Guillaume Gallienne, the Cesar-winning French actor-filmmaker, has joined the cast of Stephen Frears’ anticipated mini-series “The Palace.”
The HBO limited series, which stars Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Matthias Schoenaerts and Andrea Riseborough, tells the story of one year within the walls of the palace of an authoritarian regime as it begins to unravel. Gallienne, who was trained as a theator actor at the prestigious Comedie Francaise, will star in the show as the husband of Winslet’s character.
Will Tracy serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner on “The Palace.” Frears will direct and executive produce, with Winslet executive producing in addition to starring. Frank Rich and Tracey Seaward also executive produce, with Seth Reiss, Juli Weiner, Jen Spyra, Gary Shteyngart and Sarah DeLappe also writing for the series.
“The Palace” will start shooting at the end of the month or early February. Some of Gallienne’s best-known performances include his roles in “Yves Saint Laurent” and “Me, Myself and Mum,” a comedy which marked his directorial debut. “Me, Myself and Mum” won four Cesar Awards in 2014, including best actor (for Gallienne) and best first film. Over the last few years, Gallienne has also held several roles in English-language movies, such as Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.”
“The Palace” will be the fourth HBO limited series with Winslet in the lead role. It was announced in June that Winslet is also attached to star in the HBO limited series “Trust,” based on the novel of the same name by Hernan Diaz. Prior to that, she starred in the HBO limited series “Mare of Easttown,” for which she won the Emmy for best actress in a limited series. She had previously won in the same category in 2011 for the HBO limited series “Mildred Pierce.”