Exclusive: This will be a John F. Kennedy unlike any you’ve seen before.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your first thought when offered this role?
MICHAEL C. HALL: I knew the show was very well regarded but I had yet to see it.
But that was also exciting.
And when I looked at the script I thought the presentation [of Kennedy] was pretty broad spectrum.
He’s perhaps the most previously depicted president in Hollywood history.
Did that add any pressure?
you might’t ignore the ubiquity of his image and his voice.
You have to in some way honor that without mimicking him.
So I didn’t feel too bound by that.
His voice must be tricky because it’s so distinctive.
I imagine it’s easy to slip into Mayor Quimby fromThe Simpsonsif you’re not too careful.
Part of the challenge was straddling that line.
I haven’t seen it yet.
Hopefully, I was on the beam at least some of the time.
You note the show took some risks.
Kennedy seems like a jerk-y and abusive addict compared to how he’s normally portrayed.
Did that give you any pause?
Not given what I know to have been true about him.
But because of the sluggishness that [the painkillers] inevitably created, he turned to amphetamines to function.
And obviously, you have to function at a pretty high level as a head of state.
I thinkhe had his own Dr. Feelgoodand that was part of the picture.
Anything else about this experience unique compared to other projects you’ve worked on?
The show is so sumptuous.
The locations they use are so real and authentic.
You’re not on a set, you’re in a palace.
It’s such an incredibly happy set.
Everybody does their jobs so well.
[Stars Foy and Matt Smith] were fantastic.
I tried to double-check I showed up ready to go.
And lest you get out of any interview without being asked this question: Any thoughts on aDexterreboot?
Any moment on that front?
I don’t think it’s quite time.
But it’s a conversation that continues at its own pace.
