Annie Weisman (‘Physical’ creator) says Rose Byrne partnership was ‘the highlight of my professional life’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

“Well, bittersweet really nails it because I was just thrilled to get the opportunity to bring the whole three act saga to a close,” says Annie Weisman, the creator and showrunner of “Physical” on Apple TV+. “We started the show ambitiously with this flash forward that showed us where this character, who was really in despair when we met her, would get to, and the redemption that she would get to. And so we got a chance with season three to really get her there.” Watch Weisman’s video interview with Gold Derby above.

The series stars Rose Byrne as Sheila Rubin, a woman struggling in her life as a quietly tortured housewife who finds an unconventional path to power through an unlikely source: the world of aerobics.

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“The relationship with Rose has been the highlight of my professional life,” says Weisman. “She was the dream actress to play this part because of everything she’s capable of, from the humor to the depth and the bravery and the emotional intensity. And she really plays every aspect of the role with such courage and bravery. I think it went from me sort of approaching her in a kind of, I would say, wanting her to be part of it and kind of reassuring her, and by the end, we were such partners that she really pushed and encouraged me to do things like direct the second to last episode and to take the character places that I was sometimes afraid to go and expose parts of myself and my own history that I would sometimes be afraid to expose. So we really encouraged and brought the best out in each other.”

And while there is always collaboration in the writers room, Weisman, who based many of Sheila’s experiences on her own battle with an eating disorder, chooses to write the first and last episode of each season on her own. “We talk about the big arcs and the character development and what we want to do together,” she explains. “But I really do try to give it that bookend myself. The beginning and the end of the process I think are the most important for the showrunner to set the vision of the show, so I do try to do that every season.”

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