What attracted you to the role of the radicalised father in new thriller Sovereign? SkillWizard
The script is a work of art, about the “sovereign citizen movement”, which – like any other conspiracy theory – is based on the extreme edge of American thought. It made me think of the 6 January attack on the US Capitol; what drives normal working class Americans to make these life choices? I’m counting on the UK to celebrate this film, because I think it’s a little too smart for the American audience, frankly. A more European sensibility is going to respond more powerfully than an American one.
Does the Highlander remake fill you with dread, indifference, or cautious optimism? ArcadianSean
Highlander is one of my favourite films. It’s an incredible movie of sword-fighting with Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown as the Kurgan, the evil Russian villain, who I’d take over Darth Vader any day. The soundtrack is by Queen. It’s insane. Chris Pratt had never seen Highlander, so I booked a screening room in the middle of the afternoon at the studio where we were shooting Parks and Recreation, and we watched it by ourselves. To answer the question: I like to be supportive of my fellow artists. I’m not a cynical person. I hope that, somehow, it’s even greater than the original. Why aren’t I in the remake? That’s a great question. There’s this Australian bloke … Russell something … and people seem to keep leaning in his direction.
What was it like working with the genius that is Alex Garland in Devs and playing the role of a technological god? Paulsaxonshaw
Alex Garland is one of the most underrated of our modern film-makers. He asks these big questions on behalf of all of us. With Devs, the question is: should we give power to the controllers of our technology without any checks and balances? Playing a tech god was fascinating, done with authentic human drama and interpersonal relationships. We filmed in Santa Cruz, San Francisco and London. The Devs building was in a giant sound stage in Manchester. I love Manchester. It’s a wonderful, hardworking city. It reminds me of Chicago, full of charm, populated by working people who love a sausage roll. It’s tough to beat a Greggs. I’ve tried the posh ones. It needs to be a little dirty.
I’d never seen anything like your performance in The Last of Us on TV before – a mature gay relationship treated with such tenderness, seriousness and depth. How did Bill’s love story affect you? DancingLashaTumbai
Thank you for the compliment. If I succeed at that level, it’s because the writing is that exquisite. Everyone agrees that script was like a piece of wizardry.
One of the things I love about my dad [a social studies teacher and woodworker called Ric] and my larger farm family is that we all teach. Everybody can back up a vehicle, park a wagon, dig a hole, bake a loaf of bread or gut a fish. We are self-sustaining. The problem is that it ruins TV and film for me. I get cast as people who use tools or drive vehicles, and it’s excruciating because I never let a stunt person do it. The whole time, my dad is sitting on my shoulder with his arms crossed, watching me. Playing Bill was the most exquisite experience, but when I was processing a deer I’ve just shot, or pulling a carrot out of the earth, all I was thinking was: “Is my dad gonna buy this?”
Filming those scenes with Murray Bartlett [from White Lotus] … we were violinists, playing beautiful sonatas of our emotional journey that sounded so sweet together. That’s why the world responded so explosively, because it boiled down to the essence of every novel and work of art: “What the fuck is the point of all of this?” The point is that other people are your purpose. If you’re not living to make them happy, then what is the fucking point? I’m going to cry.
Having started out on the baritone sax and winning the Louis Armstrong jazz award in 1988, were your initial career aspirations more music focused? JimmySlide
My dad had an old tenor saxophone he’d played as a kid. We were that kind of frugal household: “You wanna play music? Here’s your pick.” I was in a small town marching band. If you’re strong, no matter what instrument you play, they hand you the big drum, tuba or baritone sax. As a teenager, I had aspirations to become an actor, but I lived in a cultural vacuum. My guidance counsellor wanted to hear: doctor, lawyer, barrister. They didn’t want to hear: “I want to be an actor.” They said: “I don’t believe that’s one of the options.” I said: “I guess I want to be a musician.” They said: “I don’t think so, buddy. What kind of life would that be?” Fortunately, I discovered you could get paid to be in plays in Chicago. I’m grateful that I got turned on to music, even though it didn’t end up as my career path.
Have you done much Shakespeare? I’d love to see you perform Polonius’ “To thine own self be true” speech from Hamlet. gummitch
That’s very generous: Polonius is a helluva nice role. I have done a handful of Shakespeare. I wanted to end up at the RSC or Old Vic. I hope to do more Shakespeare before I’m done – I think I’ve still got a couple of years left in my Romeo before they age me out.
Love the moustache. But how do you manage beard itch? Drives me spare. CathChakravarty and JustSomeDad
I have obvious physical deformities that have kept me from being considered one of the great beauties of my age. On the plus side, I am able to grow prodigious whiskers. If I put my thumb in my mouth and blow, I can grow about an eighth of an inch. It has been a wonderful boon as an actor to achieve every possible iteration of facial hair. Given my druthers, I would have a big beard all the time, because that’s what mother nature intended.
There are two kinds of itch. The first is when it’s breaking the skin. That also causes burn on your partner, so you have to be careful when engaging in any form of canoodling. The other itch is once your beard gets full and you begin storing things in it, like gravy or Guinness. A makeup artist taught me to use an astringent, such as Sea Breeze. Once a week, I’ll give it a good scrub, and that keeps the soup cleaned up.
What are the best and worst things about being married to Megan Mullally? Did you have trouble keeping a straight face to her terrifying sexual performance as your ex-wife Tammy II in Parks and Rec? Reckoner and Neckron666
She’s an exquisite goddess. She’s the funniest person I’ve ever met – and I’ve met Mel Brooks and John Cleese. She dances, she sings. She’s a dramatic and comedic genius. She has astonishing taste – with a few obvious lapses. We’ll come to blows over who left the cap off the toothpaste. But I’m very grateful that after 25 years, she is still choosing me. The worst part is, in the same way that when I back up a truck and my dad is sitting on my shoulder, when I’m performing, especially singing, Megan is very much on my shoulder. When you’re married to the Lionel Messi of performing, it can be tough to keep your shots on goal.
The craziest thing about her dangerous sexuality was that, in Parks and Recreation, I was known for keeping a straight face. Chris Pratt would come out of leftfield and make me giggle, but I enjoy deadpan humour, so generally, nobody could make me laugh. Megan would walk into the room and I would be done because, by definition, she knows what buttons to push. All our scenes are her using her sexuality as a weapon against me, and I lost that battle long, long ago.