User:Mrs. Hastings/sandbox/Held the Flame
Held the Flame is an American drama miniseries created, written, and produced by Drew Hacks. Inspired by the mythos of singers Sia and Sade, it follows two women with different and outrageous personalities who meet and start writing to each other about their romantic and intimate issues.
Cast and characters
[edit]- Tilda Swinton as Leah Wod, an anxious and autistic singer interested in pyrotechnics who expects too much of relationships
- Angela Bassett as Sasha Kelly, an "ultraromantic" and bisexual singer and divorcee who collects lovers throughout New York City and is interested in arts and technology
- Sam Waterston as Jay McNeil, Sasha and Leah's asexual friend, who connects the two of them
- Douglas Smith as Rick O'Connors, one of Sasha's younger flings, a barista and painter
- Sakina Jaffrey as Jenny Bakshi, Sasha's music career manager
- Kim Dickens as Annette Usher, one of Leah's managers, who is her friend since they were teenagers
- Lily Rabe as Chrissy Wod, Leah's daughter and Melissa's niece, who lives in Montana
- Michel Gill as Lewis Howard, one of Leah's managers, who is secretly in love with her
- Chris Messina as Hank Williams, Chrissy's boyfriend, whom Leah disapproves
- Mikael Persbrandt as Bruce Johnson, Leah's on-again, off-again boyfriend, a real estate agent
- Frances Conroy as Melissa Wod, a businesswoman who sells perfumes, and Leah's sister, with whom she maintains a complicated relationship
- Alfre Woodard as Trisha Kelly, a retired lawyer who loves gardening, and Sasha's former wife, who helps her music career
Production
[edit]Leah is loosely based on the personality and artistry of Australian singer Sia, who is one of Hacks' favorite artists. Sia was informed about the character's existence early in the series' development, by Hacks himself, and approved its development as long as her name was kept unrelated. After accepting Sia's terms, Hacks interviewed nine actresses to portray the character. The casting process started in March 2034, a month after Hacks released the first season of Mystery Incorporated, and lasted for two weeks. Swinton was chosen due to her unique physique, which ultimately reflected the character's own creation, and "stellar understanding and portrayal" of the character's biography and chaotic thinking. Originally, Leah was supposed to be the only lead character in the miniseries, but Sia suggested the addition of "another romantic and tragic singer".
Sasha's creation was inspired by Nigerian-British Sade's lyrics in her band's album Diamond Life (1984). Hacks confirmed the character is also inspired by Dorothea Williams, a jazz saxophonist in the 2020 film Soul also portrayed by Bassett, and Rob Brooks, a vinyl shop owner in 2020 TV series High Fidelity portrayed by Zoë Kravitz. Bassett was Hacks' first actress of choice to portray the character, and the producer retroactively said it was "specially written for her, [he] just did not know that early on." The actress accepted the role immediately after hearing Hacks describing it during a meeting at his house. She has publicly thanked Hacks for his "unique" character development abilities and interest in "writing deep stories about women in later ages and with different minds".