Sally Hawkins & Catherine Keener Join Cast of FX's Comedy Pilot HOW AND WHY

According to Deadline, Sally Hawkins (BLUE JASMINE) and Catherine Keener have signed on to join Michael Cera and John Hawkes in FX's upcoming comedy pilot HOW AND WHY.

The project, from Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman, "tells the story of Goodman Hesselman (Hawkes), who can explain how and why a nuclear reactor works but is clueless about life. After losing his gig hosting children's Science show How And Why, he tries to start over with a new show in a little TV market in The Middle of nowhere when he encounters the Supernatural world." Kaufman will also direct the pilot.

Deadline has also confirmed that should the pilot be ordered to series, Hawkins is set for a regular role, while Keener will guest star.

Hawkins received critical acclaim as well as a Golden Globe Award, Silver Bear (Berlin) Award, Evening Standard Award, Hollywood Film Festival (Breakthrough Award), NY, LA, Mill Valley, San Francisco and Santa Barbara Film Critic's Awards; as well as a host of nominations for her performance as 'Poppy' in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky. The RADA trained Hawkins made her film debut as Samantha in All or Nothing, and was then seen as Susan in 'Vera Drake', both Mike Leigh films. Other film roles include Lone Scherfig's An Education, Matthew Vaughan's Layer Cake, Tom Shankland's Waz, Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream, Sherry Hormann's Desert Flower, Stephen Burke's Happy Ever Afters and most recently Gurinder Chadha's It's A Wonderful Afterlife. Upcoming films Love Birds directed by Paul Murphy, Richard Ayoade's Submarine, Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go, Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre and a starring turn in Nigel Cole's new film Made In Dagenham to be released Autumn 2010. Her performance as Anne Elliott in the ITV production of Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' won her the Golden Nymph Award for Best Actress at the Monte Carlo Television Festival 2007 and the Royal Television Society Best Actress Award. Other television credits include leading roles in Simon Curtis's adaptation of PatRick Hamilton's '20, 000 Streets Under the Sky,' 'Tipping the Velvet,' 'Byron,' in which she played Mary Shelley, 'The Young Visiters,' directed by David Yates, in which she starred opposite Jim Broadbent, 'Fingersmith,' two series of 'Little Britain,' as the recurring character Cathy, and she played the leading role in 'Shiny, Shiny Bright New Hole In My Heart' for the BBC, directed by Marc Munden. Sally's extensive theatre credits include playing the role of Adelea in the recent Howard Davis production of House of Bernarda Alba at The National Theatre opposite Penelope Wilton, to which she won rave reviews. She has appeared at The Royal Court Theatre in The Winterling directed by Ian Rickson and Country Music directed by GorDon Anderson. Her credits also include The Way Of The World (Wilton Music Hall), Misconceptions (Octagon), A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing (both at Regents Park Theatre), Perpalas (National Theatre Studio), The Cherry Orchard and Romeo & Juliet (both for Theatre Royal York), The Dybbuk and Accidental Death Of An Anarchist (both for BAC), Svejk (The Gate Theatre), The Whore Of Babylon (Globe Ed. Centre) and As You Like It for The Buckingham Palace Gala. Sally was born in Lewisham, South East London

Photo Credit: Walter McBride