Actresses Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham play lifelong best friends whose unbreakable bond is pushed to its limits in Prime Video's upcoming action-comedy series Ride or Die.
For Spencer, Waddingham was the only choice to play Judith from the outset. Recalling how quickly she knew Waddingham was perfect for the role, Spencer said, "It's funny because she was the person on all of our minds. I did what I wasn't supposed to do. They pitched me the show, and it's like someone asking you to marry them on the first date. And I said, 'Absolutely, I will.' Then they literally asked, 'Who do you think should be Judith?' And I said, 'Hannah Waddingham.' They were like, 'Thank God, because that's what we think as well.'"
For Waddingham, the offer came as a complete surprise during a Zoom call with Spencer and writer Tessa Coates.
Recalling the moment, Waddingham said, "We were on a Zoom call, and it's not every day you have Octavia Spencer's face on a Zoom call and Tessa Coates, our writer. They read me the treatment and the entire storyline, but I was so overwhelmed to be in the meeting that I wasn't really concentrating. I asked, 'What do you want me to do? Do you want me to say something about the script or help with it?' Then Octavia's whole face filled the screen and she said, 'We want you to play Judith, ya dummy!' I just thought, 'I have to do this.'"
Directed by Peyton Reed, DeMane Davis, Allison Liddi-Brown and Lauren Wolkstein, Ride or Die also stars Ed Skrein, Calam Lynch, Savannah Steyn, Jamie Parker and Sylvia Hoeks in key roles.
Produced by Amazon Studios, alongside Coates, Matt Miller, Reed, Spencer, Waddingham and others, Ride or Die premieres globally on Prime Video on July 15.