{"id":308604,"date":"2021-07-26T21:11:23","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/evil-lost-and-playing-villains-film\/"},"modified":"2021-07-26T21:11:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T18:11:23","slug":"evil-lost-and-playing-villains-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/evil-lost-and-playing-villains-film\/","title":{"rendered":"#Evil, Lost and Playing Villains \u2013 \/Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Evil, Lost and Playing Villains \u2013 \/Film<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When you speak with Michael Emerson<\/strong>, you spend the the first few minutes of your conversation marveling at how\u2026normal he sounds. If you\u2019ve seen him as Leland Townsend in Evil<\/em><\/strong> on Paramount+ or as Benjamin Linus in the medium-shaking masterpiece Lost<\/em><\/strong>, you\u2019re just waiting for the other shoe to drop. For him to talk you into a sinister plan. To construct a terrifying scheme before your very eyes.<\/p>\n

But Emerson laughs more than the people he plays on TV. He\u2019s thoughtful, clearly thinking through each answer before he gives it, measuring every word. And he\u2019s more than happ<\/a>y to keep playing weirdos and creeps, telling me during our interview that he doesn\u2019t even know how to play a \u201csoft-hearted\u201d character.<\/p>\n

On Evil<\/em> (whose second season is currently streaming on Paramount+) Emerson plays Leland Townsend, one of the most chilling villains on television at the moment. Is he a literal vessel of Satanic power or just one of the most organized psychopaths in TV history? The show hasn\u2019t made that clear yet. And Emerson himself doesn\u2019t know. But he stands as an ongoing obstacle to the show\u2019s leads, a trio of investigators working for the Catholic Church to prove and\/or debunk supernatural mysteries. He\u2019s one of the few actors who can make hulking co-star Mike Colter look positively small in a scene, using his voice and his voice alone.
\nI recently spoke with Emerson about his work on Evil<\/em>, how not knowing his character\u2019s truth helps his performance, what it\u2019s like to act alongside a giant demonic goat, and yes, that famous \u201cYou guys got any milk?\u201d scene from Lost<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But before we get to all of that: Emerson recognized my area code, so we broke the ice chatting about Austin, Texas, where I reside. And where he\u2019s spent a few fun nights.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019ve got to ask, because I am a Texan, how do you know Austin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My sister lived there for many years and we had more fun per night in Austin than any city I\u2019ve ever been in.<\/p>\n

That sounds about right. It\u2019s a great place to meet artists. I know so many actors, filmmakers, musicians down here. Was that your experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, it\u2019s true. It\u2019s coming on as a sort of a film center. There\u2019s a fair number of movies<\/a> and webisodes and stuff being shot there now. I know a lot of actors are there and they have agents and everything. They\u2019re all crewed up in Austin.<\/p>\n

But you\u2019re here to talk about Evil<\/em>. I think Evil<\/em> is terrific, and I think it snuck up on people. With the first season, it seemed a little quiet at first and suddenly, overnight,\u00a0Evil<\/em> became the show everyone is talking about. Was that your experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. I don\u2019t know what happened. It may have something to do with it streaming on Netflix during the pandemic. I think that helped. It helped find an audience and sort of cement an audience for it. But I\u2019m not sure. I\u2019m like you. During the first season, I thought, oh, cross our fingers. Because this doesn\u2019t seem to be the most natural fit for CBS primetime. But here we are. We\u2019re still here and I guess we\u2019re going to do a third season. So, something\u2019s working.<\/p>\n

I feel like Paramount+ is the right home for it. A lot of the people who would embrace what Evil<\/em> is see CBS and they have a picture in their mind of what a traditional network produces. Whereas, they see a streaming show and they say, \u201cOh, that\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I think it\u2019s always risky to change\u2026 What do I want to say? To change platforms or to change networks. But I think this worked in our favor in a couple of ways. Partly that a lot of people have come to the show streaming and also because the rules of the game<\/a> with a streaming network are more liberal than we ever had with CBS. So suddenly it can be a little more profane, a little sexier, a little more violent, all of that. I mean, we\u2019ve recorded to add profanity [laughs].<\/p>\n

Yeah, I\u2019ve definitely noticed the language! Have you personally recorded any ADR profanity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, a couple of lines. We were always saying fricking this and fricking that, and now we\u2019re doing it right.<\/p>\n

It feels right for a show that deals with this subject matter. It feels right to be able to say \u201cfuck.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, let\u2019s not soft pedal the dark side of human nature, certainly in linguistic terms. So, let\u2019s just go ahead and tell the story.<\/p>\n

Absolutely. Whenever I recommend Evil<\/em>, I say it\u2019s like a version of Hannibal<\/em> you can watch with your parents. That perfect combination of Law and Order<\/em> and grisly horror. Were you are Hannibal<\/em> fan? Did you watch that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. Hannibal<\/em>\u2018s a great show. And I think your characterization of ours is apt. It\u2019s soft enough for\u2026 I mean, I have teenage nephews and they cover their eyes at some places, but mainly from being scared, not from being sensory overloaded. So, I think you\u2019re right. I think that\u2019s correct.<\/p>\n

I think being these scared is a good thing. I mean, growing up, I loved shows that felt just beyond the edge of what I should be watching. I think Evil<\/em> rides that fine line. I think there\u2019s going to be a lot of kids who watch it and feel like, oh man, this feels just<\/em> wrong enough to be exciting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. I think it works on a horror level because they\u2019re careful with it, but it\u2019s good. I think it\u2019s truly scary sometimes. And often it\u2019s intellectually scary. It\u2019s like, oh no, what are they trying to get this person to do? Or what are our dilemmas? Like you have a bad seed child, what do you do about it? Or we get to see a character, like my character, out there encouraging people to make terrible choices.<\/p>\n

The writing on Evil<\/em> is so good because you can tell me Leland is the scourge of hell, literally full of satanic power. Or you can tell me he\u2019s just a psychopath who has a grand plan. And both of them feel incredibly valid. And both of them, depending on your belief system, feel very real.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I agree. It\u2019s a nice edge. A nice kind of blurred edge there. It\u2019s fun to play. And I don\u2019t even know what the real deal is, but we\u2019re having a blast with it.<\/p>\n

I wanted to ask you about that. So [series creators] Robert King and Michelle King have not sat you down and said, \u201cHey, here\u2019s the endgame for Leland, here\u2019s the truth.\u201d You\u2019re putting yourself in the hands of the mystery right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right. I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way. But no, we never sat down. We never once talked. I never had one of those meetings. I said yes to the show cause it sounded good, I got the pilot script, here we go, I shot it, and we were off to the races. And not really a word was said.<\/p>\n

How is that different from Lost<\/em>? Even though they\u2019re very different shows, I feel like they both revel in the mystery. What\u2019s the communication like with the Kings versus Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hmm. I think they\u2019re a lot alike. In that, my loop of communication with the writing room is the same. The longer we\u2019re at it, the more they know my voice or my toolbox, and the more they write toward it. And then they send that to me, and then I deliver that back on the dailies that they see, and that\u2019s our conversation.<\/p>\n

I recently had a really good conversation with J.K. Simmons, and we talked about the ending of Whiplash<\/em> and how he had to play more than one possible reading at once. And I love the idea of the puzzle, for you as an actor, of playing ambiguous. Because so many actors need to know their motivation, whereas your motivation is \u201cwho the hell knows\u201d by design.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think ambiguity is the way to go. I think that\u2019s the best tool I have. I think it\u2019s the best tool that a lot of actors have. Which is not tipping your hand. And why would you tip your hand, there\u2019s no hand to tip. I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m Satan\u2019s cousin or a sociopath. It\u2019s a little hard to tell. So, it\u2019s just like on Lost<\/em>, because the same questions applied there. It\u2019s like, what is this? What is this really? Where is this going? What\u2019s your agenda? I never had answers then. Which I was glad of. And the same is still true. I don\u2019t have answers, I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going. So it frees you up in a way. I don\u2019t have to keep track of narrative line or ethical lines or anything like that, I just show up on the day and try to speak the scene in an interesting way.<\/p>\n

One thing I think is especially true this season is, for a character as despicable as Leland, you\u2019re really funny on the show. I cackle a lot just watching your scenes. Can you talk about finding the humor in your scenes, which are always so dark?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I mean, I think I\u2019m in a comedy in a way. I do think it\u2019s in the writing and I don\u2019t mind sort of pursuing it that way. As long as I kind of stick to the tone of the show. I don\u2019t want it to get antic, but he\u2019s different<\/em>. So why should he not be different than these other sober normal people? Why can\u2019t that contribute to that kind of fearfulness of him?<\/p>\n

The first season saw you and Katja Herbers sharing so many scenes, and you guys had such a great hateful dynamic. But this season, it\u2019s you and Mike Colter a lot more. And I just love it because watching you drain all power from a man as physically intimidating as him\u2026 it\u2019s just such a fun dynamic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is good. And because David is Leland\u2019s primary target. Why? I don\u2019t know, they have some history that\u2019s never been completely filled in. But it\u2019s just Leland\u2019s mission that David is not going to hold on to his religious fervor and become a proper priest. But we\u2019ll see. There\u2019s a lot more episodes.<\/p>\n

Yeah. Personally, I\u2019m hoping in season 3 it will just be you pestering [Aasif Mandvi\u2019s] Ben for the whole season. Finding ways to destroy the lives of every main character one at a time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben, who\u2019s name he can\u2019t even remember. I like that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I have to ask about one scene from season 1. I was already enjoying the show, but I became a lifelong fan when you\u2019re talking to somebody in your office and it cuts to a wide shot and there is a giant goat demon just sitting there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was terrific. And I didn\u2019t lay eyes on it. That\u2019s Marty [Matulis] inside that get-up. He plays the demon George and all these other fearful characters, but I hadn\u2019t really seen it until I walked in and I thought, oh, shit, look at that. The only way to get through that scene is to play it like it means nothing to you. Like you\u2019ve seen him so many times, he\u2019s such a bore to you. It\u2019s like, I\u2019m a teenager and he\u2019s my bossy dad. And I\u2019m so over him. And completely take the magic or glamor or terrifying-ness out of it. Which then helps it to be [laughs] something really weird.<\/p>\n

I love how\u00a0Evil\u00a0<\/em>can be so mundane until it chooses not to be. The way it mixes these moments in. It\u2019s just a delightful surprise. Are the scripts as surprising to read as they are to watch?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s really good writing, everybody knows that. It\u2019s better than we even think when we read it, in the playing of it. Then it gets twice as good. And then, when they edit it right with effects and music and all of that, I\u2019m always amazed at how briskly horrifying the show is. Everybody\u2019s really doing their job on this one.<\/p>\n

So often, procedural shows have a house style. There\u2019s a comforting familiarity to how they\u2019re shot. Whereas you watch Evil<\/em> and every moment feels different and wrong, from the score to the performances. Everything about it is just really coming from a different angle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. The ground is not firm beneath your feet on this show. Something can be terribly wrong in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n

In my experience with you as an actor, you appear out of nowhere in The Practice<\/em>, then Lost<\/em>, and then Person of Interest<\/em> and Evil<\/em>. But before that, you worked for a long time on stage, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yeah. Yeah, I spent years doing classical plays and stuff all over the Southeast. That was my training. And I did the New York Stage for a long time before I got a break on television.<\/p>\n

Is there a lot of crossover when it comes to working on stage and television? Is the dynamic of a TV show similar to stage in that way, in that you feel like you\u2019re part of an ongoing troupe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, sure. On some of them, I think, acting is just acting. It\u2019s a skill set, it\u2019s a way of bringing a text on the page to the light. I mean, there\u2019s differences between how you prepare a role on stage and how you prepare one for the TV, but they\u2019re analogous certainly. And it takes a bit of adjustment. Stage actors come to me and say, how did you make that change to work in front of the camera? And I say, you know, it\u2019s not really rocket science<\/a>. It\u2019s just a question of degrees. It\u2019s just being, I would say, slightly more still and letting the audience come close to you rather than you coming to them. But that\u2019s the thing you can learn in a couple of days. And I find it reassuring to for the camera now, because there\u2019s a safety net of, you know, cut, let\u2019s start that again. You can always fix it. It\u2019s not quite the high wire act. The stress level at the beginning of a two-hour show on live stage, where you just\u2026if something goes wrong, you have to find your way through it. And that\u2019s some of the most terrifying moments of my life, I\u2019ve had on stage.<\/p>\n

After all those years of honing your craft onstage, you\u2019re on Lost<\/em> and audiences love you. That turns into five years on Person of Interest<\/em> and now Evil<\/em>. People call you<\/em> to offer jobs now, right? It\u2019s got to be gratifying transition.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, it\u2019s true. It\u2019s great. And I mean, I\u2019m happy that I\u2019ve reached a point where the work I\u2019ve done already kind of is an advertisement for what I might do again or in the future. And people just trust that I\u2019m going to find my way. There\u2019s a thing that I do, I can\u2019t even characterize it, but they like something about my voice or the way I sing a part. I don\u2019t know, the choices I make, whatever it is, I\u2019m happy with it. And I really enjoy the work I\u2019m doing on TV now.<\/p>\n

Do you ever wish you could get cast as the rom-com lead? Just be happy and smile and get the girl in the end?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. I would be at sea in those kinds of shows. I\u2019m always looking to do more character rather than less. I\u2019m always looking to assume<\/em> character. I don\u2019t know really how to play regular soft-hearted guys. I guess if I got the right part, maybe I would find a way to do that, but I\u2019m a character man. I always say something a little bit extreme, sometimes sinister, sometimes pitiable, but a verbal character general<\/a>ly.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad you say that because I can watch you play various degrees of unsettling weirdos for the rest of my life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Okay, that\u2019s good.<\/p>\n

I have one more question. When I told my colleagues I was interviewing you, one immedia<\/a>tely said \u201cCan you please ask him about the \u201cDo you guys got any milk<\/a>?\u201d scene from Lost<\/em>?\u00a0Do you remember the scene I\u2019m talking about.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yeah. Oh, of course. It\u2019s on my video reel.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s one of the absolute best scenes in all of Lost<\/em>. And it\u2019s just the camera on you, watching as you speak about a very sinister hypothetical situation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t recall there being a bunch of direction about it. It was cramped quarters in that tank and, who was there? Terry O\u2019Quinn and Matthew Fox. I really do think that\u2019s a reveal of his antic, mischief-making character. To tell the truth, to confess what his plan is, as if it\u2019s a joke. It was a good time. I think people laugh at the takes, but in the moment I\u2019m not thinking, oh, this is a success or not. I\u2019m just thinking, is there a better way to do this? Because I know it\u2019s a great line, I know it\u2019s a punchline, I guess, of a sort, but the tone of it has to be just right. It has to be theatrical enough to land and yet plausible coming out of the mouth of the character. It\u2019s timing, honest to God, it\u2019s timing. How many beats, or quarters of beats, or fractions of beats, do you wait to let that line out? Anyway, it seemed to work.<\/p>\n

It does. We\u2019re still talking about all these years later. It\u2019s an incredible window into that character\u2019s arrogance.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. It was terrific writing, I have to say. That\u2019s some good writing. When you give your villain a shaggy dog story, that is on one level terrifyingly plausible, and then you let that go on for awhile, and the twittering string music in the background is making the hair stand up on the back of your neck, and then he pulls the rug out\u2026 It was good construction.<\/p>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“#Evil, Lost and Playing Villains \u2013 \/Film” When you speak with Michael Emerson, you spend the the first few minutes of your conversation marveling at how\u2026normal he sounds. If you\u2019ve seen him as Leland Townsend in Evil on Paramount+ or as Benjamin Linus in the medium-shaking masterpiece Lost, you\u2019re just waiting for the other shoe…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":308605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net\/wp\/wp-content\/images\/Michael-Emerson-Evil-interview.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1570,1389],"class_list":["post-308604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-features","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=308604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=308604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}