide a compelling examination of ambition, gender politics and changing ethical boundaries in modern media. Season 4 will knock those stories up a notch and drop some new characters into the mix, like Celine Dumont, to keep both critics and audiences firmly hooked.

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