Under the Bridge Stars First Met Bonding Over Indigenous Issues
Hulu officially released its new series, Under The Bridge. The stars of the drama, Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough shared how they connected over DM’s and decided to work together.
Under the Bridge premiered on April 17. The series tells the real-life story of fourteen-year-old Reena Virk, portrayed by Vritika Gupta, who was murdered in 1977.
Based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book of the same name, the program follows Gladstone as Sergeant Cam Bentland. Bentland attempts to solve the case, discovering dark truths along the way.
Along with executive producing, Keough stars onscreen as Godfrey. The writer played a crucial role in uncovering the bullying by fellow teens that led to Virk’s death.
The real-life author passed away from cancer shortly before filming began, but her work made the series possible.
While attending the Los Angeles premiere for the series earlier this week, Gladstone recalled how she first connected with her co-star. “I was aware of her work, anyway, but I feel like being in each other’s orbit then, I became very curious about who this talent was,” the actress explained. “I also was just very taken aback when she started following me on social media — and not just following,” she continued.
The Certain Women star noticed Keough’s support surrounding Indigenous issues. She shared, “When I would post about Savanna’s Act, about MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) issues, about an action in Mount Rushmore by Lakota, the ones who have the ancestral rights to the Black Hills—she just started sharing a lot of these social posts that I was making.” The Blackfoot actress then further revealed, “She reached out and asked if I had any recommendations for Indigenous crew she could work with on War Pony.”
The Killers of the Flower Moon star admitted, “We just had a professional knowledge and respect of each other. We were struggling earlier today to remember the moment that we met in person because neither of us remember it, we just kind of feel like we’ve always known each other.”
Keough also recollected connecting with her co-star. She explained that she and Gladstone “just DM’d about random things or responded to each other’s stories.” The Daisy Jones & The Six star expressed, “We didn’t say, like, ‘Let’s work together.'”
Surrounding the decision to cast Gladstone, the producer revealed, “I was such a fan of hers and when you’re a fan of other actors you’re kind of always thinking of them when you’re doing jobs. She was the first person who came to mind for this.”
Showrunner Samir Mehta also commented on how the bond between the two allowed for the creation of the series. Originally seeking out Keough on the recommendation of a neighbor, Metha remarked, “And then it turned out that Lily and Riley had been communicating on Instagram and they were looking for something to do together and it was just this beautiful falling of dominoes.”
In a fortunate twist of fate, the actresses came together to tell the important story of Reena Virk. Their bond over Indigenous issues led to the duo working together. Their goal is to highlight the voices of women of color and their far-too-often untold stories.
UNDER THE BRIDGE is a gripping crime series, a show about teenage bullying & a story about grief. Lily Gladstone & Riley Keough give exceptional performances but it’s the portrayal of the Virk family and Vritika Gupta’s acting that’s particularly harrowing. A must-watch! pic.twitter.com/cczANxdFtL
— Zofia Wijaszka (@thefilmnerdette) April 16, 2024
Watched the first two episodes of UNDER THE BRIDGE. The trio of Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Vritika Gupta make for captivating leads of this gripping story. Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds. pic.twitter.com/BbhuTTyWkP
— Juan Carlos Ojano (@carlosojano) April 17, 2024
The first episodes of Hulu’s Under the Bridge are available to stream now, with new installments arriving weekly. Fans can support Gladstone and Keough by watching them onscreen in the series. They can also view the trailer below.
