Diksha Sundriyal
Apple TV+’s psychological thriller series, ‘Before,’ stars Billy Crystal as Eli Adler, a recently widowed child psychiatrist whose life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a young boy named Noah. While Eli is still processing the tragic death of his wife and dealing with his grief, which has taken the form of disturbing nightmares, he is intrigued by the case of Noah, whose origins are just as mysterious as his current situation. On the surface, he seems like a troubled boy who finds it difficult to connect with others. Slowly, however, Eli discovers a completely different picture, which gets even more shocking when he discovers the connection he has with the young boy. Created by Sarah Thorp, the 2024 series dives deep into the psychiatry of the man and the boy. While certain aspects of the story make it unbelievable, there are times when the characters and their situations feel all too real.
Billy Crystal Came Up with the Idea for the Fictional Show and Character
As realistic as its characters might seem, ‘Before’ is a fictional story that marries elements of psychological thriller with the supernatural. The idea for the story originated in the mind of Billy Crystal, who not only plays the role of Eli but also serves as an executive producer of the series. Talking about the inception of the show, Crystal talked about a project that he had been developing with Eric Roth several years ago. The duo were working on the story of a 100-year-old man who is recounting his story and experiences to a caretaker. The concept focused on getting in and out of those experiences from the perspective of the old man. It was supposed to be something romantic and heartwarming, focusing on a person looking back at their life and reflecting on all the things they’ve done and the way they lived.
While still working on the concept, Crystal wondered at one point how the story would work if the protagonist wasn’t a 100-year-old man but an eight-year-old boy. This radical change in the age of the character came after Crystal was approached by his grandson for his school project. He had to choose a book to write a book report, but he wanted it to be something that wouldn’t generally be found on the bookshelf of someone his age. Crystal immediately thought of ‘The Search for Bridey Murphy’ by Morey Bernstein, which was turned into a movie in 1956. From here, he found out about another book called ‘Life Before Life’ by Jim B. Tucker, which fascinated him while also planting the idea of replacing the 100-year-old character with an 8-year-old.
Once Crystal shared this change with Roth, they immediately started looking for someone who could develop the idea. Sarah Thorp’s name was brought into the mix, and she immediately started building upon the world whose foundation had been laid by Crystal and Roth. She invented the character of Eli Adler and concocted a detailed backstory, especially involving his wife. When Crystal heard about it, he liked the idea so much that he decided to play the role himself, bringing more depth to the character with his approach towards it.
Grief and Trauma Form the Core of Before and Eli Adler
When Sarah Thorp was asked to develop the story of ‘Before,’ she knew that it had to be something about a deeply embedded emotion. When crafting Eli’s character, she wanted the audience to see him in combination with his wife, Lynn, who is dead but still holds an influence over him, owing to the many years they’ve shared with each other. During the writing process, the writers were encouraged to share their own experiences with grief, loss, and trauma. Thorp wanted reality to seep into everything they presented on ‘Before,’ and it could only be done by giving a more personal touch to the characters in a story that tends to take a supernatural turn.
Thorp wasn’t deterred by the creepy and horror elements of the story. Rather, she wanted to make sure that things weren’t added just for the shock factor or to give a jump scare to the audience. Every nightmare and scary vision had to have a root in the characters’ psyche and emotions and needed to represent what they were feeling, even if they didn’t outright talk about it. To his credit, Crystal dedicated himself to getting into the skin of his character. The actor, who is most known for his work in comedy, found something refreshing and different with this character, and challenging as it might have been, he called it one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. The actor had to tap into something very different and darker to play the role, but despite the fictional nature of Eli Adler, he adds a curious sense of realism to him, which makes him and his story more compelling to follow.
Read More: Best Adult Shows on Apple TV+
