August 17, 2022, 1:48pm
In what feels like a truly inspired bit of casting, Chlöe Sevigny and Naomi Watts will star in the second installment of the FX anthology series, Feud, as “Capote’s women.” More specifically, the pair will play C.Z. Guest (Sevigny) and Babe Paley (Watts), New York socialites who featured prominently in Capote’s 1965 Esquire story, a roman à clef called “La Côte Basque.” According to Deadline:
“La Côte Basque’s” characters were thinly disguised versions of Capote’s female confidants and exposed their shocking secrets and scandals, from adultery to murder. Its publication destroyed Capote’s friendships, with all of his swans cutting him off, as well as his reputation and his social standing.
The entire eight-episode series will be directed by the great Gus Van Sant, whose genius for icy blonde satire (think 1995’s To Die For) has surely found its perfect muses in Sevigny and Watts. Let the toxic scorn flow.
The Feud series was originally conceived of by Ryan Murphy; the first season, subtitled “Bette and Joan,” was about the heated rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.