"He gets to be rageful and self-serving but also pathetic and tender," says star Ben Platt of his character, Payton, pictured with David Corenswet's River. "And he gets to explore the relationship with his mother, with his friends and with romantic partners, so he's a very fully formed guy — which I don't think I've ever gotten to [play] on camera before."
"She is so unapologetically herself and she always makes sure that her opinion is known to everyone and isn't afraid to take up space," says Lucy Boynton of her character, Astrid.
Rahne Jones and Lucy Boynton, who notes that Ryan Murphy invited the cast and crew over to his Los Angeles home to screen all eight episodes of the show once they were picture-locked. "We watched four episodes and then went for dinner and had some much needed wine and then came back for the last four," she says.
One of Ben Platt's biggest inspirations for his character was Parkland survivor turned activist Cameron Kasky. "He was the only person I'd seen in a public forum speaking incredibly eloquently, almost savant-like, about his political beliefs and representing himself as a person who's actually 18 years old."
"Brad always says I have this very specific warmth as a mother, so I think he took that and transposed it to this character and the son that she loves," says Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays mom-of-three Georgina. "And I think it's sort of hilarious that she doesn't like the other two."
"I think people will find a lot of enjoyment in looking beneath that surface-level glamour to explore the darker side of power and money," says Zoey Deutch, pictured with Jessica Lange and Ben Platt.
Ben Platt met Gwyneth Paltrow on his first day of shooting. "With anyone who is that famous and has that much notoriety around them, it's always nerve-racking," he says. "But as soon as the cameras turned on, she made me feel very much like an equal."
Ben Platt, who knew Zoey Deutch prior to The Politician, insisted on casting her in the role of Infinity. "She's such a talented character actress and I knew that she would be able to disappear into it," he says.
Jessica Lange, who joined the project after talks Barbra Streisand never materialized, plays a woman from West Virginia named Dusty.
Theo Germaine, Julia Schlaepfer and Laura Dreyfuss play the whip-smart friends who run Payton's election campaign.