A Murder Mystery in the Center of the Opioid Epidemic

Summary

All Of It: A Murder Mystery in the Center of the Opioid Epidemic Hosted by Alison Stewart, WNYC | Release Date: March 19, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of ALL OF IT, host Alison Stewart delves into the intricate interplay between culture, community, and storytelling through the lens of the newly released Peacock series, Long Bright River. This episode features insightful interviews with Amanda Seyfried, who stars as the protagonist, and Nikki Toscano, the executive producer and writer of the series. Together, they explore the challenges of adapting Liz Moore's best-selling novel for the screen, the portrayal of law enforcement in a community grappling with the opioid epidemic, and the nuanced character dynamics that drive the narrative.

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Overview of "Long Bright River"

Long Bright River is set in Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia severely impacted by the opioid crisis. The story follows Mickey Fitzpatrick, a dedicated and introspective police officer who is deeply connected to her community. Mickey's sister, Casey, has been missing for weeks amidst a series of murders targeting women in Kensington. As Mickey teams up with her old partner, Truman, to unravel the mystery, she grapples with personal guilt and the complex realities of policing in an underserved area.

Amanda Seyfried joins the discussion, highlighting her dual role as the lead actress and an executive producer. She emphasizes the depth of Mickey's character, portraying her as "more than a cop" who is a single mother balancing professional responsibilities with personal struggles (02:11).

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Interview with Amanda Seyfried

Motivation and Character Portrayal

Amanda Seyfried shares her inspiration for taking on the role of Mickey Fitzpatrick. She expresses a desire to portray someone with authority and responsibility, noting, "I love the idea of playing one of the good guys" (03:21). Seyfried appreciates the complexity of Mickey, who embodies both strength and vulnerability, making her a relatable and multi-dimensional character.

Challenges as an Actor

Portraying Mickey posed significant challenges for Seyfried, particularly in conveying the character's internal struggles without overt expressions. She states, "Having so many things be true at once... it was just real life. It's like keeping all the balls in the air" (04:36). Seyfried’s method involved understanding Mickey’s survival mechanisms and the emotional armor she wears to navigate her environment.

Insights from Ride-Alongs

To authentically depict Mickey's life, Seyfried participated in ride-alongs with female police officers in Kensington. She recounts, "I have so much respect for these cops" and highlights the humanity and compassion shown by officers in challenging situations (08:23). These experiences enriched her portrayal, allowing her to embody Mickey's dedication and moral complexity effectively.

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Discussion with Nikki Toscano

Adapting the Book to Screen

Executive producer and writer Nikki Toscano discusses the challenges of translating Liz Moore's novel into a visual medium. She focuses on maintaining Mickey's internal monologue and guarded nature, stating, "It was about trying to find a way of keeping and preserving the internal nature of the character while translating it to the screen" (02:29). Toscano emphasizes the importance of supporting characters in revealing Mickey's true self.

Setting in Philadelphia and Kensington

Toscano elaborates on why Philadelphia, particularly Kensington, serves as a poignant backdrop for the series. She notes, "there's something so passionate about that community" and explains that the setting acts as a metaphor for the show's themes, representing an underserved community striving for a voice (06:42). The authenticity of Kensington's portrayal is crucial, as it reflects the real-life struggles and resilience of its residents.

Character Dynamics

The relationship between Mickey and other characters, especially within her community, is a focal point. Toscano mentions, "Mickey has tried to rise up above her circumstance. So she's worked and in doing so, has distanced herself from the people in her community" (12:07). This dynamic adds layers to Mickey’s character, illustrating the tension between personal advancement and community loyalty.

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Themes Explored

Opioid Epidemic Impact

The series underscores the devastating effects of the opioid crisis on individuals and communities. Mickey's personal connection to the epidemic, through her sister Casey, highlights the pervasive nature of addiction and its ripple effects on families and neighborhoods.

Representation of Police

Long Bright River offers a nuanced portrayal of law enforcement in an underserved community. Soxhand Seyfried discuss the duality within the police force, recognizing that while some officers, like Mickey and Truman, are compassionate and trustworthy, others may abuse their authority. Seyfried reflects, "It felt like a lot of responsibility... Mickey knows what's needed, and that's space and respect and protection and support" (20:48).

Community Relations

The series also explores the strained relationships between the police and the community. Despite Mickey’s efforts to bridge gaps, skepticism and distrust linger among residents, a reality that reflects broader societal tensions surrounding law enforcement.

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Conclusion

Alison Stewart wraps up the episode by highlighting the critical themes and character arcs presented in Long Bright River. The collaboration between Amanda Seyfried and Nikki Toscano brings depth and authenticity to the series, making it a compelling exploration of crime, community, and personal resilience amidst the opioid epidemic.

Listeners are encouraged to stream all eight episodes on Peacock to experience this gripping narrative firsthand.

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Notable Quotes

• Nikki Toscano on adapting Mickey’s character: “Translating the internal nature of Mickey's character... So it was about trying to find a way of keeping and preserving the internal nature of the character while translating it to the screen.” (02:29)

• Amanda Seyfried on portraying Mickey’s complexity: “She's a single mom. She's struggle. She has a lot of balls in the air... she's a three dimensional character.” (03:21)

• Amanda Seyfried on the challenges of the role: “Having so many things be true at once... It's like keeping all the balls in the air.” (04:36)

• Nikki Toscano on Kensington’s portrayal: “It's about an underserved community who has a voice.” (06:42)

• Amanda Seyfried on the responsibility of being a cop: “Cops see everything... your choice that you make as a person with that much power can change lives, like, in an instant.” (20:48)

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Listen to the full episode of ALL OF IT with Alison Stewart on WNYC, weekdays from 12:00 - 2:00 PM.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thanks for sharing part of your day with us. I'm really grateful that you're here. On today's show, we'll learn about a new collaboration between the Theater of War and WNYC in which long form journalism is performed by an actor in front of a live audience, followed by a Q and A. And then we'll hear live music from the musical duo the War and Treaty who performed in the WNYC studios. And J Pop superstar Ikura joins us for an acoustic set. That is our plan. So let's get this started with the new series Long Bright River. A new series is based on the best selling book by Liz Moore titled Long Bright River. The setting is Kensington, a Philadelphia neighborhood that's been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Mickey Fitzpatrick is a thoughtful cop, the type who knows the names of all the women living and often using drugs on the streets, like Mickey's sister, Casey. But now Casey has been missing for a few weeks. At the same time, women from Kensington are being murdered. Mickey worries that the killer might somehow be connected to Casey's disappearance. So she teams up with her old partner, a man named Truman, to find out who the killer is and to help find her sister. All eight episodes are available to stream now on Peacock. I'm joined now by the actor who plays Mickey and served as an executive producer, Amanda Seyfried. Hi, Amanda.

[Amanda Seyfried]

Hi.

[Alison Stewart]

And also joining us is executive producer and writer Nikki Tostano. Nice to meet you, Nikki.

[Nikki Toscano]

Nice to meet you as well.

[Alison Stewart]

So, Nikki, you collaborated with author Liz Moore on this project. What did you think was going to be the biggest challenge when adapting this book for the screen?

[Nikki Toscano]

Translating the internal nature of Mickey's character. She was very, you know, she was very sort of, she was very, very quiet, very guarded. Not a character who said what she meant or meant what she said. So it was about trying to find a way of keeping and preserving the internal nature of the character while translating it to the screen. And I think that we did that by surrounding her with people that pulled her outer. We knew who Mickey was because of who she was talking to Whether it was she was talking to her son and getting excited about her ability to educate him, or her partner Truman, where she's a little softer to her new partner Lafferty, where she's a little bit more guarded. We, we used those people to, to illuminate who, who, who Mickey was.

[Alison Stewart]

Amanda, why did you want to be part of this project?

[Amanda Seyfried]

I wanted to play cop. It was the first opportunity I'd ever had to play someone with authority, with real, with, you know, a real job that I always, I always looked up to as a kid. And I know we have a very fraught relationship with law enforcement at this point in society, but I, you know, I love the idea of playing one of the good guys. And this character, she's more than a cop. She's obviously a human being who happens to be a cop. She's a single mom. She's struggle. She has a lot of balls in the air. And I loved how, how full, like a real, like three dimensional character she was. And she happens to be a cop. And there's all these elements that I didn't, I've never really seen in one character before. I thought the challenge was right up my alley at this point in my life. And I, you know, I definitely was met with a challenge and yeah, I can check that off my box, my list now.

[Alison Stewart]

You said you were met with a challenge.

[Interviewer]

What was the challenge?

[Amanda Seyfried]

Having so many things be true at once. Trying to toe the line in each episode with the force of which I'm trying to find, trying to investigate these crimes and also maintaining this level of practicality in, in relationship to the fact that I'm a mom and I have priorities at home. So it's just, you want to play someone who, who feels very real and, and that, and you have to, you have to parse yourself out like, like any, any of us do in, in life when we're, when we're struggling with a lot of different things, but we also have a lot of things on our plate. It's just to keep it, keep all these things true at once. It was just, it was just, it was like real life. It's like keeping all the balls in the air. And also, you know that it's, it's, it's a lot of real life stuff. So you, you really tend to reflect on your own life when you're, when you're, when you're playing in these circumstances and you're talking about hard truths and, you know, the more you can relate to the character, which I could in a lot of ways I could when, especially when it comes to addiction and, and, and people you love and suffering from addiction. It's, it's, it was, it was a hard place to live for four months. But honestly, like, there's no, I mean, this is why we tell stories and, and it cost me. It cost me. But it also was worth every, every moment.

[Interviewer]

NIKKI let's talk about the setting. Philadelphia. The New York Times pointed out it's sort of a place where many series have taken place. Mayor of Easttown, We've got Dope Thief with Brian Tyree Henry. He was on the show earlier this week and he talked a lot about Philadelphia. Why do you think Philly has become a compelling scene for crime? Dr.

[Nikki Toscano]

I think, you know, I think that there's something, there's, there's something so passionate about that community in particular. And I think that people, people, you know, want to follow, want to follow a community with heart and soul and passion. And I think that, you know, yes, it was sort of all of these things sort of ended up happening at once. I'm sure, I'm sure the fact that, you know, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago had been, had been, you know, filmed that in a lot of, you know, a lot of different, in a lot of different shows. And I think that was new. But I think that, I mean, I think that for us, I mean, obviously, like Liz Moore lives in Philadelphia. I think that it was important to, I mean, for our, in particular, for our show, the, you know, the community is a, is a, is a metaphor for what the series is about. And it's about an underserved community who has a voice.

[Amanda Seyfried]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

One of the things that the character says is that even though it has tough times about Kensington, there's still things to really like about Kensington. There's things to love about Kensington. Why did you want to make sure you were capturing a more holistic view of the neighborhood?

[Nikki Toscano]

Because I think that our North Star was always looking at the community through Mickey's eyes and the fact that she's from the community, that she grew up there, that she went to high school with the, the women that are working and living in that community, and her sister was amongst them.

[Interviewer]

Amanda, I read that you did ride alongs with female police officers in Kensington.

[Amanda Seyfried]

I did one. I did one. And it was informative and it was hard and I learned a lot in a very small amount of time, but it was essential for me to be in that position even, even as a, as a, you know, just being, you know, standby, you know, I was a civilian riding shotgun in a police vehicle while they were on duty. It was. It was. It was crazy. But I do. I do. I have so much respect for these cops. And. And I was lucky to be surrounded by, you know, three of the really, really good ones. And I. And I learned a lot in how they operated and how they communicated with the people that we were coming in, in contact with, with three different. We were dealing with three different situations, all very, very different from each other. And just the. The humanity with which they spoke to these people was really, really helpful for me because I am playing one of the good ones. And I've just felt so lucky that I could take a peek into this world. I mean, they have really hard jobs and hard lives. They have to leave their kids and go out on duty. They don't know what to expect. And just like that ride along, it changed in an instant in the next call that we took. And that's. That's the way it goes. Just perspective is everything for an actor and just for human beings.

[Alison Stewart]

How has being from Kensington really shaped Mickey?

[Interviewer]

Amanda?

[Amanda Seyfried]

I mean, she. She could have been anyone. Kensington is a place that we, you know, just like any other place. Like I even say it in the. In the first episode. You know, it's got its good parts and its bad parts, and when you. When you're from a neighborhood, you. You know all of them, and you accept that and you appreciate where you come from. I mean, it's just kind of ingrained in us. And you learn to survive based on what you grow up with. And. And so she has been up against a lot, and I think that's why she's such a good cop, and she's so. She's such a protector of that neighborhood and a protector of its people because she is one of its people. But also the people she loves are the people who live there, for better or for worse, whatever situation they're in, she's generally just looking out. And it's one of the things to really love about her, and it's also one of the things to appreciate about where we come from having so much to do with how we operate. And that's why Kensington plays such a. It's such a big character because she is Kensington in a lot of ways, and she's the best parts of it.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking about the new Peacock series, Long Bright river, with star and executive producer Amanda Seyfried, with executive producer, showrunner.

[Interviewer]

And writer Nikki Toscano.

[Alison Stewart]

It's about Kensington, Pennsylvania Cop, A Kensington, Pennsylvania Cop determined to find her missing sister. I did want to ask one thing, Nikki, though.

[Interviewer]

The people around Mickey, some of the people around Mickey, they kind of accuse.

[Alison Stewart]

Her of thinking that she's better than they are, in their opinion.

[Interviewer]

Are they right?

[Nikki Toscano]

In some words, yes. I think that Mickey has tried to rise up above her circumstance. So she's worked and in doing so, has distanced herself from the people in her community. At times, I think that she worked very hard to get rid of her accent in a way that her sister did not. And I think that people misjudge her as snobby simply because she's quiet. So I think that. I think that, though, over the course of the season, we begin to see that we begin to sort of unpack who this character is and that there's more than meets the eye, so to speak.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Amanda.

[Alison Stewart]

It's hard to get to know her.

[Interviewer]

In the first. I'm on the fourth episode, the first two, you're like, okay, what does this woman steal? She's really quiet.

[Alison Stewart]

One of her.

[Interviewer]

I think her cousin says, watch out. She's a liar. You're like, is she. I'm not sure. She holds her cards very close to her vest. What challenges you as a performer having to hold your cards close to your vest?

[Amanda Seyfried]

I mean, I tend to telegraph everything through my eyes, and I've been told that time and time again. But. So part of the challenge also was, yeah, I was playing somebody who's so the opposite of me. I'm just like, here's all of me. Take it. But Mickey, it's a survival mechanism, so it's essential that that be that shield. She'd be wearing that shield every time she's out in the world because she doesn't know who to trust because she's been let down so many times, and she comes from so much generational trauma that, you know, she. She knows who she can trust, and there's just. There's just so few of those people. Even her family, even her cousins, it's just. And that's a lot of defense. Like, they're all. They have their defenses up because of the way, you know, she operates in the world. She does come across as snobby or better than. And that's not the case at all. It's really just survival. It's just really the armor that she's wearing. And to keep that in mind all the time, it's just. I am playing a character who just doesn't give it away to survive. And when you. When it. When it's that cut and dry, it becomes easier to play and easy. Easier to remember. But it was. Yeah, it was. She. We have a lot of similarities and quite a lot of differences.

[Alison Stewart]

Nikki, before addiction tore them apart, how would you describe the relationship between Mickey and Casey? They're sisters.

[Nikki Toscano]

Well, I mean, I think that. I think that addiction brought them together and addiction tore them apart. I think that they were two children that were surviving, that were surviving in a family with parents who were both suffering from substance use disorder. And I think that that drove the two sisters to be each other's protectors, each other's saviors. And I think. And I think that they became the stronger as a result of their. Of their circumstance.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting because Amanda, Mickey made a really tough decision to not let her sister live in the house after she relapsed. How does she feel about the decision when we meet her?

[Amanda Seyfried]

Guilty. You know, you grow up just needing to protect this person who did not ask to be in the situation. And you. And then in order to protect, you have to. You have. You have to make hard decisions like that. And I think she thought she was making the best decision at the time. Of course she did. But it doesn't come without immense guilt for turning your back. You know, turning your back for whatever reason, it's just. It's still turning your back. And. And you meet Mickey as somebody who's just tired of feeling the shame and the guilt and the responsibility, and she just has the whole world on her shoulders, and then she gets pummeled again. Right. When you meet her, you almost feel like, how is this person still walking around in the world? But she's just like most of us, like a lot of people who have just too much responsibility. You just got to go, you know, one foot in front of the other. And I love. I love that. I love that when we meet her, it's just. It's so real. It's so real. It's so true.

[Alison Stewart]

And then we meet her, we find.

[Interviewer]

Out she spent a year at the University of Pennsylvania.

[Alison Stewart]

How did she end up becoming a cop?

[Amanda Seyfried]

Oh, God, I don't even know. How do you. It's more practical. Just makes more sense. It's. I think Mickey felt guilt for. For. I mean, in my. My understanding is. Is that, you know, it felt like a waste of time. I didn't have the money. I didn't have. I needed to do something that made more sense. And art for Mickey in the way she grew up was not. Was frivolous.

[Nikki Toscano]

And I think that also too, you know, like, to your point, Amanda, I feel like also, you know, Casey was, you know, I think that ultimately she tried to have something for herself, but her sister pulled her back in and she felt the need to take care of her. And it was. She only joined the force upon the urging of her. Her then partner at the time, and I think so. So, you know, being a cop was just to have a job. She wasn't finding any great, you know, fulfillment the way that she did with music. So that year at Penn was really the loss of sort of that promise that she had to have that was independent of her family.

[Interviewer]

Nick, it seems that most of the people around Kensington, they don't really want to cooperate with Mickey, even though she's like, I'm not here to hurt you. They just.

[Alison Stewart]

They don't want to talk.

[Interviewer]

They don't want to talk to her. Why do the people feel that way?

[Nikki Toscano]

Can I say spoilers right now?

[Interviewer]

I guess I was. Well, all eight are streaming. Let's not do spoilers. Not. Do not. Maybe tell us a little bit how the cops are viewed in Kensington. How about that?

[Amanda Seyfried]

Say it again.

[Nikki Toscano]

I'm sorry.

[Interviewer]

Let's describe it as. How are the cops viewed in Kent, in Kensington, Even if they are the good ones, like Mickey.

[Nikki Toscano]

I think that. I think that, you know, I think that that relationship is the people that are in actual community and in our series, I think that it's fraught with tension because some of the police officers in that neighborhood have not behaved like the police officers they should be behaving as. But I think that there are cops like Mickey, like Truman, who have. Who have the trust of the people in the neighborhood, having, in Mickey's case, being from there.

[Amanda Seyfried]

Yeah. I also think, like, the. The constant cleaning, quote, unquote, cleaning up of the Avenue is just so pointless. I mean, I. It. If they're just displacing this community, you know, weekly, monthly, whatever it ends up, whatever the reality is, it's just they're constantly moving them, and. And it's just. It feels like it. They don't care. I mean, it really does, in a general sense, seem like they don't. They don't care about these people. That's. That's what it would seem like. And a lot. A lot of cops behave with compassion, and a lot of cops don't. And, you know, unfortunately, the compassion doesn't always ring true or feel real or feel safe.

[Interviewer]

I can tell. Amanda, it sounds like it's hard for you to talk about that part of the. Of the job, the, like, the difficult parts of being a cop and what. And how you had to access that.

[Amanda Seyfried]

Yeah, I think, I mean, cops see everything, don't they? They have the power and the authority to do whatever they want. And the people who abuse that power aren't just totally evil. And unfortunately, there's just too many of them. And, you know, we're kids. We're kids. We grow up to be in our 20s and 30s, whatever, and, and there's. There's still broken parts of us, and we, if we obviously, if we operate from the broken parts, we're not going to do our jobs. We're not going to do people, be of service to people or ourselves. And, and you see these, like, people who are basically children in these uniforms getting to. To call the shots, and it's just so heartbreaking. And. And then you have people who want to be cops because they want to make a difference and because they want to use their power for good. And you see that all the time, and it's beautiful. But if, if, if you have both, how are you? Like, does one cancel out the other? No, but sometimes it feels that way. And it's just your job as a cop is just so important. Like, we as kids look up to these people in authority, and your choice that you make as a person with that much power can change lives, like, in an instant. And we've seen it streamed, you know, over and over again, and it's just, I don't know, it felt like a lot of responsibility. But I also knew it was very clear that this story was very cut and dry and that Mickey is one of the good ones, and Mickey knows what's needed, and that's space and respect and protection and support. And that's why we tell these stories.

[Interviewer]

Nikki, there are a lot of twists and turns in this story, a lot of characters to keep track of. How did you manage to pace the story? You've got eight episodes to tell it.

[Nikki Toscano]

I mean, I think inevitably you start off with the things that you, you know, the things that we wanted to, you know, keep from. From the book. And you start sort of developing tentpoles as far as. And then fleshing out the whole season. I think that for us, it was always about the challenge of the balance of the character drama set up against the murder mystery and making sure that we were giving enough soul to the character drama and tension with the murder mystery. So there was like a nice, unique sort of balance going back and forth between the two. And I think that that was always sort of the North Star in the storytelling is that, you know, taking the time for moments so that we got to know the people that we were dealing with so that this was a unique drama because it's not just a crime drama. And then also, anytime we sort of get on, we feel like we're getting on solid footing to pull the rug on the audience.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I don't want you to give me spoilers because I'm only on episode four. True man. He's a good guy all the way. True man. I'm hoping.

[Nikki Toscano]

You said you didn't want any spoilers, so I'm just gonna pleading the fifth on. On that.

[Amanda Seyfried]

Darn it. He's a man and he's true.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay.

[Nikki Toscano]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

That could mean a lot of things. Amanda. I Camina love.

[Nikki Toscano]

He's a very dynamic, dynamic character. He's a very dynamic character. And, yeah, he's unique, though, in some ways.

[Amanda Seyfried]

You know what we do get from him? The first half is just like, oh, my God, thank you. Like this. This guy's, like, aware and evolved, and, you know, you really start to trust him. And. And. And that's not giving anything away. It's just he's a stable, true man. For Mickey.

[Nikki Toscano]

Yeah. Nicholas did such a beautiful job of bringing him to life.

[Alison Stewart]

The name of the show is Long Bright River. It's now on Peacock. You can watch all eight episodes. I have been speaking with Amanda Seyfried and Nikki Toscano. Thanks for your time today.

[Amanda Seyfried]

Thank you.

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