7 Questions with… Little Fires Everywhere’s Gavin Lewis: ‘It was incredible working with Reese Witherspoon - she just lit up the set’

A combination of the hype around the show, the A-list Hollywood cast and the fact that people were stuck at home during lockdown made Little Fires Everywhere a huge hit on Hulu in the States. 

And international audiences don’t have to wait any longer for the TV adaptation of Celeste Ng's 2017 bestseller, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The eight-part drama series stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington as two mothers whose lives are turned upside-down as their fate intertwines.

Young Hollywood actor Gavin Lewis (Netflix's Prince of Peoria) plays Moody Richardson, the younger son of Reese Witherspoon’s character, mother-of-four Elena.

Speaking exclusively to BT.com from his Los Angeles home, Lewis answers seven burning questions about the show - including what it was like working with Witherspoon, what he makes of the different ending to the book, and his similarities to Moody… 

*spoilers ahead*

1. The show’s been a huge hit on Hulu in the States, but what do you hope international audiences take from the show? 

Gavin Lewis: I think my biggest hope is that it’s relatable everywhere it’s seen, because there are these themes like motherhood, family and race that I think everybody can relate to no matter where they are. So my biggest hope is that no matter who sees it, there’s an element they can relate to. 

It does sound a little cliché but one of the themes that stands out for me is not judging a book by its cover, and just really learning people, not making assumptions about others, and waiting to get to know somebody before you put them in a box. 

2.  Did Reese Witherspoon give you any advice about your character?

I don’t think she gave me particular character advice as much as helping to show me how much work you can put into a character. Seeing her come to set every day so prepared, I joked that she knew my character better than I did. 

She was so good about character prep, and it really made me want to work harder. She would quiz me sometimes on my props. It was really an excellent learning experience.

3. What kind of things did you learn from Reese during filming that you'll take with you through your career?

She could definitely be used as a role model for me hopefully in this industry, not only about how to be professional on-set, but how to have a multi-faceted career with her successful producing as well as acting. 

She really is incredible on set. She comes in at six in the morning with so much energy, and lights up the set. I think she’s a great role model for me hopefully as I progress in this industry to bring that much energy and light onto a set. 

4. What was it like working with Joshua Jackson, who plays Moody's dad, Bill? 

He was fantastic to work with on set, always telling jokes, very funny! What I thought was really cool about him was how fast he could click into his character, straight after just telling a joke. He would be telling a joke or a story right up to doing a scene, then snap straight into his character. It was very cool to see - it’s a sign of someone who really knows their character, to jump into a take perfectly in character. 

5. What similarities and differences do you share with Moody?

For similarities, I think we’re both a little bit more on the introverted side - not so much centre-of-attention people. I do like people considerably more than Moody, who seems to have a generally negative outlook on his peers. I think the way we talk is very similar, and a lot of our interests - I [also] play guitar in real life, so musically there’s a lot of similarity there. 

6. What do you make of the TV show's different ending compared to the book?

I loved it! I read through the script for the first time, and I was of course very excited - ‘I get to help [start the fires]!’ but I think it’s a really excellent place to take the story, that all of the kids know what’s happening to their family, and none of them really like what’s going on.

To make it a family effort to burn the house down is a really cool stepping stone for them to show that they’re hopefully going to be moving in a new direction after all this is over. 

7. Where do you think Moody would be a year after the show’s ending?

I’m hoping in a year’s time they’ll have found Izzy! I think in a year, he’s probably getting along with his brother [Tripp] better than he ever has because I think that was a major turning point in their relationship, for it to be so bad, and for them both to realise it was so bad. 

Hopefully in a year’s time their family is a better place. After a big realisation for everybody, I think it will be a little more like a happy family.

Little Fires Everywhere is available to watch now on Prime Video.