‘Modern Love’ Series Creator Reveals How the Star-Studded Cast Was Put Together for Season 2

Amazon Prime Video recently released the new trailer for the highly anticipated second season of its anthology romance series, Modern Love.

If you haven’t heard of the series, it’s an eight-part series based on the beloved New York Times column of the same name. The plot is adapted from eight true stories about romantic entanglements, betrayals, and revelations.

The critically acclaimed first season was an instant hit when it premiered in 2019 on Prime Video with overwhelmingly heartfelt stories and recognizable faces like Dev Patel, Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, and Andrew Scott. 

Like the addictive first season that tugged on viewers' heartstrings, the new season looks just as interesting. 

The trailer for the second season teases a whole new world of unexpected romantic entanglements and shows that love comes in all forms. 

The series is also bringing in an equally star-studded cast. Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington, The Crown’s Tobias Menzies, Academy Award winner Anna Paquin, Minnie Driver, Lucy Boynton, and Garrett Hedlund are among the stars of Season 2.

Ahead of the release, series creator John Carney talked about his approach to the new season.

Carney on Making Season 2

Carney, known for his signature melancholy romanticism, serves as executive producer, writer, and director on several episodes.

During the interview with EW, Carney revealed that the creative process of season 2 was different because, with season 1’s feedback, they had a lot more information on what they should or should not do this time around. 

What can we listen to? What can we persevere with from the first season that we didn’t get right or get a little closer to how we wanted it? With such thoughts in mind, Carney went through a similar process like season 1, in terms of choosing the essays and the love stories to include for season 2.

The show’s creators were careful in ensuring that the series was inclusive and featured diverse kinds of love, ones that defied certain social class expectations or financial brackets.

And in doing so, the stories took them outside Manhattan. Some episodes were filmed in Dublin and one in London. 

Carney on Assembling Yet Another All-Star Cast

When asked if Carney wrote the stories with the actors in mind, the director said no and explained that it was disappointing when actors rejected their offer. He added that not getting the dream person always made him feel like he was getting the second best. 

However, the director did note that when he wrote, he had in mind how the characters should sound and heard actors or intonations that he recognized from other shows or movies. 

As for repeating the magic of the first season and gathering yet another stellar ensemble cast, Carney noted that they luckily got most actors they were vying for. 'Modern Love' season 2 release date is set for August 13.