We’ve been anticipating this upcoming George & Tammy Paramount Network miniseries about George Jones and Tammy Wynette for quite some time now.
Thus far, all we know is that the show will star Michael Shannon as George Jones, and Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette, and will be based around the two’s tumultuous relationship, which has been very well documented over the years.
With that being said, Shannon and Chastain are giving us a glimpse at what’s to come with the miniseries, along with what it’s like to portray the two country music legends.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Chastain weighed in on what drew her to playing Wynette:
“It was fascinating to me that someone like Tammy Wynette, who sang all these songs like ‘Stand by Your Man,’ also was married five times.
I was excited about this woman who was married and divorced multiple times and struggling in Nashville and really made a name for herself on her own. She charted multiple times before she met George Jones.
I was really moved by the love story between them, I started to listen to the music and understood that they were always singing to each other. They were both a huge part of each other’s lives.”
She also shared a first look at the new miniseries on Instagram:
Shannon also discussed how he wasn’t familiar with George Jones originally, but once he was introduced to his story, it drew him in:
“Frankly, I wasn’t that familiar with George Jones. I’m not a huge country music fan, I’m more of a jazz guy, really, but when she brought it to my attention, I got pretty seduced by the whole thing.
It’s a tragic story, but it’s also a very romantic one.”
One interesting fact about the upcoming miniseries, is that Shannon and Chastain are singing all of the songs on the show themselves.
Chastain weighed in on Shannon’s talents:
“He’s a great singer and musician, and I’d seen him perform with his band (indie rock band Corporal) in Brooklyn.”
Shannon added how he’s not trying to perfect Jones’ songs, but adds that it’s an honor to get to sing them:
“George Jones is, to my ear, one of the finest singers I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s obviously a fool’s errand to try to completely emulate that, that’s one of the reasons he’s legendary, is that there will never be another one like him.”
Shannon also discussed what singing meant to Jones, and how it was altered throughout his life growing up:
“George had a pretty difficult time growing up. For him, singing was a very complicated thing because when he started out singing, he would sing for his father who he had a kind of tormented relationship with. So I think for him, singing was the thing that he was best at, but it also kind of tormented him.
I think the bottom line is they were both tough people. They overcame some pretty insurmountable situations to get to the limelight.”
Throughout the series, the two will sing songs like Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” as well as Jones’ “The Race Is On.”
George & Tammy, which is directed by John Hillcoat, is slated to premier later this year, which means we should be getting the miniseries very soon.
