‘I will NOT not be rich’: why Big Little Lies’ Laura Dern is so good to watch
- Dern’s character Renata Klein seems tailor-made for the veteran actress, who specialises in a singular type of scene-stealing hysteria
- Her ability to stand out is particularly impressive considering there is no shortage of talent among her cast mates
SPOILER ALERT: This post discusses plot points from the first three episodes of Big Little Lies Season 2.
Will somebody give a woman a moment – to appreciate Laura Dern?
Dern is a stand-out presence on HBO’s Big Little Lies, which returned earlier this month for an unnecessary, but immensely watchable second season. Her character, Renata Klein – a confident businesswoman with a mama bear approach to motherhood – seems tailor-made for the veteran actress, who specialises in a singular type of scene-stealing hysteria.
Renata was a supporting character last season, on the fringes of the show’s core friend group of Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Jane (Shailene Woodley). But now she has been brought deeper into the circle (along with Zoe Kravitz’s Bonnie) following the death of Celeste’s abusive husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard). The women are bonded by a dark secret: that Perry died not from a fall, as they let detectives believe, but from a fatal push delivered by Bonnie after she witnessed him viciously attack Celeste.
Dern commanded attention in the first season, winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy for best supporting actress. Renata’s daughter, Amabella, was bullied at her elementary school, and she spent much of the season trying to get her child to open up about who was hurting her.