*By Conor White*
"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner's new anthology series for Amazon, "The Romanoffs," is about far more than Russia's last royal family, according to one of its stars.
"As I said to Matthew when I was doing this, I have to bone up on the Romanoffs," actor Aaron Eckhart said in an interview on Cheddar.
"And he said, 'Well, not really, because it really has nothing to do with the Romanoffs.'"
The family consisted of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, and five children. After Russia's February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne and was later executed with the rest of his house. Within the last 30 years, all the bodies have been discovered and identified through DNA testing. Despite that evidence, whispers remain that one of his children, most likely Anastasia, escaped the killings. (The tsar's youngest daughter inspired the popular animated film, "Anastasia," which was recently turned into a musical.)
The Amazon ($AMZN) series features a different cast in each of its eight episodes, which are all linked by some sort of connection to the famous family ー be it real or fabricated.
Eckhart said it's the relationships between the show's characters ー whether directly linked to the royals or not ー that makes the show special.
"The magical part of the show is that it has thematics, and it has through lines with the Romanoffs," the Golden Globe nominee said. "But it's all these different scenarios with different people all over the world."
The series is creator Weiner's return to television after his seven-season run with "Mad Men" ー the highly-acclaimed show garnered two Golden Globes for "Best Drama Series" and eight Primetime Emmy awards.
It was Eckhart's first time working with Weiner, and he said the experience was "educational, interesting," and "fascinating,"
"It's very surprising and striking and bold. It takes a real genius to figure this all out," Eckhart added.
In the age of binge-watching, Amazon has made the choice to release one episode per week after releasing the first two episodes simultaneously on Oct. 12.
Eckhart is a fan of the move and called it "more traditional." But he admitted he has binged his way through at least one classic series.
"I did binge-watch 'Friends'," he said.
"'Friends' is a very good show."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/meet-the-romanoffs).
Leigh Barnes, North American Director for Intrepid Group, reveals the places quickly rising on every traveler's bucket list. Barnes says a majority of people are now traveling based on the experiences they can have.
Facebook and Microsoft release earnings. The Dow wraps its best month since March 2016. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) announced Wednesday he will not seek reelection. Bitcoin could face its worst monthly decline in January. Entrepreneur and original "Shark" Kevin Harrington shares his outlook for cryptocurrency, and how he thinks it could transform retail.
The director of the CDC resigned Wednesday after reports saying she purchased shares in a tobacco company. Spotify is testing a new app in Australia that sounds a lot like Pandora.
To accelerate efforts to increase gender equality in 2018, some of the world's top female leaders met at the New York Stock Exchange for the first-ever Women in Corporate Leadership Initiative. Marlene Schiappa, France's Secretary of State for Gender Equality, breaks down how the group is pushing for equality in the year ahead.
Hollywood is reacting to the shocking news that "Glee" star Mark Salling is dead at 35. YourTango's Rebecca Stokes and Latina Magazine's Taiia Young join Cheddar to discuss the actor's death in light of him pleading guilty to counts of child pornography possession in December.
Wingstop is excited for Super Bowl Sunday because it is the biggest business day of the year. Last year the wing chain sold 12 million wings on the big football day.
Actress Bailee Madison just released her first book. The multihyphenate teenager joins Cheddar to discuss the biggest challenges involved in getting a novel published.
Shutterstock has been disrupting the stock photo market since 2003. Now, Shutterstock has officially sold 1 billion licenses for photos, music, and videos.
"Total Divas" is celebrating 100 episodes of high heels, high stakes, and high drama on its seventh season finale. Stars Lana and Nattie join Cheddar to discuss what to expect from the milestone installment.
Long before Lin-Manuel Miranda became the belle of the Broadway ball, "Les Miserables" crossed over into pop-music success to become a household name. Tony winner Frances Ruffelle originated the role of Eponine in the show's first production. She joins Cheddar to discuss her new monthly residency in New York City.
