The two ace actors talk about starring in the TV adaptation of Philip Meyer’s novel, explain their characters and more
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Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney, two of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, now collaborate together to star american war, Television adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Philip Meyer.
The series, set in a Pennsylvania Rust Belt town, follows the life of complex police chief Dale Harris, who has to make a series of difficult choices when the son of a woman he loves is accused of murder. Produced by renowned screenwriter Dan Futerman, American war It’s also the latest addition to a growing slate of successful shows set in small-town America, which follows life and drama within a close-knit community.
Filled with mutual admiration and respect for each other, Jeff and Maura talk about their experience filming the highly anticipated play, how their stage and theater backgrounds come into play. , and the almost doomed romance that their characters share on the show.
Excerpts from an interview:
Mr. Daniels, given that your early days of growing up were in a somewhat similar setting, was it easy to adjust to the character of Dale Harris?
Jeff: I am One of these guys on the show; I grew up in a small town before and now I’m back in a small town, and my family is being raised there. I was a working class guy, and many things on the show were true and familiar to me. Sometimes these types of characters are simplified or dumbed down. But in the book and series, they are depicted as complex people… good people having some bad luck, and trying to unstuck after their dreams don’t come true.
But just because they’re down and without money, doesn’t make them bad. My character is dealing with a lot of things including a broken heart, and he’s also a police chief trying to sort things out, working 60-70 hours of sleepless nights.
I haven’t played someone who does what he does before, so it was an amazing challenge.
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Teathe subtext of that American war Takes us through the issues grappling with rural America like drugs, poverty and homelessness… How were the shootings even in locations that depict these themes?
Jeff: Issues like this, or the opioid problem, are not specific to Southwest Pennsylvania or to that belt. And this is not only in rural America, but in urban locations as well. It is constantly in the news and never ends.
These are all places the steel industry has left behind; Just the behemoths of factories and mills that are now rusty. We shot in places that hadn’t been used for decades, and I could only imagine the heat and the people working there.
Maurya, your previous project matter, which was a huge hit globally, was set in a small village. We have seen other recent shows like Easttown’s mare, also set in a small town, resonates with the audience as well. now comes American war…is this a pattern that is popular now?
Maura: That’s such an interesting question! I think it’s because people living in smaller cities tend to be no less complex than people in larger places. It’s also an effective storytelling tool for setting a story in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and it’s hard to remain anonymous.
Jeff: I agree with that. Not everyone is from New York or LA, right? People around the world can relate to these characters because they find them recognizable. it’s not like watching downtown Abbey Or something like that, which is far away from you.
Your characters share an intriguing, almost doomed relationship over the course of the series. How did you explain it?
Maura: You know, the last character I played started out as a woman of this means whose parents and husband had always cared for her, and then later had to figure out how to be independent. .
In American war, it’s the exact opposite. No one has yet taken care of her, and she is trying to understand how to live in this world, and trust and love people.
A still from ‘American Rust’
Jeff: To me, their relationship is like what you find in one of those paperback romance novels at the airport. He desperately wants a relationship with her and moves in, but she breaks his heart. But they’re both still in each other’s lives, and then she opens up to him later. You eventually see them fall in love… but what they do is not what lovers do. That’s the beauty of the book and the writing in the show. This is a romance novel that turns dark.
You both are also known for your work in film, television and theatre. You guys balance everything out nicely, but which one is more challenging or interesting?
Jeff: Well, they’re all tough. Be it stage and eight shows a week, or night shoots for a show or a film, where you have to hit it on the first or second take. But I still love the challenge of it, and I find it both dangerous and exciting — at this point in my career — to use and feed another actor.
Maura: I’ve been a TV actor my whole life, but quite late in life, I got into experimental theater and now work with a company in New York. And you know, doing it on stage is like no other feeling. I would like to explore it more.
In the end, making your best memory American war?
Jeff: Once (screenplay) all the episodes came, and I saw what happens in the last two; It’s something I’ve never tried before, and I can’t believe I do what I do in episode nine! I can’t tell you what it is now. (laughs)
Maura: Okay, we started shooting for the show, then COVID happened; So we stopped and started again. When I read the script for the second time, I literally went, ‘Oh my God!’. It really hit me how good it was.
Also, throughout the series, we see these people losing things, especially their independence. But what they will do to get it back and how far they will go to do so is something that I found very interesting.
American Rust is currently Voot Select. streaming on
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