Lucky has added a major new cast member to star opposite Anya Taylor-Joy. The upcoming Apple TV+ show, which is produced by Reese Witherspoon via Hello Sunshine and was created by Banshee and Warrior‘s Jonathan Tropper, is based on the novel of the same name by Marissa Stapley. Lucky follows a young woman who must embrace her criminal past one final time in order to fully escape it and marks Taylor-Joy’s first lead television role since Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit debuted in 2020.
Per Deadline, Annette Bening has joined the cast of Lucky. She will be playing the character Priscilla, who is described as a “dangerous mob leader.” Bening, who is a five-time Oscar nominee for her roles in 1990’s The Grifters, 1999’s American Beauty, 2004’s Being Julia, 2010’s The Kids Are All Right, and 2023’s Nyad, is returning to the small screen after having recently starred in the 2024 Peacock miniseries Apples Never Fall, adapted from Liane Moriarty’s mystery novel of the same name.
What This Means For Lucky
Bening’s Role Pushes The Envelope
Annette Bening boarding Lucky shows that the Apple TV+ show has what it takes to continue attracting decorated actors to its cast. In addition to her five Oscar nominations, Bening has so far been nominated for one Emmy, 10 Golden Globes, winning two (for Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right), and four BAFTA Awards, winning one (for American Beauty). When added to Anya Taylor-Joy’s Emmy nomination and three Golden Globe nominations (with one win), this makes the show’s cast even more impressive.
Anya Taylor-Joy won a Golden Globe in 2011 for her performance in The Queen’s Gambit.
Additionally, this show offers the incoming actor a type of role that many Annette Bening movies have failed to give her. While she has a history of playing complicated, frequently abrasive characters, she does not typically play out-and-out villains. The closest she has gotten would probably be playing an avatar of the Supreme Intelligence in 2019’s Captain Marvel. However, Priscilla seems like she will be Bening’s most explicitly villainous character yet, providing the actor with a particularly dangerous and exciting role.
Our Take On Annette Bening Joining Lucky
The Show Can Only Benefit
Now that Annette Bening has joined Lucky, it seems likely that the ensemble of the Anya Taylor-Joy project will continue to be filled out with well-regarded performers. The combined might of both performers will likely make the prospect of joining the cast seem even more exciting to prospective stars, so by the end of the casting process, it could have even more Oscar nominees on board. This could be hugely beneficial for bringing the world of the bestselling novel to life onscreen.
Source: Deadline