Carrie Coon Hopes HBO Doesn’t Get ‘Soft Around the Edges’ After Skydance Merger

Carrie Coon expressed worry about the forthcoming Paramount and Warner Bros. merger affecting HBO's artistic integrity. In an interview with Elle, she pointed out that corporate consolidations often lead to gatekeeping and censorship, which are "corrosive for art." Coon, who has been a loyal supporter of HBO, hopes the network can maintain its identity of producing challenging, interesting, and edgy content after the merger.

She emphasized that she and others are not interested in "getting soft around the edges everywhere," as such a scenario would likely result in higher costs and reduced quality due to the dominance of three major companies in the industry. Coon recently starred in HBO's period drama "The Gilded Age" and brought Nora Durst to life in "The Leftovers."

In her interview, Coon also delved into the topic of aging and the pressure to appear youthful. While she acknowledged that women should do whatever makes them feel their best, she noted that she notices a lack of empathy in performances where actors' faces don't move. Coon explained that when she sees an actress who has "gotten so far down the road" that her face is expressionless, she struggles to connect with the character's emotions.

Coon herself is not interested in making artistic choices from a place of fear or anxiety about her own mortality, as she believes it's important to confront the inevitability of death.