George Jones + Tammy Wynette’s Daughter Thinks They’d Approve of ‘George & Tammy’
Showtime's new series, George & Tammy, depicts the love story between the late George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The six-part limited series has received warm reviews, including from the country couple's only daughter, Georgette Jones. Speaking with Vanity Fair, she says she believes her parents would be happy with the series, too.
"I think they both would’ve been pleased," she shares. "My dad never liked a lot of attention, which is funny considering what he did for a living... But as my dad got older, he was much more accepting of himself."
Jones has received multiple offers to adapt her 2011 book, The Three of Us: Growing Up With Tammy and George, for the screen. She says Hollywood really showed an interest after her father's death in 2013 — Wynette died in 1998 — but she remained skeptical of proposed storylines that focused solely on the alcohol and drug problems that ailed her parents.
"There were certain things that were important to me,” she says. "I wanted to make sure that my parents were seen as human beings, that their lives were displayed in an honest way — good and bad."
At last, Abe Sylvia reached out with an idea that fit Jones' vision, one that would focus on the love shared between the country music legends. After coming to an agreement, Sylvia and Showtime went to work.
“I wanted them to know how loving and fun and caring my parents were, and [for] that to show through too, not just the sensational music and craziness of their love story," Jones explains.
She served as a consulting producer on the series and had lengthy conversations with both the writers and Jessica Chastain, who plays her mother. She was also blown away at how accurately Michael Shannon was able to embody her father.
"I wasn’t expecting to look at him and really see my dad in him, but I did," she admits while noting the experience made her break down. "It was just a very emotional experience, but it made me feel even better about that process."
"They really did a wonderful job putting so much into just six episodes. They just really were able to capture it," she adds.
George & Tammy premiered on Dec. 4 and is available on Showtime, with new episodes arriving each Friday. Fans can also stream the series stream the series online.