When the producers delved into the history of women in baseball, they realized that a league of their own was only scratching the surface.
Below were stories about the players’ personal lives and the challenges they faced in a less than friendly sporting world. While working on this 1940s story, creators Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham found material that could fill several seasons of television.
A scene from the 1992 film Penny Marshalls, for example, sparked a subplot in their new Amazon Studios series. A foul ball is picked up by a black player and returned to Geena Davis.
It’s supposed to let the public know she’s good, but she can’t be on the benches, says Jacobson, who also plays one of the players. We wanted to show that the All-American Girls (Pro League Baseball teams) were an amazing opportunity for white women and white paths, but they didn’t even allow black women to try.
In a side story, the new series shows how a black athlete like Max (played by Chante Adams) must find a different path to success. Their journeys are really important to tell side-by-side, says Jacobson.
And, because her character works in a factory, Adams has also trained as a welder. I had my Rosie the Riveter moment, says Adams. Like the other actors, she was sent to training camp to make sure her baseball skills were ready for the camera.
I’m telling you, we could go pro today, says Roberta Colindrez, who plays Lupe.
We practiced for a month before shooting the pilot, then another month before we started the show, says Kelly McCormack, who plays Jess. In the end, we looked more like baseball players than actors. Other stories to tell
Executive producers Will Graham and Desta Tedros Reff say speaking with real gamers from the era revealed just how determined they were to play the game.
It was life changing, says Graham. It taught us that we should be less careful and less careful when choosing the things we want.
The new series also delves into women’s personal lives and touches on LGBTQ themes.
So often when you tell stories about it, whether it’s women’s stories, queer stories, or people of color, they’re always rooted in trauma and pain, adds Reff. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. But there was a joy (here) about their life and their experiences and chasing their dreams. We really wanted that to translate into the show.
Sexuality is not League’s goal, says Graham. It’s that they want to play baseball and they have to overcome hurdles in the road to get there. Have just had the opportunity to tell their story authentically. Moments of complicity
These off-court moments gave the cast a chance to show what other interests the women had. It was so cool to see all the different layers, says DArcy Carden, who plays Greta.
Meanwhile, Adams’ side story delves into civil rights, religion, and family responsibilities. When Saidah Arrika Ekulona, who plays Max’s mother, saw the baseball scenes, she realized how amazing the show was. As an actor, you have this myopic view of your script and the things you’re a part of, she says. And then you watch the whole story and realize how amazing the show is.
Early in the training process, the actors found themselves bonding, more than they would on any other film or series. We became a team, explains Carden.
Melanie Mayfield, who plays Jo, adds: We were friends when we started filming, which almost never happens. And we were able to play characters that were really three-dimensional. All work, little play
When they entered the field, the actors looked like players. We kind of pinched ourselves because we wanted to tell the story authentically. We could only do this once and we couldn’t leave anything on the table, Graham said. It was a challenge, but also a huge privilege.
McCormack says there was little downtime for those playing Rockford Peaches. If we weren’t at bat, we’d all be running in the background. So we were actors on the show, but we were also sweaty extras.
That depth, adds McCormack, made the whole thing feel like each of us was a very important part of the show.
A League of Their Own is streaming on Prime Video.
