‘Three Women’ showrunner Laura Eason talks courage, desire, and ‘superhero’ intimacy coordinators

"There were many people that wanted to adapt the book," says Three Women showrunner Laura Eason, who collaborated closely with the novel's author, Lisa Taddeo, to bring the 2019 bestseller to the screen. "When they put a list of possible showrunners together, I luckily was on the shortlist. When Lisa and I met, we just clicked and luckily she chose me to be her partner. I came to that meeting having read the book, already being obsessed with it, and when I got the call I felt so fortunate to get that opportunity."

The Starz limited series is an intimate, moving, and uplifting portrait of real women reclaiming their lives. Based on true stories, Shailene Woodley stars as Gia, a writer who sets out to tell chronicle the lives of Lina (Betty Gilpin), Sloane (DeWanda Wise), and Maggie (Gabrielle Creevy).

Adapting a beloved book presents unique challenges, notes Eason. "You want to honor the material, honor these real women's lives, but you are also making a TV show that needs to stand on its own," she explains. "That was one of the great things about the partnership. Lisa had never done any television. I was able to bring what I know about making [TV] and tell these internal stories in visual, cinematic ways. We wanted to use the tools of television to externalize that beautiful internal life and the complexity that the book and these stories are so centered on."

Eason and Taddeo wrote all 10 episodes prior to casting, which Eason says gave them an advantage. "They were able to read what the show was asking [them to do]," she explains. "The show is about female desire and there's a ton of intimacy. It asks a lot of the actors. They have to be very vulnerable and there's a lot of onscreen intimacy. The order was tall in a lot of ways. It was a big ask of the actors. When we met with them, not only did we know they were right, but that they were also up for the challenge."

The show's sexually explicit nature captures all dynamics — including moments of intimacy, comedy, and trauma. "A big part of the show was capturing all those different dynamics," Eason says. "We had the best intimacy coordinator, Claire Warden. She's really been at the forefront of this movement. We brought her on as a department head and integrated her into the whole creative process. She brings a tremendous amount of artistry to the work that she does. Safety was paramount — and that was our first priority — but in terms of having intimacy tell the story, that was where Claire was like a superhero for us."

"All of that planning allowed the actors to show up and be in the moment," Eason continues. "One of my greatest days was after a big intimacy scene in Episode 2, the wonderful Betty Gilpin came up to me and said, 'I didn't know a day like this could be fun.' She felt so safe, but also so creatively free. In many experiences for actors, days like that are not fun. It's the opposite. So to have that be a really great day for her was such an achievement of Claire's and was one of my happiest days."

Eason also connected personally to one of the show's central characters, Maggie. She shares that Maggie's story— of being groomed by her high school teacher — is the only narrative in both the book and series that uses the real person's name. "When I was in high school, I moved across the country. In retrospect, I now understand that there were two teachers that approached me inappropriately that were really early signs of grooming. That is what happened to Maggie Wilkin in real life and what we portray on the show. She was groomed by her teacher. She believed when she was young that it was a love story, but in retrospect she realizes the trauma, manipulation, and the truth of what happened to her. I so easily could have fallen into one of these relationships. When I read Maggie's story, I just felt such connection. Although I didn't endure what she did, so many people who watch the show have told me they had a similar experience."

Eason praises the real Maggie Wilkin's courage, particularly for coming forward in 2016, before the MeToo movement began. "Her bravery and decision to say, ‘This happened to me, and it was wrong,’ is incredibly inspiring," Eason says. "For many people that watch the show, it can be challenging to watch that, but also there's a real catharsis in witnessing Maggie's bravery and her continuing on. She's now doing really well in her life."

All episodes of Three Women are currently streaming on Starz.

This article and video are presented by Starz.