And now, Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty has revealed the amazing story behind the show’s huge casting announcement.
“I was about half way through [writing season two] and I was talking to the producers and I said, I’ve got this role of Perry’s mother and … not quite believing my own audacity, I’d like Meryl to play this character,” Moriarty told The Daily Telegraph.
“And the producers were laughing at me because they were saying, ‘You’ve become so Hollywood,’ as in, picking up the phone and saying, ‘Get me Meryl.’ They were teasing me … but then they were saying, it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities because Nicole and Meryl are friends.”
Turns out, Nicole was able to pull a few strings, with Moriarty revealing: “Nicole sent me an email saying, ‘Ask and you shall receive.’”
Streep, who just bet her own Oscars record, is set to play Mary Louise Wright - the mother of Kidman's on-screen husband Perry Wright (Alexander Skarsgard).
Kidman and Witherspoon are both definitely returning to star in and produce the Emmy award-winning show, with negotiations currently underway to secure season 1's other stars, such as Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, and Laura Dern.
Liane Moriarty, who wrote the original novel Big Little Lies, is also involved with the second season, which is partially based on a story by the Australian author.
HBO said in a statement that season 2 would explore the "malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and, of course, the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Relationships will fray, loyalties will erode … the potential for emotional and bodily injury shall loom."
