Veteran actress Blythe Danner, the two-time Emmy winning thespian with along list of credits including Meet the Parents and Will & Grace, has signed on for season 3 of Starz’ American Gods. Danner will appear in a 4-episode arc as the goddess Demeter, the ancient Greek deity of the harvest; her character has a romantic history with Mr. Wednesday/Odin (Game of Thrones alumni Ian McShane) but, as is normal with American Gods, it’s all very vague and complicated.
Oh, and she’s also locked up in a mental institution. Demeter, not Danner.
American Gods executive producer Chic Eglee is thrilled to have Danner on board. “It is a rare privilege to be working with Ms. Blythe Danner, a dear friend, inspiration and national treasure,” he told Deadline. “She is our muse in crafting the role of Demeter, since no one else can bring such ethereal beauty and grace to the portrayal of a goddess.”
Where does the character of Demeter fit in to the landscape of season 3? As Mr. Wednesday struggles to recruit Demeter to his Old mythical gods squad in his epic battle against the encroaching New technological gods, Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) struggles with the recent revelation that the bizarre Mr. Wednesday is his father. Shadow Moon has retreated to the small town of Lakeside, WI to do some self-exploration, but we all know his personal journey will soon be disrupted, big time.
As for Danner’s apparently mentally-unbalanced version of Demeter, we can look to the traditional renderings of the goddess for some possible clues regarding her characteristics and motivations: the ancient Greek Demeter was concerned with fertility, the rule of sacred law and the cycle of life and death. She’s also linked to underworld cults and powers of resurrection. In other words, the canvas the American Gods writers have to paint her on is incredibly broad. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but we’re sure the character’s interpretation will be dark and weird.
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