New Crave series explores Leonard Cohen's love story with Marianne

A new Crave original series inspired by Leonard Cohen's iconic song "So Long, Marianne" delves into the complex love story between the renowned songwriter and his muse, Marianne Ihlen.

Starring Alex Wolff as Cohen, the series aims to highlight the depth of their relationship beyond the music.

Wolff, a lifelong fan of the artist, expressed his commitment to honouring Cohen's legacy.

"I loved him from the first thing I read. So I just felt like I owed it to him and owed it to this unbelievable person and unbelievable life to give it everything that I have."

His co-star, Thea Sofie Loch Naess, said her goal was to show audiences Marianne was more than just Cohen's love interest.

"We are brought on this huge task to kind of try in our way to bring them back to life. And you have to do that with respect and honour and for me, that was to show that she was a muse. Yes. But she was a human being," she said.

Wolff said there are sides of Cohen's story that fans may not know.

"I think some of my favorite parts of the show is when it's just about our romance and about him writing and failing and things that are working, things that are not working. And I love that about the show."

A Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee, there's no denying that Cohen has left an impact on the world. It's something Wolff noted when he was visiting Montreal.

"Leonard has this godlike feeling here in Montreal with that big mural."

The actor said he hopes to do Cohen justice.

"Thank you so much to everybody in Montreal, because it's not like it's easy to hand over something like Leonard to some American kid. And I don't take that responsibility lightly. And I just hope that they know that I gave all my love to it," he said.

And his love grew as he shot parts of the series in Montreal. He wasted no time getting acquainted with the city.

"You have great bagels., the bagel place that I went to is amazing, that he used to go to. And I went there and just would get bagels."

The actor added that walking in an icon's footsteps is a bucket list item for him.

"I am really lucky. I consider it to be one of the great gifts of my life," said Wolff.