Friends are forever. Such was the belief etched into our upbringing: that the friends we meet in childhood—or high school, or university, or whatever monumental stage of life—are our lifelong companions. And true, though the bonds made in our friendships are cherished, the complexity of what makes them so enduring is rarely shown on screen as more than a supporting act. This isn’t the case in The Five-Star Weekend, where platonic friendships are treated as its core—being treated with the same emotional weight and narrative attention once reserved for romantic relationships.
Friendship is rarely as effortless as we imagine it to be. Genuine connections are hard to come by, making it all the more important to cherish them. It can be messy, disappointing; ebbing and flowing in the different chapters of our lives. Close friends become distant friends, only to become close again down the line. Milestones are celebrated together—first love, first job, first heartbreak—just as the very milestones put a strain on these relationships. Perhaps the only thing worse than a romantic split is the possibility of a friendship breakup.
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Increasingly, it feels as though friendships are expected to exist in a state of constant harmony: that a disagreement or period of distance is enough to render it irreparable. But, as the mantra goes: the price of community is inconvenience. The most enduring friendships are often defined by the grace extended to us by people who have known us through different versions and imperfections of ourselves—and the grace we offer in return.
Bekah Brunstetter’s The Five-Star Weekend sits at the heart of this tension; diving so deeply, so unflinchingly into the complexities and accompanying intimacy that friendship can offer. Adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s novel of the same name, the show stars food influencer Hollis Shaw, played by Jennifer Garner, as she is forced to reckon with grief following a tragic death. Perhaps there is no one better to turn to than the four women who have supported her through each chapter of her life; hosting them for a weekend in Nantucket, as played by Gemma Chan, Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, and D’Arcy Carden.
To watch stories dedicated solely to female friendship—with zero romantic entanglement—is surprisingly uncommon, making it even more of a rarity to make. The strength of The Five-Star Weekend is watching a range of friendship dynamics receive its own narrative arc. “None of us had done shows focused on so many women,” says Garner. “It really was a luxury,” jumps in Chan.
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To get to know each other, the cast played a game of (apparently competitive) Pictionary—but it wasn’t even needed, as they bonded naturally on-set. “The most important thing was our relationship and honestly, we didn’t have to work hard at that,” admits Garner. “They would come and say, ‘We’re ready for you,’ and we’d say, ‘We’re talking!’”
This friendship comes across even in the short space of time we meet over Zoom—Garner and Chan in London, and myself, several time zones away in Singapore. The duo, who represent two out of the five friends in the cast, can’t help but quite literally finish each other’s sentences on our call; laughing over shared memories of plunging into the cold waves of Nantucket beaches and messing up over lines. We spoke about how they personally relate to the friendship dynamics featured in The Five-Star Weekend, preparing for the role, and the abundance of scallops and sandwiches eaten on set.
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How have your own friendships shaped the way you approach these relationships in Five-Star Weekend?
Jennifer Garner: Elin Hilderbrand, who wrote the novel The Five-Star Weekend, and Bekah Brunstetter, who adapted the novel for television, both have really rich ideas of character. They both really understand women and female friendships. All of us were constantly saying, “Oh, my gosh, this is like this friend of mine. This is my friend from college. My friend drives me crazy when she does this.”
Gemma Chan: Definitely. I can recognise a lot of similarities in the dynamics. There are universal themes in these friendships. Everyone has these sticky moments with their friendship group.
Did portraying these friendships unlock anything new for you as an actor, emotionally or creatively?
GC: I think that there are themes of the show that I could definitely relate to. Whether we’re talking about grief or loss, or being at a point in your life where things are in flux and everything is changing—I think those themes really resonated with me.
What do you think is the most similar trait between you and your character?
GC: Ooh, good question. I would say Gigi, as a character, is someone who has everything together on the surface. As an airline pilot, she quite literally has to be in control of her environment, and everything that’s around her. Underneath all of that, she’s a bit of a hot mess. There’s a lot going on, a lot of emotions that she’s processing. She’s kind of like a swan on top of the lake, where everything’s gliding on the surface, but the feet are paddling like crazy underneath. I can relate to that. I think people think I have it all together when really, there’s a lot of chaos in my life.
JG: I have friendships that go really, really deep. Instead of having a group of friends, I have one friend that I’m super close with from each time in my life, kind of like Hollis.
Your chemistry as a group sits at the core of this story. What was it like creating that dynamic together as a cast?
GC: Oh my gosh, so many special moments.
JG: Whenever the five of us were together, there was a crackling energy amongst the group that…I hope it comes across when you watch it, because we got on so well, and we became such good friends.
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Food is woven so beautifully into the story. How did it ground the emotional journey of the characters, both in the script and in your performance?
JG: I love how Hollis is usually cooking from a place of peace; cooking out of joy, with love, thinking about her family. It was really cool for me to play a character who loved to cook even more than I do. I think I ended up with the role because I’m known for cooking at home, so that was a plus for me, having something that I love to do actually helped me get a job.
It did teach me to cook some things I didn’t know how to make. I had never really made scallops before, and now I like to cook scallops. The whole crew was lined up waiting to have the scallops—every take, there was somebody like, “Okay, can I have another one?” I also began to appreciate sandwiches more after being in Nantucket.
GC: Mmm, those were some good sandwiches.
JG: Nantucket is known for its sandwiches, and they really are wonderful.
This series really is a deep dive into the complexities of friendships. What was the best way to prepare for that?
JG: Life.
GC: I don’t know where I’d be without my friendships. Truly, like Jen said before, it’s like the breath of life.
JG: In a refreshing way, it didn’t take any great leaps. We’re often playing something so far from ourselves. Now, we’re focused on something that all of us take very seriously. It was a real luxury to get to go to work, and see these ladies every day.
GC: And it shouldn’t be a rarity. I really feel that there is an audience for it.
JG: Yes. Fingers crossed.
If you could describe Five-Star Weekend in just three words, what would they be?
GC: Uplifting.
JG: Funny.
GC: Sumptuous.
JG: Ooh, sumptuous. That’s a good one!
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The Five-Star Weekend is now streaming on HBO Max.
