HAROLD PERRINEAU breaks down being a family man, working in familiar territory and his new EPIX project FROM.
HAROLD PERRINEAU was such a lovely, down-to-earth, and cheerful guest. Here he breaks down #FROM which airs FEBRUARY 20TH, 2022 on EPIX. This project I would personally describe as a SALEM’S LOT meets LOST. And honestly, I’m quite invested in it. Four episodes have me hooked! Such a beautiful ensemble piece full of riveting storylines, heartfelt characters, and overall–creepy freakin’ monsters.
Are they vampires? It seems like it! There is a particular stone with odd symbols on it that seems to ward them away. Always have one near you or at your door. And NEVER get anyone killed or you might be their next meal.
Author’s note: Writers check Zoom chats for publicist’s texts on when to wrap things up, that is why my focus is drawn off-screen for a few seconds as I situate that.
LORETTE: WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH JACK BENDER AGAIN? DID YOU JUST PICK UP RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT OFF?
HAROLD PERRINEAU: Um, look, I always loved working with Jack Bender. And I’ve been telling people that one of my first jobs in television ever, I did a show called I’ll Fly Away. And Jack Bender was the director. And I was just like, a kid from New York who flew in and did a role. And we made a connection right away.
HP: And then we did many other things. And the reason I’m married to the woman I’m married to is because of a show that I did with Jack Bender.
HP: So, yeah, we always kind of pick right up and just keep going!
HP: I’d like to say pick right up. I’m just hoping I can stay up with Jack Bender. He’s so creative and so smart. And so–just great at what he does.
“And I’d like to say pick up, but it’s like, I’m still trying to catch up!”
L: DID YOU AUDITION FOR THIS PROJECT? WHAT DREW YOU TO IT?
HP: I know my good friend, Seth Yankel, which is the casting director, for this project. And he called me up and said–
“Hey, I have this project I want to submit before I think you’re the person to play this role. Do you? Would that be? Would you feel crazy? If I did that? Would that bother you? If I did that?”
HP: And I was like, let me hear about it. And he (Yankel) told me a bit about it. I was like, no.
HP: He’s like, here’s the catch. It’s Jack Bender, and also somebody else who produced LOST from Jeff Pinkner. So you know, just let me go work on it.
HP: He presented it and they said no. We don’t want anybody from LOST. Which made sense to me.
HP: He didn’t want the comparisons. But then he talked to them a little bit more. He’s like, no, I think this is you. Right now, this is you.
HP: And so he talked to some more and they agreed to talk to me and we talked about it. Yeah, no.
“We all agreed, like, let’s GET IT! Let’s do it. Right.” (Harold & the team coming to an agreement.)
L: I’M GETTING A REAL SALEM’S LOT FEEL FROM IT. THE WINDOW (tap, tap.)
HP: Oh, yeah, that’s a good one. Yeah, he originally thought it had a lot of Wayward Pines. Have you seen that?
KATIE HARDEN: Yes! Yup. With Famke Janssen. Mm-hmm! (I mistakenly thought of Hemlock Grove which has been compared to Wayward Pines more than anyone can count.)
HP: That one! Yeah, yeah. That too. What drew me to it was the complexity of not only my character, Boyd Stevens, but I thought it was really complex. Interesting.
KH: Yes, multi-faceted!
HP: He’s just like an injured guy who’s still out there working to be of service to this town to these people and getting it done.
HP: However, you can get it done. He doesn’t have the easiest personality. But, you know, he really is trying to be of service.
HP: And then there are so many other characters that were really interesting and complex, like the family coming in.
“As a family man, I instantly thought of myself being in an RV with my family someplace that I can’t get out. Monsters? Monsters?!”
HP: There were so many other compelling things in the script that John Griffin wrote that I just felt so excited to be part of. I just think it’s really, really compelling and good!
L: IT’S REALLY AN ENSEMBLE PIECE. EVERYBODY SORT OF HAS A CHARACTER THAT WORKS TOGETHER, SO YOU DON’T GET MANY OF THOSE TELEVISION SHOWS. VERY LUCKY!
HP: You really don’t! There’s usually just one person, but this one, you really get a lot of points of view.
L: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ROCK ON THE DOORFRAME? HE MENTIONED SOME OF IT BUT IT’S REALLY LIKE WHERE DID THE ROCK EVEN COME FROM? WHO DREW THE INSIGNIA ON IT THE SYMBOLS
HP: (grinning) Exactly right. That’s exactly the question! And you just have to trust me it will all be explained but there’s a real significance to it. It’s just– it’s gonna take a little bit of time to unravel and but we’ll get there!
KH: I trust you! (laughing)
L: HOW LONG HAS YOUR CHARACTER BEEN TRAPPED THERE? HE LOOKS LIKE HE’S GETTING SICK OR RINGING THAT BELL TOO!
HP: (Laughing, making ringing bell gestures.)
“Right?! He’s got calluses! He’s just angry about it!” (on ringing the bell to signify that curfew is up, and it’s time for the townsfolk to come inside before it gets dark.)”
HP: Boyd’s been there a little over two years, I think maybe. I can’t remember now what we settled on. Two or three, three years. It might be three, I can’t remember what we settled on.
HP: Again stuff that’s going to come up, and that I can say because that’s not necessarily significant. But he’s been there for like three years, but there are people who’ve been there longer. Just know that.
KH: Right. Right. Got it.
HP: And the place was different when he got there.
L: WHAT EXACTLY IS THE NATURE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS SON? IS IT A DIVORCE GONE WRONG? WHAT’S GOING ON THERE?
HP: Again, you have all the good questions. And I actually have the answers! But if I told you, yeah, we certainly get to that.
HP: And you know, it, I explained to somebody earlier, anytime you have a kid that you’re estranged from, man, it’s heartbreaking. And so when I think about it now, I still feel pretty heartbroken about it. Even though it’s something you know, we created.
HP: But it is something that they’ve certainly experienced together that they both see in different ways. It’s led them to where they are at the beginning of our show.
KH: Right! We’re starting to see him open up. Ellis (his son) seems to be getting more with the program! That’s your father! Go!
Both: (laughter)
HP: Get in the car!
KH: Get in the truck, man!
L: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DAY ON SET LIKE?
(There was an echo from Zoom’s setup, on how we heard each other, so I had to repeat my question despite not knowing that he heard me.)
HP: On my first day on set I got to work with a fabulous young Ricky He (playing the ever traumatized Kenny) The very first day on the set.
HP: What we did, which is really interesting is except for Jack Bender, who had four episodes and directors came on, and they had a block of two episodes apiece.
HP: And so I think we started the first my first day was the second episode, but it was with Ricky he, and, and Ricky was he had a lot to do in those first, those first days.
HP: He was so in and so bold, and I was like, oh, yeah, we’re about to do the damn thing here. Like if this kid is bringing it like this, yeah, this is about to get really, really real. My first day on the set was with him. And I enjoyed it. He’s a great actor.
L: ARE YOU EVER GOING TO GO BACK TO MUSICAL THEATER?
HP: Great question. I certainly hope so. I got to do some theater. I got to do a play on Broadway, The Cherry Orchard. And this is how this is gonna answer your question.
HP: I got to play a character who like, you know, gets excited about, you know, buying some land and I do this whole big song and dance in the middle of this Chekhov play.
HP: (Laughing)
HP: So that’s myself realizing that I do need to get back on stage and do some more musicals here. But that part isn’t done yet. To find the space and the time, I’m definitely gonna get to it. So we’ll see.
L: ONE LAST QUESTION. HOW, HOW HARD WAS IT TO GET INTO THE MENTAL, PHYSICALITY, AND SUCH FOR BOYD? I MEAN, THOSE ARE DARK PLACES YOU HAVE TO GO.
HP: That may be the toughest bit of it of all time because– the way I work, I just need to have it accessible. And a facile. It has to be able to move with it anywhere I wanted, which means I got to carry it around all the time.
HP: But I can’t carry it around at home and I had my family with me for a lot of it. So it was a bit of a magic trick. Like being able to have that kind of dark, dark depression and Boyd walks around with the dark hurt.
HP: That’s what it is. Deep hurt to have that there and available, but not burden my kids with it. And so it was a bit tricky and a little painful, like emotionally painful. But you know, it’s the kind of pain that you don’t have in life. I knew when it was going to end. Like your life isn’t like this. It’s still going on.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE SHOW
DON’T MAKE A WRONG TURN. AND GET USED TO RINGING THAT BELL.
Harold portrays Boyd Stevens, the resident sheriff of a town you just can’t get out of. He tells me that the character has been there for about two to three years, and there are many other unfortunate souls who have been there much longer.
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO.
Like his character Michael in LOST, he once again has to pick up the pieces of having an estranged son, named Ellis. But what on earth happened to make them that way?
#FROM IS RIVETING, HEART-WRENCHING, AND A MUST-WATCH.