June 14, 2024 • 29 mins
JOE KEERY of 'Fargo' and 'Stranger Things' talks all about Gator Tillman, and also some TV Topics.
#StrangerThings #Fargo @SteveHarrington #GatorTillman #JunoTemple #JonHamm #SamSpruell
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(00:03):
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for TV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome back to TV TOPICS. I'm your host Steven
Prusikowski. Hanging out today on the TV
TOPICS couch is an actor who played keys, a software
developer who can't control his work, and free guy as Steve
(00:26):
Harrington. He fought the demagogue in and
battled the upside down, all while keeping his hair perfectly
intact in Stranger Things. And now he plays Gator Tillman,
the hard to like son of Jon Hamm's even tougher not to hate
Roy Tillman on Fargo. Of course, I'm talking about the
great Joe Curie. Welcome to TV TOPICS, Joe.
(00:47):
So thank you for doing this. I'm a I'm a big fan.
My daughters are bigger fans. It's close.
Tom, thank you. I, I will do so.
I really enjoyed your work on this series.
You know, it's Fargo's fantasticand this season is I, I honestly
think it's the best. I I feel pretty lucky to be a
part of such like a illustrious group of actors, obviously.
(01:10):
But then yeah, I was a fan of the show too, so.
We will jump into that in a bit,but I'm going to ask you a
couple of TV related questions first.
Sure. What was your your relationship
with TV growing up? Were you TV junkie?
More selective. Yeah, I mean, I was watching
cartoons and watch Pokémon, watching Yu-gi-oh, watching
(01:31):
SpongeBob, watching Even Stevens.
I don't know, I was watching like fun kids stuff.
And well, it doesn't. I don't really remember what I
was watching when I was a teenager, but the first like,
yeah, I'd say pretty casual, Casual TV watcher.
And what show makes you laugh most?
(01:52):
Or do you go to and you need to pick me up?
Maybe like Arrested Development,I love that show or Freaks and
Geeks love that show. Also The Office.
I was kind of like in high school when The Office was like
coming out and just I remember being like, Oh my gosh, this is
the funniest thing ever. It's great.
(02:12):
Yeah. I mean all all three are great.
Freaks and Geeks I think is one of the best you know, one season
shows ever. It's hard for me to even believe
it's one season because it seemslike it, it has so much more,
you know? Yeah, they cover so much of
their lives, you know, even it's, even if it's just a small
period of time, the that's a that's a very fast moving part
of life. Is there a character on TV that
(02:35):
you connect with most? It could be currently or someone
in the past, and it doesn't haveto be a good character.
It can just be somebody that youkind of get.
It's a great question. I love that show.
Dark. You see that show Dark?
Ever. I haven't seen it, but I know of
it. It's been recommended many
(02:56):
times. Yeah, I loved that show and that
main character. I was.
I thought he was so good. That's the one that I'm thinking
of right now, so I guess I'll gowith that.
And I'm sure that Fargo, becausethe cast you mentioned is was a
huge draw, but what else made you want to take on this
project? Oh, I mean, well, a lot of
(03:19):
things. I mean, working with Noah was
probably the biggest one. I just a fan of him, fan of the
show, fan of the movie. Obviously the cast.
But I I knew they were going to get a great cast.
This was before I really even knew who was in it.
I was sure they would get great people to be in it.
And it's just like a real a departure from anything else
(03:41):
that I had worked on. And you know, there's like a
sense of Greek tragedy in this season from for at least for my
for my character. So I I kind of like these kind
of classic themes and exploring them in this in this modern way.
So for it was an absolute no brainer and I'm just lucky that
(04:02):
it it all worked out. And, you know, they saw
something in my tape that they were like, OK, yeah, I think
that this guy could do it. So yeah.
Did you have any idea who you were going to be cast with?
Like who, who would you know, beplaying your father and etcetera
is. I think I knew that.
I think when I was auditioning, I knew John was going to play
the role, so I knew that. And maybe June, I think I know
(04:25):
Juno as well, but I didn't know anyone else.
Yeah, didn't know anyone else. But man, so lucky.
The cast at this year was so, sogood.
Everyone was such a pleasure to work with, and I feel like
that's one of Noah's real strengths is casting.
And I don't think anything has really happened by accident with
him. He's generally very, very on it.
So yeah, was honored. I think it's the type of series
(04:50):
that if they want you, you're pretty much going to take it
because who wouldn't want to work with the cast and the the
writing and and the vision of ofNoah?
Absolutely. And, you know, so Roy and Gator
are dysfunctional, to say the least.
What is it like working with a character who's always on egg
shells? Yeah.
(05:11):
I mean, yeah, he's just like there's kind of this negative
feedback loop going on between these two guys where he's
constantly seeking approval and like, because he's so nervous
and not receiving love, he's messing up.
And it's just creates this horrible, unfortunate downward
(05:31):
spiral spiral. But it also kind of is to me,
what I really liked about that was that like, you know, if this
guy, if you'd picked him up and put him in a different family
and maybe he was given a chance and given some love and some
support from his father. And like, maybe if his his
mother wasn't around, if he had a solid female figure in his
(05:53):
life, maybe this guy could have turned out differently.
And that's part of the tragedy. And that's core, I feel like to
understanding the character and something that you sort of put
together as the show goes on. It's not something maybe that's
apparent, but you know, we were kind of intentional with the
outer shell of this guy where, you know, with the hair and the
(06:15):
with the vape and the glasses and the tactical gear.
You kind of are like instantly like, I know this guy.
Oh my God. But then as it's sort of slowly
the show unfolds, you start to realize, like, man, it's kind of
like, not his fault, but also he's a horrible person and
making terrible decisions. You know, you're conflicted
(06:36):
about the character, and I was conflicted about the character,
honestly. And that's kind of a fun place
to live and. Do you create a back story for
him like beyond this? Because there's a lot on the
page, but. Yeah, there's a on the page.
I mean, there's certain like things about the back story with
the history and the timing, especially with Nadine dot dot
Nadine. And so there's certain things
(06:59):
that are like, OK, this is what happened, you know,
chronologically. But then there are other things
that I'll fill in or things, some things are important, some
things aren't for me personally.And it kind of just depends job
to job, you know, and just usingthe information that you need.
(07:19):
And how was it working with Johnin those scenes?
Is he intimidating or does he Does he turn it off quickly?
Yeah, I mean, he's also Jon Hamm, so I was nervous to work
with him 'cause I'm a fan and I think at least for the earlier
scenes, it's great. He but I mean, he can turn it
off and on really easily. He's very relaxed and he's
obviously such a professional. He's been doing this for a while
(07:41):
and but it was great that it wasJon.
I loved that it was Jon because he has this like gravitas about
him, you know, it's Jon Hamm. So it was kind of like for me, I
loved, Yeah. And I just love to work with.
He's also really giving too, as a as a performer and as an actor
and as just a friend too. So I loved working with him and
(08:03):
being around him. And it was, it was great.
Yeah. It was really great.
Learned a lot. Did he teach you anything?
Is there anything that you specifically that you learned
while working with him and you're you picked up?
Learn by example, I think reallylearning by example and how to,
I also think he's like really, he's really efficient too, which
(08:24):
I respect. You know, like sometimes a lot
of people, people can come in and have these kind of like kind
of large processes or like, you know, do all this stuff.
But he's like, he's there to work and he like does his thing
and like shows up and like and does it well.
And so I like really respect that too.
And everyone's process is different.
(08:46):
And part of my journey as an actor so far that I've loved is
I've been able to just kind of be a family on the wall for
people. And then, you know, like
Jennifer has a different process, or Juno has a different
process and Sam has a different process.
And it's like, cool to be like aho.
Maybe I'll try that this time. Or maybe I wonder if that would
work for me. So there's no right way to do
(09:10):
it. There's really no right way to
do it. There's a lot of different ways
and it's just kind of cool to see.
And with the character that has so many unattractive traits, was
there one that's most fun to play about him?
I just think, man, that's an awesome question is probably how
(09:30):
pathetic he is, but he doesn't think it's pathetic at all that
I love that. I love playing a guy who's just
like so weak and so lame and so like for somebody who's deepest
fear is to like, not be dumb or not appear like an idiot or be
(09:51):
stupid. He is so dumb and such an idiot
and so stupid. And so that's really fun to
play. Yeah, and then so he's like the
guy who the second who's, who's talking shit, he's got an
attitude. And the second he leaves a room,
everyone's like, yeah, but they let, they let him have it.
He doesn't know it, but. It's like his worst fear.
That's the thing that he fears the most in life, and it's the
(10:13):
thing that happens to him. And he's not sure.
And he's. Yeah, I, I I really like playing
that. That was great.
And then you have, you know, your relationship with Old Monk,
those episodes, you know, not really a relationship, but this
kind of like battle where he's, you know, you're you're putting
up puffing out your chest and like you're the you're the bad
guy because you know, you've gotthe power, you've got your dad
(10:33):
behind you. What was it like playing those
scenes? So fun.
Oh my gosh, Sam is so great. And like what an odd couple
these two guys are speaking completely different languages.
They are like could not be further from each other.
And I just love that the whole time Gator thinks that like he
(10:54):
he liked he this guy like he thinks he's totally in charge.
He's totally in the power position.
And I just love that it's like this, you know, mid 20s kind of
entitled sheriff's deputy versusthis like 500 year old Eastern
European like former surf peasant guy.
(11:16):
It's like it's so cool, honestly, it's so good.
And and also Sam was just like he clicks right on and he's
really like when we're working, we're working, we're really
working. And especially for that scene in
the ice shed, or I mean, that's like, that was some fun and
(11:37):
intense stuff. We we yeah, those are some fun
days. Yeah, I mean, the first time I
watched it, I didn't quite get it.
You know, I I got it and I was like, wait a second, is this, is
he really 500 years old? Like, what is going on here?
So playing against a character like that, that because you know
you're in the rest of the world,kind of exists as we know it,
(11:59):
and then you throw in this kind of supernatural element, how
does that affect the way you play 'cause I guess your
character doesn't get it? Yeah, not at all.
Yeah. I mean, I I it doesn't affect me
at all. I just think he's just another
schmuck who's like, you know, he's in our turf.
I don't care how old you are. I don't care what your job is.
Like, you're on our you're on our ground and like, this is our
(12:22):
domain, and this will be my domain one day.
So for me, it doesn't actually make any difference at all.
But it's so fun playing somebodywho's so confident but who has
no idea. Yeah.
Who has no idea? Yeah.
Eight percent, 8% and you have, you know, the episodes where you
have to be blinded. How much of a challenge was that
(12:42):
and and how did you approach it?Oh, it was a gift.
It's great. It's like a guy who's it's a
turtle who's gotten his shell ripped off.
You know, once he's been blindedand he's got this thing, it's
like every single thing that he built around him, all these like
superficial things that he, you know, used to puff out his chest
and make him seem this way. It's like his true nature is
(13:03):
revealed. And he's just like a little tiny
naked shaved rat now. And he's just like, and for me
being, you know, blindfolded, hewas great.
You don't know where the camera really is.
You're not doing it. You're only do it.
You're you can only be within yourself.
And for it, for doing these scenes and for working, like
(13:26):
those were some of my favorite bits.
And it was dirty. I mean, it was just like you're
knocking into stuff and it's real.
It's fun. It's like you kind of sometimes
when you read something, you're like, you don't, this happens
all the time with me. You don't realize, like I
remember there was a scene in Stranger Things where it's like
(13:47):
he's tied to a chair. Me and Maya were tied to chairs.
And I remember being like, oh, that'll be fun.
And then you'd show up and you're like, Oh my God, I want
to be tied to this chair for three days.
And then you're tied to a chair for three days.
And it's like, oh, this physically is actually informing
what's going on. I don't like being tied to this
chair. Same thing with this blindfold.
I didn't, I was like, oh, I'll be blindfolded.
That'd be cool. And then you actually put this
(14:08):
blindfold on. You're like, OK, I have to work
right now. We're we're like with, with this
on. It's when it kind of dawns on
you and you get into it. It's so helpful though, so I I
loved it. Anything like that is generally
really really helpful for me. So you were completely blinded.
Yeah, I mean, they made me something that if I wanted to,
if there was something like thatwas actually a danger or
(14:30):
something, I could like kind of see through it.
But generally I was just closingmy eyes, you know, 'cause I, I,
it, it helps. It really does help.
So, you know, kind of smack yourhead or, you know, you really
are feeling with your hands. So it's cool.
Well, I can imagine it because, you know, as soon as the lights
go out somewhere, like if it's in your house or wherever it is
and you're in total darkness, suddenly you become, you know,
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it's that that sense is gone andyou're all hands and you're all
ears and everything else. And it changes you.
It really does change you. You feel like very vulnerable,
Very, very vulnerable. And I think like I felt very
vulnerable and the things that Ihad to say and the things that I
had to do, it's like I was really vulnerable.
And it's like this shell, it's been ripped off of Gator and
(15:13):
like no longer is he Mr. Tough Guy, but he is it revealed to be
what he has been all along, which is like a 12 year old boy
with no mom. To get into that a little bit
like, like others on this series, there's this character
with kind of pretty much an absence of love in his life,
terrible father, no mother. And then you have this moment
with dot toward the end. It's really beautiful where
(15:35):
there's compassion. What did that mean to you?
Like you know, in, in, through your character.
Like how did you process that? I saw it as well.
They have a very complicated relationship and she's maybe one
of the only people on the whole earth that really, truly
understands them. And he does have a good person
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deep down somewhere inside of him.
And he has a compassionate side and he has a side that wants
love and sees love. But the love that he truly
wants, the thing that is a number one, is Dad's love and
Dad's approval. So nothing can come up against
that. So, you know, believing anything
(16:15):
else about life that hasn't beenkind of backed by his father
would shatter everything that hehas come to believe.
So he he cannot believe anythingelse and he has to go with his
dad until it's forcibly taken away from him.
So I saw it as, yeah, that thereis a little bit of good in him,
(16:38):
but he's too far down the rabbithole.
He's too twisted. He's been conditioned,
preconditioned too much to, you know, and manipulated by his
father to to be this way. So he really until the end, I
think, is kind of beyond saving until it's forcibly taken away.
(16:58):
And then at the end, you kind ofsee like, well, you know, the
show is about debt and what is awife or a husband?
What is a father or a son? What if, you know, societal
debt, spiritual debt with Monk or physical debt, you know, with
Jennifer's character and Gator pays his his debt, he pays his
(17:19):
dues with his eyes. And so now it's about like, OK,
you're starting from nothing. And maybe there's hope now.
I I like that because it is a hopeful ending for him.
And you know, the show, the lastscene in the show with Sam
coming up to the to the family at the end, that's also a
hopeful show. And it's about forgiveness.
(17:39):
And so although it is a show about absence of love and
darkness, it is like, but we canpersevere through this and we
can, I think that there's a very, it's an important way to
end the show and I'm glad that they did it that way.
Yeah, I, I mean, I think it was one of the most hopeful endings
I've ever seen. I I it gave me the chills
(17:59):
immediately. And I was like, and I watched it
again and I watched it again. I'm like, man, it hits probably
harder each time. It's it's so well done what it
has to say. Tom Bazooka, who directed that
last episode, I think that he did a really amazing job on that
scene. It's really amazing stuff, one
of one of my favorite ending scenes and ending shots of TV
(18:20):
I've ever watched. Yeah, I think so for me.
I think it's right up there. So would Gator be visiting his
father in prison? I don't think so.
I, yeah, I, I, I don't think so.I mean, I, I'll leave it for
everyone else to think what theythink.
Nobody really knows. So, but it would, I would be
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hard pressed to believe it, but honestly, he could, I think, I
think the the important thing isthat he's starting from a place
of like he can make the decisioneither way, but he could do the
same exact thing, You know, he could just fall right back in.
Yeah. And that's, well, that's a
hopeful ending, though. If you think he didn't, that's
(19:01):
like that's what you want to hear.
He's moved on. And do you have a favorite
quality and a least favorite quality of Gator?
Oh man, like his entitlement is probably my least favorite.
Quality is just like sense of truly that he is above everyone.
(19:23):
That's like a horrible quality. I guess that he has love to give
deep down is probably a good thing.
Like if he was in the right situation, I think he could give
love, but it just is he's poisoned.
So yeah, it's a hard, hard lot. Hard lot for Gator men.
(19:48):
Yeah, it's it's a nurture of nature.
And I mean truly, he needs that nurture.
He needs. Is there one scene that you're
most proud of? I, you know, what scene that I
love that wasn't in the script at all was that I'm a winner
scene in the bedroom. That was like something that was
added really late in the process.
It was just something that Noah kind of thought up.
(20:08):
And we kind of, I think it was just like there was one line.
It was just like I'm a winner was at the end.
But then we were kind of like, what if he just like is saying
it over and over again? And yeah, just hats off to know
if you're thinking of such a cool thing, because that is like
his inner mantra, really. Is like convincing himself that
he is, you know, he's trying to hype himself up.
(20:30):
He's like, I am a winner, you know, and I and I just to to to
do that scene was like really fun.
And we, you know, did a couple different levels of it and yeah,
it just goes to show like when you really are connected to the
character and letting that drivewhat the show is all about.
Like let's add a scene that likereally is kind of embodying of
this whole character. It's like so cool that Noah just
(20:53):
added this thing. So yeah, that was really cool.
I was like a lover of also like film and cinema and TV to be
like, wow, this guy's like, you know, he's not he's he's always
creating. He's always allowing the process
to shift and change. He's not like, this is the
script. We're doing this and this is
done. It's always changing.
(21:14):
So that was a good lesson for meto learn.
That's great. Yeah.
It's got to make. It's got to make coming to set
every single day, you know, And there's no, there's no
sleepwalking. No, not at all.
None. And how about challenges?
I mean, it's, it's a role is kind of all over the place.
(21:34):
You know, there's some physical moments and then you have of
course, the blinding and, and all that, but and, and emotional
elements of, of this character. So what are you?
Is there something that was mostchallenging for you that maybe
you know, people would not automatically pick up on?
I don't know, I think just like taking a big swing is kind of
(21:54):
hard and like trusting yourself and every person and every actor
has things that they're good at,things that they're maybe not as
good at, you know, roles that maybe they're drawn to or roles
that they're not drawn to or things that they like to do or
just think that they don't, you know, these people, that these
people generally play a villain or these people will, you know,
(22:15):
generally do this or, you know, I like or like stunt stuff or.
And so this was like outside of my comfort zone in a couple of
ways, I think. And it's not something that I've
done before. And sometimes like, you just
have to have like a lot of belief in yourself and
self-confidence. And you don't always feel that
every day. Sometimes some days you're like,
what am I doing? Like, yeah, you know, is this
(22:38):
like, are people going to buy? Is anyone going to buy this?
And like, so it's it's yeah, I think that was the challenge for
me some days was really my own self belief and just making
taking risks and a good lesson and not being too stressed about
(22:59):
things. And just like trusting that, you
know, we're everyone's here, we're acting, we're doing this
job and like, yeah. So yeah, I think that that was
it for. Me.
Yeah. Well, it's great that you can
put the faith in yourself because, I mean, it sounds like
even you suffer from a little bit of imposter syndrome, or
maybe, you know, just this. Maybe not imposter syndrome, but
the doubt that everyone else does.
(23:19):
But you don't show it on screen.I've got the imposter syndrome.
I got, I got it too. I got it everywhere.
I think you kind of start to learn.
I think everybody has this and Idon't think it goes away.
So it's good to recognize that. And then maybe in a way
recognizing it and being like, well, now I can even just swing
bigger. Maybe now it's like, you know,
(23:41):
if I can, if I can, if I, yeah, I guess that's maybe where I've
kind of come to. It's like the bigger you go, you
know, you don't want to go abroad.
You always want to like lead with like truth and like, it's
got to be cut coming from a place of like, you know, what's
best for the character and what makes sense.
But like, yeah, maybe take big swings.
(24:03):
Those are my favorite movies to watch.
It's like the characters, actorswho are just taking massive
swings and like, like, I think of like, I don't know why this
popped up, but like Brad Pitt and Burn After Reading, like
when he's like doing all the dance, like those are some like
crazy choices that that guy's making that movie.
(24:24):
But it's amazing. It's so good for that character,
too. So, you know, yeah.
Feeling. Feeling confident enough to do
whatever you think is right. That's great because you could
be, you know, you know, you can hit singles, you can hit singles
all the time, but you know, get that bigger swing.
Maybe you're a double hitter, maybe you're a home run hitter.
And if you, you know, continue to do that, you know you're,
(24:44):
you're, you will, your imposter syndrome will be pushed down and
you'll go to the next level. Then you'll have it again, and
then you'll have it again, and. Yeah, I'm sure, I'm sure.
Yeah. I think it's something that
always kind of will come back. But yeah, you're right.
You're totally right. But it's wonderful to take those
big swings. So how about 3 words to describe
Gator? Poisoned turtle.
(25:21):
Try hard. I like it.
Poisoned Turtle's a good way to start.
Yeah, maybe try hard poison turtle.
Perfect. He could get the tattoo on his
arm. Yeah, you wouldn't see it, but
he does. Next.
To the Lol tattoo. So we'll close out with a few TV
questions. If you could have one more
(25:42):
season of any TV show and it could be a prequel season, it
could be in the middle of between existing seasons or a
follow up season with the same cast and everything, what would
it be? Freaks and geeks, let's go.
There you go. I'd say one more directly after
they did the first one. I just want one more of that
era, yeah. Yeah, that's, I mean, I watch
(26:03):
that show and it is kind of perfection and but I want more.
I, I, I mean, if it was 40 episodes long, I would have, it
would have been too short. I want more.
OK. And would you rather see Gator
show up in a season of Stranger Things or Steve Harrington show
up in a episode or in a season of Fargo?
That's. A funny question.
(26:25):
And you get to play it, of course.
Well, I've had my time playing. I've played a lot, a lot of
Steve, so I'll take Gator and Stranger Things.
That would be quite an odd combo.
I think that's funny. How well do you think he'd last
in in that world? He'd die.
He would die. Or Gator.
I, I, I hated him so much. And then by the end I was like,
(26:46):
man, once he was blinded I felt bad because I'm like, he doesn't
know his own sins. He's just so oblivious.
And then at the end, I was like,you know, really, really felt
bad for him, but a little bit hopeful that, well, he won't
have his sight. But there is a path for him.
There's a better path, yeah. Yeah, me too.
(27:07):
And. So one last one, you have a
magic door. You can walk in and out anytime
you want. Your your life stays intact.
So you can go in that door and anytime you want, you can show
up on one TV show and you can hang out with the characters,
but you know you are living in that show.
It's not the actors. What show would it be?
For whatever reason, good, bad or ugly, that's.
(27:28):
A question I have no idea what show would I want to go on?
I'm not Breaking Bad maybe like The Sopranos.
(27:49):
Also might not be enjoyable but be cool to meet Tony Soprano in
real life. Yeah, might be a little, you
know, a little scary if you're hanging out.
I I mean, you talk about intimidating it.
Would be really scary but I guess that's what I'll go with
just because why not sure. Just yeah, just don't, don't
make too many waves there. There's where you don't swing
big. Yeah, there you go.
(28:10):
There you go. All right.
Well, thank you for your time and thank you for your work on
the series. Absolutely loved it and look
forward to seeing what you have to do next.
Thanks a lot. Thank you.
Appreciate it. Well, that wraps this episode.
Thank you so much for our guest Joe Curry, for sitting down on
the TV topics couch and discussing all of his work.
Be sure to watch Joe's work on Fargo streaming on Hulu and also
(28:33):
on Stranger Things, which is expecting to premiere its next
and final season sometime next year.
A shout out goes to Emily Ayu for our funky theme song and
also to our announcer, Kari Loya.
You can find him at kariloyavo.com.
It's in our profile. You can also follow me directly
on Twitter, Letterbox and Instagram, all at Film Store.
(28:54):
Thank you for listening and staytuned for more TV topics.
TV Topics is produced by StephenPrzekowski, ZAP.
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for TV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome back to TV TOPICS. I'm your host Steven
Prusikowski. Hanging out today on the TV
TOPICS couch is an actor who played keys, a software
developer who can't control his work, and free guy as Steve
(00:26):
Harrington. He fought the demagogue in and
battled the upside down, all while keeping his hair perfectly
intact in Stranger Things. And now he plays Gator Tillman,
the hard to like son of Jon Hamm's even tougher not to hate
Roy Tillman on Fargo. Of course, I'm talking about the
great Joe Curie. Welcome to TV TOPICS, Joe.
(00:47):
So thank you for doing this. I'm a I'm a big fan.
My daughters are bigger fans. It's close.
Tom, thank you. I, I will do so.
I really enjoyed your work on this series.
You know, it's Fargo's fantasticand this season is I, I honestly
think it's the best. I I feel pretty lucky to be a
part of such like a illustrious group of actors, obviously.
(01:10):
But then yeah, I was a fan of the show too, so.
We will jump into that in a bit,but I'm going to ask you a
couple of TV related questions first.
Sure. What was your your relationship
with TV growing up? Were you TV junkie?
More selective. Yeah, I mean, I was watching
cartoons and watch Pokémon, watching Yu-gi-oh, watching
(01:31):
SpongeBob, watching Even Stevens.
I don't know, I was watching like fun kids stuff.
And well, it doesn't. I don't really remember what I
was watching when I was a teenager, but the first like,
yeah, I'd say pretty casual, Casual TV watcher.
And what show makes you laugh most?
(01:52):
Or do you go to and you need to pick me up?
Maybe like Arrested Development,I love that show or Freaks and
Geeks love that show. Also The Office.
I was kind of like in high school when The Office was like
coming out and just I remember being like, Oh my gosh, this is
the funniest thing ever. It's great.
(02:12):
Yeah. I mean all all three are great.
Freaks and Geeks I think is one of the best you know, one season
shows ever. It's hard for me to even believe
it's one season because it seemslike it, it has so much more,
you know? Yeah, they cover so much of
their lives, you know, even it's, even if it's just a small
period of time, the that's a that's a very fast moving part
of life. Is there a character on TV that
(02:35):
you connect with most? It could be currently or someone
in the past, and it doesn't haveto be a good character.
It can just be somebody that youkind of get.
It's a great question. I love that show.
Dark. You see that show Dark?
Ever. I haven't seen it, but I know of
it. It's been recommended many
(02:56):
times. Yeah, I loved that show and that
main character. I was.
I thought he was so good. That's the one that I'm thinking
of right now, so I guess I'll gowith that.
And I'm sure that Fargo, becausethe cast you mentioned is was a
huge draw, but what else made you want to take on this
project? Oh, I mean, well, a lot of
(03:19):
things. I mean, working with Noah was
probably the biggest one. I just a fan of him, fan of the
show, fan of the movie. Obviously the cast.
But I I knew they were going to get a great cast.
This was before I really even knew who was in it.
I was sure they would get great people to be in it.
And it's just like a real a departure from anything else
(03:41):
that I had worked on. And you know, there's like a
sense of Greek tragedy in this season from for at least for my
for my character. So I I kind of like these kind
of classic themes and exploring them in this in this modern way.
So for it was an absolute no brainer and I'm just lucky that
(04:02):
it it all worked out. And, you know, they saw
something in my tape that they were like, OK, yeah, I think
that this guy could do it. So yeah.
Did you have any idea who you were going to be cast with?
Like who, who would you know, beplaying your father and etcetera
is. I think I knew that.
I think when I was auditioning, I knew John was going to play
the role, so I knew that. And maybe June, I think I know
(04:25):
Juno as well, but I didn't know anyone else.
Yeah, didn't know anyone else. But man, so lucky.
The cast at this year was so, sogood.
Everyone was such a pleasure to work with, and I feel like
that's one of Noah's real strengths is casting.
And I don't think anything has really happened by accident with
him. He's generally very, very on it.
So yeah, was honored. I think it's the type of series
(04:50):
that if they want you, you're pretty much going to take it
because who wouldn't want to work with the cast and the the
writing and and the vision of ofNoah?
Absolutely. And, you know, so Roy and Gator
are dysfunctional, to say the least.
What is it like working with a character who's always on egg
shells? Yeah.
(05:11):
I mean, yeah, he's just like there's kind of this negative
feedback loop going on between these two guys where he's
constantly seeking approval and like, because he's so nervous
and not receiving love, he's messing up.
And it's just creates this horrible, unfortunate downward
(05:31):
spiral spiral. But it also kind of is to me,
what I really liked about that was that like, you know, if this
guy, if you'd picked him up and put him in a different family
and maybe he was given a chance and given some love and some
support from his father. And like, maybe if his his
mother wasn't around, if he had a solid female figure in his
(05:53):
life, maybe this guy could have turned out differently.
And that's part of the tragedy. And that's core, I feel like to
understanding the character and something that you sort of put
together as the show goes on. It's not something maybe that's
apparent, but you know, we were kind of intentional with the
outer shell of this guy where, you know, with the hair and the
(06:15):
with the vape and the glasses and the tactical gear.
You kind of are like instantly like, I know this guy.
Oh my God. But then as it's sort of slowly
the show unfolds, you start to realize, like, man, it's kind of
like, not his fault, but also he's a horrible person and
making terrible decisions. You know, you're conflicted
(06:36):
about the character, and I was conflicted about the character,
honestly. And that's kind of a fun place
to live and. Do you create a back story for
him like beyond this? Because there's a lot on the
page, but. Yeah, there's a on the page.
I mean, there's certain like things about the back story with
the history and the timing, especially with Nadine dot dot
Nadine. And so there's certain things
(06:59):
that are like, OK, this is what happened, you know,
chronologically. But then there are other things
that I'll fill in or things, some things are important, some
things aren't for me personally.And it kind of just depends job
to job, you know, and just usingthe information that you need.
(07:19):
And how was it working with Johnin those scenes?
Is he intimidating or does he Does he turn it off quickly?
Yeah, I mean, he's also Jon Hamm, so I was nervous to work
with him 'cause I'm a fan and I think at least for the earlier
scenes, it's great. He but I mean, he can turn it
off and on really easily. He's very relaxed and he's
obviously such a professional. He's been doing this for a while
(07:41):
and but it was great that it wasJon.
I loved that it was Jon because he has this like gravitas about
him, you know, it's Jon Hamm. So it was kind of like for me, I
loved, Yeah. And I just love to work with.
He's also really giving too, as a as a performer and as an actor
and as just a friend too. So I loved working with him and
(08:03):
being around him. And it was, it was great.
Yeah. It was really great.
Learned a lot. Did he teach you anything?
Is there anything that you specifically that you learned
while working with him and you're you picked up?
Learn by example, I think reallylearning by example and how to,
I also think he's like really, he's really efficient too, which
(08:24):
I respect. You know, like sometimes a lot
of people, people can come in and have these kind of like kind
of large processes or like, you know, do all this stuff.
But he's like, he's there to work and he like does his thing
and like shows up and like and does it well.
And so I like really respect that too.
And everyone's process is different.
(08:46):
And part of my journey as an actor so far that I've loved is
I've been able to just kind of be a family on the wall for
people. And then, you know, like
Jennifer has a different process, or Juno has a different
process and Sam has a different process.
And it's like, cool to be like aho.
Maybe I'll try that this time. Or maybe I wonder if that would
work for me. So there's no right way to do
(09:10):
it. There's really no right way to
do it. There's a lot of different ways
and it's just kind of cool to see.
And with the character that has so many unattractive traits, was
there one that's most fun to play about him?
I just think, man, that's an awesome question is probably how
(09:30):
pathetic he is, but he doesn't think it's pathetic at all that
I love that. I love playing a guy who's just
like so weak and so lame and so like for somebody who's deepest
fear is to like, not be dumb or not appear like an idiot or be
(09:51):
stupid. He is so dumb and such an idiot
and so stupid. And so that's really fun to
play. Yeah, and then so he's like the
guy who the second who's, who's talking shit, he's got an
attitude. And the second he leaves a room,
everyone's like, yeah, but they let, they let him have it.
He doesn't know it, but. It's like his worst fear.
That's the thing that he fears the most in life, and it's the
(10:13):
thing that happens to him. And he's not sure.
And he's. Yeah, I, I I really like playing
that. That was great.
And then you have, you know, your relationship with Old Monk,
those episodes, you know, not really a relationship, but this
kind of like battle where he's, you know, you're you're putting
up puffing out your chest and like you're the you're the bad
guy because you know, you've gotthe power, you've got your dad
(10:33):
behind you. What was it like playing those
scenes? So fun.
Oh my gosh, Sam is so great. And like what an odd couple
these two guys are speaking completely different languages.
They are like could not be further from each other.
And I just love that the whole time Gator thinks that like he
(10:54):
he liked he this guy like he thinks he's totally in charge.
He's totally in the power position.
And I just love that it's like this, you know, mid 20s kind of
entitled sheriff's deputy versusthis like 500 year old Eastern
European like former surf peasant guy.
(11:16):
It's like it's so cool, honestly, it's so good.
And and also Sam was just like he clicks right on and he's
really like when we're working, we're working, we're really
working. And especially for that scene in
the ice shed, or I mean, that's like, that was some fun and
(11:37):
intense stuff. We we yeah, those are some fun
days. Yeah, I mean, the first time I
watched it, I didn't quite get it.
You know, I I got it and I was like, wait a second, is this, is
he really 500 years old? Like, what is going on here?
So playing against a character like that, that because you know
you're in the rest of the world,kind of exists as we know it,
(11:59):
and then you throw in this kind of supernatural element, how
does that affect the way you play 'cause I guess your
character doesn't get it? Yeah, not at all.
Yeah. I mean, I I it doesn't affect me
at all. I just think he's just another
schmuck who's like, you know, he's in our turf.
I don't care how old you are. I don't care what your job is.
Like, you're on our you're on our ground and like, this is our
(12:22):
domain, and this will be my domain one day.
So for me, it doesn't actually make any difference at all.
But it's so fun playing somebodywho's so confident but who has
no idea. Yeah.
Who has no idea? Yeah.
Eight percent, 8% and you have, you know, the episodes where you
have to be blinded. How much of a challenge was that
(12:42):
and and how did you approach it?Oh, it was a gift.
It's great. It's like a guy who's it's a
turtle who's gotten his shell ripped off.
You know, once he's been blindedand he's got this thing, it's
like every single thing that he built around him, all these like
superficial things that he, you know, used to puff out his chest
and make him seem this way. It's like his true nature is
(13:03):
revealed. And he's just like a little tiny
naked shaved rat now. And he's just like, and for me
being, you know, blindfolded, hewas great.
You don't know where the camera really is.
You're not doing it. You're only do it.
You're you can only be within yourself.
And for it, for doing these scenes and for working, like
(13:26):
those were some of my favorite bits.
And it was dirty. I mean, it was just like you're
knocking into stuff and it's real.
It's fun. It's like you kind of sometimes
when you read something, you're like, you don't, this happens
all the time with me. You don't realize, like I
remember there was a scene in Stranger Things where it's like
(13:47):
he's tied to a chair. Me and Maya were tied to chairs.
And I remember being like, oh, that'll be fun.
And then you'd show up and you're like, Oh my God, I want
to be tied to this chair for three days.
And then you're tied to a chair for three days.
And it's like, oh, this physically is actually informing
what's going on. I don't like being tied to this
chair. Same thing with this blindfold.
I didn't, I was like, oh, I'll be blindfolded.
That'd be cool. And then you actually put this
(14:08):
blindfold on. You're like, OK, I have to work
right now. We're we're like with, with this
on. It's when it kind of dawns on
you and you get into it. It's so helpful though, so I I
loved it. Anything like that is generally
really really helpful for me. So you were completely blinded.
Yeah, I mean, they made me something that if I wanted to,
if there was something like thatwas actually a danger or
(14:30):
something, I could like kind of see through it.
But generally I was just closingmy eyes, you know, 'cause I, I,
it, it helps. It really does help.
So, you know, kind of smack yourhead or, you know, you really
are feeling with your hands. So it's cool.
Well, I can imagine it because, you know, as soon as the lights
go out somewhere, like if it's in your house or wherever it is
and you're in total darkness, suddenly you become, you know,
(14:51):
it's that that sense is gone andyou're all hands and you're all
ears and everything else. And it changes you.
It really does change you. You feel like very vulnerable,
Very, very vulnerable. And I think like I felt very
vulnerable and the things that Ihad to say and the things that I
had to do, it's like I was really vulnerable.
And it's like this shell, it's been ripped off of Gator and
(15:13):
like no longer is he Mr. Tough Guy, but he is it revealed to be
what he has been all along, which is like a 12 year old boy
with no mom. To get into that a little bit
like, like others on this series, there's this character
with kind of pretty much an absence of love in his life,
terrible father, no mother. And then you have this moment
with dot toward the end. It's really beautiful where
(15:35):
there's compassion. What did that mean to you?
Like you know, in, in, through your character.
Like how did you process that? I saw it as well.
They have a very complicated relationship and she's maybe one
of the only people on the whole earth that really, truly
understands them. And he does have a good person
(15:55):
deep down somewhere inside of him.
And he has a compassionate side and he has a side that wants
love and sees love. But the love that he truly
wants, the thing that is a number one, is Dad's love and
Dad's approval. So nothing can come up against
that. So, you know, believing anything
(16:15):
else about life that hasn't beenkind of backed by his father
would shatter everything that hehas come to believe.
So he he cannot believe anythingelse and he has to go with his
dad until it's forcibly taken away from him.
So I saw it as, yeah, that thereis a little bit of good in him,
(16:38):
but he's too far down the rabbithole.
He's too twisted. He's been conditioned,
preconditioned too much to, you know, and manipulated by his
father to to be this way. So he really until the end, I
think, is kind of beyond saving until it's forcibly taken away.
(16:58):
And then at the end, you kind ofsee like, well, you know, the
show is about debt and what is awife or a husband?
What is a father or a son? What if, you know, societal
debt, spiritual debt with Monk or physical debt, you know, with
Jennifer's character and Gator pays his his debt, he pays his
(17:19):
dues with his eyes. And so now it's about like, OK,
you're starting from nothing. And maybe there's hope now.
I I like that because it is a hopeful ending for him.
And you know, the show, the lastscene in the show with Sam
coming up to the to the family at the end, that's also a
hopeful show. And it's about forgiveness.
(17:39):
And so although it is a show about absence of love and
darkness, it is like, but we canpersevere through this and we
can, I think that there's a very, it's an important way to
end the show and I'm glad that they did it that way.
Yeah, I, I mean, I think it was one of the most hopeful endings
I've ever seen. I I it gave me the chills
(17:59):
immediately. And I was like, and I watched it
again and I watched it again. I'm like, man, it hits probably
harder each time. It's it's so well done what it
has to say. Tom Bazooka, who directed that
last episode, I think that he did a really amazing job on that
scene. It's really amazing stuff, one
of one of my favorite ending scenes and ending shots of TV
(18:20):
I've ever watched. Yeah, I think so for me.
I think it's right up there. So would Gator be visiting his
father in prison? I don't think so.
I, yeah, I, I, I don't think so.I mean, I, I'll leave it for
everyone else to think what theythink.
Nobody really knows. So, but it would, I would be
(18:40):
hard pressed to believe it, but honestly, he could, I think, I
think the the important thing isthat he's starting from a place
of like he can make the decisioneither way, but he could do the
same exact thing, You know, he could just fall right back in.
Yeah. And that's, well, that's a
hopeful ending, though. If you think he didn't, that's
(19:01):
like that's what you want to hear.
He's moved on. And do you have a favorite
quality and a least favorite quality of Gator?
Oh man, like his entitlement is probably my least favorite.
Quality is just like sense of truly that he is above everyone.
(19:23):
That's like a horrible quality. I guess that he has love to give
deep down is probably a good thing.
Like if he was in the right situation, I think he could give
love, but it just is he's poisoned.
So yeah, it's a hard, hard lot. Hard lot for Gator men.
(19:48):
Yeah, it's it's a nurture of nature.
And I mean truly, he needs that nurture.
He needs. Is there one scene that you're
most proud of? I, you know, what scene that I
love that wasn't in the script at all was that I'm a winner
scene in the bedroom. That was like something that was
added really late in the process.
It was just something that Noah kind of thought up.
(20:08):
And we kind of, I think it was just like there was one line.
It was just like I'm a winner was at the end.
But then we were kind of like, what if he just like is saying
it over and over again? And yeah, just hats off to know
if you're thinking of such a cool thing, because that is like
his inner mantra, really. Is like convincing himself that
he is, you know, he's trying to hype himself up.
(20:30):
He's like, I am a winner, you know, and I and I just to to to
do that scene was like really fun.
And we, you know, did a couple different levels of it and yeah,
it just goes to show like when you really are connected to the
character and letting that drivewhat the show is all about.
Like let's add a scene that likereally is kind of embodying of
this whole character. It's like so cool that Noah just
(20:53):
added this thing. So yeah, that was really cool.
I was like a lover of also like film and cinema and TV to be
like, wow, this guy's like, you know, he's not he's he's always
creating. He's always allowing the process
to shift and change. He's not like, this is the
script. We're doing this and this is
done. It's always changing.
(21:14):
So that was a good lesson for meto learn.
That's great. Yeah.
It's got to make. It's got to make coming to set
every single day, you know, And there's no, there's no
sleepwalking. No, not at all.
None. And how about challenges?
I mean, it's, it's a role is kind of all over the place.
(21:34):
You know, there's some physical moments and then you have of
course, the blinding and, and all that, but and, and emotional
elements of, of this character. So what are you?
Is there something that was mostchallenging for you that maybe
you know, people would not automatically pick up on?
I don't know, I think just like taking a big swing is kind of
(21:54):
hard and like trusting yourself and every person and every actor
has things that they're good at,things that they're maybe not as
good at, you know, roles that maybe they're drawn to or roles
that they're not drawn to or things that they like to do or
just think that they don't, you know, these people, that these
people generally play a villain or these people will, you know,
(22:15):
generally do this or, you know, I like or like stunt stuff or.
And so this was like outside of my comfort zone in a couple of
ways, I think. And it's not something that I've
done before. And sometimes like, you just
have to have like a lot of belief in yourself and
self-confidence. And you don't always feel that
every day. Sometimes some days you're like,
what am I doing? Like, yeah, you know, is this
(22:38):
like, are people going to buy? Is anyone going to buy this?
And like, so it's it's yeah, I think that was the challenge for
me some days was really my own self belief and just making
taking risks and a good lesson and not being too stressed about
(22:59):
things. And just like trusting that, you
know, we're everyone's here, we're acting, we're doing this
job and like, yeah. So yeah, I think that that was
it for. Me.
Yeah. Well, it's great that you can
put the faith in yourself because, I mean, it sounds like
even you suffer from a little bit of imposter syndrome, or
maybe, you know, just this. Maybe not imposter syndrome, but
the doubt that everyone else does.
(23:19):
But you don't show it on screen.I've got the imposter syndrome.
I got, I got it too. I got it everywhere.
I think you kind of start to learn.
I think everybody has this and Idon't think it goes away.
So it's good to recognize that. And then maybe in a way
recognizing it and being like, well, now I can even just swing
bigger. Maybe now it's like, you know,
(23:41):
if I can, if I can, if I, yeah, I guess that's maybe where I've
kind of come to. It's like the bigger you go, you
know, you don't want to go abroad.
You always want to like lead with like truth and like, it's
got to be cut coming from a place of like, you know, what's
best for the character and what makes sense.
But like, yeah, maybe take big swings.
(24:03):
Those are my favorite movies to watch.
It's like the characters, actorswho are just taking massive
swings and like, like, I think of like, I don't know why this
popped up, but like Brad Pitt and Burn After Reading, like
when he's like doing all the dance, like those are some like
crazy choices that that guy's making that movie.
(24:24):
But it's amazing. It's so good for that character,
too. So, you know, yeah.
Feeling. Feeling confident enough to do
whatever you think is right. That's great because you could
be, you know, you know, you can hit singles, you can hit singles
all the time, but you know, get that bigger swing.
Maybe you're a double hitter, maybe you're a home run hitter.
And if you, you know, continue to do that, you know you're,
(24:44):
you're, you will, your imposter syndrome will be pushed down and
you'll go to the next level. Then you'll have it again, and
then you'll have it again, and. Yeah, I'm sure, I'm sure.
Yeah. I think it's something that
always kind of will come back. But yeah, you're right.
You're totally right. But it's wonderful to take those
big swings. So how about 3 words to describe
Gator? Poisoned turtle.
(25:21):
Try hard. I like it.
Poisoned Turtle's a good way to start.
Yeah, maybe try hard poison turtle.
Perfect. He could get the tattoo on his
arm. Yeah, you wouldn't see it, but
he does. Next.
To the Lol tattoo. So we'll close out with a few TV
questions. If you could have one more
(25:42):
season of any TV show and it could be a prequel season, it
could be in the middle of between existing seasons or a
follow up season with the same cast and everything, what would
it be? Freaks and geeks, let's go.
There you go. I'd say one more directly after
they did the first one. I just want one more of that
era, yeah. Yeah, that's, I mean, I watch
(26:03):
that show and it is kind of perfection and but I want more.
I, I, I mean, if it was 40 episodes long, I would have, it
would have been too short. I want more.
OK. And would you rather see Gator
show up in a season of Stranger Things or Steve Harrington show
up in a episode or in a season of Fargo?
That's. A funny question.
(26:25):
And you get to play it, of course.
Well, I've had my time playing. I've played a lot, a lot of
Steve, so I'll take Gator and Stranger Things.
That would be quite an odd combo.
I think that's funny. How well do you think he'd last
in in that world? He'd die.
He would die. Or Gator.
I, I, I hated him so much. And then by the end I was like,
(26:46):
man, once he was blinded I felt bad because I'm like, he doesn't
know his own sins. He's just so oblivious.
And then at the end, I was like,you know, really, really felt
bad for him, but a little bit hopeful that, well, he won't
have his sight. But there is a path for him.
There's a better path, yeah. Yeah, me too.
(27:07):
And. So one last one, you have a
magic door. You can walk in and out anytime
you want. Your your life stays intact.
So you can go in that door and anytime you want, you can show
up on one TV show and you can hang out with the characters,
but you know you are living in that show.
It's not the actors. What show would it be?
For whatever reason, good, bad or ugly, that's.
(27:28):
A question I have no idea what show would I want to go on?
I'm not Breaking Bad maybe like The Sopranos.
(27:49):
Also might not be enjoyable but be cool to meet Tony Soprano in
real life. Yeah, might be a little, you
know, a little scary if you're hanging out.
I I mean, you talk about intimidating it.
Would be really scary but I guess that's what I'll go with
just because why not sure. Just yeah, just don't, don't
make too many waves there. There's where you don't swing
big. Yeah, there you go.
(28:10):
There you go. All right.
Well, thank you for your time and thank you for your work on
the series. Absolutely loved it and look
forward to seeing what you have to do next.
Thanks a lot. Thank you.
Appreciate it. Well, that wraps this episode.
Thank you so much for our guest Joe Curry, for sitting down on
the TV topics couch and discussing all of his work.
Be sure to watch Joe's work on Fargo streaming on Hulu and also
(28:33):
on Stranger Things, which is expecting to premiere its next
and final season sometime next year.
A shout out goes to Emily Ayu for our funky theme song and
also to our announcer, Kari Loya.
You can find him at kariloyavo.com.
It's in our profile. You can also follow me directly
on Twitter, Letterbox and Instagram, all at Film Store.
(28:54):
Thank you for listening and staytuned for more TV topics.
TV Topics is produced by StephenPrzekowski, ZAP.
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