Surprise, surprise! HBO put together yet another prestige show with outstanding performances, cinematography, and direction. The recent remake of “Perry Mason” didn’t so much as show up to thrill us, but confront us with simultaneously beautiful and abhorrent dread, and at the center of that is a masterful lead performance by none other than Matthew Rhys (“The Americans“). Matthew recently sat down with The Playlist Podcast for an interview on the Emmy nominated role and what to expect for Season 2.
During the chat, Rhys discusses taking on the role after Robert Downey, Jr. (who produced the series) dropped out and handpicked him for the role.
“[I was] very intimidated to know that Robert Downey Jr. was pegged to play it because that was just an added pressure that I didn’t need for any job, let alone one of this size, magnitude, and caliber,” he said. “Because you go, ‘Are HBO expecting a performance as good as Robert Downey, Jr’s?!’ and I heaped a healthy amount of pressure onto myself because of that.”
Regardless, it seems that good ol’ Robert Downey, Jr. wasn’t a looming presence over the set.
“I think he’s aware enough of who he is and his effects on actors that he certainly left me alone. He checked in sporadically knowing that if he was on set, I’d be going, ‘Oh my God, it’s Robert Downey, Jr!’, so he was a little sparing in his set visits.” Rhys added.
READ MORE: HBO’s ‘Perry Mason’ Is A Darkly Dazzling, Top-To-Bottom Revamp [Review]
So, if you’re looking to hear more about Perry Mason and listen to Matthew squirm when asked to tease his role in the upcoming ‘Gremlins‘ series, you can stream the conversation in its entirety below. The first season of “Perry Mason” is now available on HBO Max.
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