Julianne Moore “begged” to narrate the audiobook version of Michael Cunningham’s new novel, Day, the actor told People magazine.
Cunningham’s novel, published Tuesday by Random House, follows a brother and sister on the same day in three different years, including 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic had just paralyzed the United States. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “This subtle, sensitively written family story proves poignant and quietly powerful.”
“I was in heaven recording his dense and elegant prose; I’m in awe of his talent, his ability to convey so much emotion in a single challenging sentence,” Moore told the magazine. “The book is so deeply felt, and magical.”
Moore earned a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in The Hours, the 2002 Stephen Daldry film based on Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1998 novel.
Cunningham said he didn’t play a role in Moore being selected to narrate the Day audiobook.
“I don’t really know the particulars, but she saw a copy of the novel and volunteered to read it,” he said. “I haven’t spoken to her yet. I really don't know how she got a copy, but she did.”
He told People that he hopes it’s not the last time he works with Moore, saying he sent the actor an email that read, “Maybe we do something together about once every 25 years, I think. I look forward to our next collaboration 25 years from now.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
