“Everyone’s so glad we did it”: Paradise creator says he lied to Disney to cast Julianne Nicholson as Sinatra

Paradise has proven to be a major success for Hulu, thanks to its engaging storyline and stellar performances. The sci-fi political thriller series is set in an underground city, where the murder of the President starts a chain of events that expose some dark secrets.

One of the major highlights of the show is the character of Samantha "Sinatra" Redmond, played by Julianne Nicholson. Sinatra is an elite woman with immense power, who operates behind the scenes.

Series creator Dan Fogelman has now revealed that he had to lie to Disney, the parent company of Paradise producer 20th Television, to have Julianne Nicholson on board for the show.

Fogelman said that, since the actress was already busy with another project, he told Disney that he needed more time to prepare for the show, so the production could be delayed.

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Dan Fogelman reveals he lied to Disney to cast Julianne Nicholson in Paradise

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Fogelman opened up about how he always wanted Julianne Nicholson to play Sinatra in Paradise. The creator said he had been an admirer of the actress’ work and was excited when she agreed to star in the show.

However, he soon learned there was a scheduling conflict, as Nicholson was already working on another project and could not free up her dates to shoot for Paradise. Fogelman said he tried to change the filming schedule initially, but that did not work out:

“I moved heaven and earth. I said, ‘Can we change the shooting schedule?’ and we did a little bit, but it still wasn’t going to work. There was too much overlap. Eventually, I received the call, like, ‘You have to move on.’ I was devastated.”

But Fogelman was not ready to give up. He went to the extent of lying to the studio about needing more time for preparation. This ensured that the filming of Paradise would be delayed, and Nicholson could finish up her other project in the meantime:

“I actually lied to the people at the studio, and I said: ‘We’re not ready to make the show. We need more time in prep,” which costs a lot of money to extend prep.”

Fogelman added that his lie paid off as now everybody is happy with Nicholson’s performance and the show’s success:

“I made it about 12 different things, but that allowed for us to delay starting shooting, and allowed Julianne to be free. Now, obviously, everyone’s so glad we did it.”

The interviewer was then surprised and asked Fogelman if had actually lied to Disney. The creator reaffirmed that this was indeed the case and replied:

“I lied to Disney to buy a couple of weeks of time for Julianne Nicholson.”

Nicholson has earned wide acclaim for her performance as Sinatra. The morally gray character serves as a major antagonist in the show, willing to go to any extent to retain power. The show also stars Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Shahi, James Marsden, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin, and Percy Daggs IV in pivotal roles.

Paradise airs new episodes on Hulu on Sundays.