CHRIS EVANS & MICHELLE DOCKERY ‘WE BONDED SO QUICKLY’
The Defending Jacob stars talk about their new TV drama and finding that ‘blinding’ kind of love
When their son is accused of murder, his parents will do anything to protect him. That’s the central premise of Apple TV+’S new thrilling show, Defending Jacob.
The stars of the series, Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery, both 38, discuss why the story had to be told and how their own experiences of parenthood helped fuel their performances.
Chris, do you have to fight for roles like this now? Are you surprised by the amount of really complex characters you’ve been able to play at the same time as you’re playing superheroes?
I’m a little more mercurial by nature and I kind of take my time, so it’s always felt like when I felt the impetus to work, luckily there was a piece of material that fit my creative appetite.
What was it about this series that really impressed you?
CHRIS: It was a project that I had read while I was working on something in New York, and I just kinda kept coming back to it. It’s the type of thing that, you know, those projects that stick in your head for some reason. And my meetings with Morten [Tyldum, the director] and Mark [Bomback, the screenwriter] were always so fantastic. Every time I left one of those meetings I was more encouraged, more excited. Eventually it just kind of felt like I had to do it.
Michelle, what do you like about this role?
For me, it always starts with the writing, and I was hooked the minute I started reading these scripts and I was really drawn to it.
So what hooked you?
MICHELLE: I mean the story itself, initially. I mean I love this type of genre, and what I loved so much about Defending Jacob is that actually it becomes so much more about the characters. It’s not about the mystery of who did it so much as it’s a real kind of exploration into how would you respond as a parent. Certainly for me playing Laurie, that was what I was really drawn... to tapping into how you would react as a parent and what lengths you would go to, to protect your child.
What qualities do you share with Laurie? Are you that fierce mother bear kind of character in real life?
MICHELLE: I was drawn to her because she’s very different from any other character that I’ve played. I love her journey throughout the story. Without giving too much away, I think that was something that really intrigued me from the start. You know, I like doing accents, so I liked playing another American.
I imagine your ideas of parenting come from watching people around you in your life. What’s it like to imagine yourselves as parents of a 16-year-old?
MICHELLE: Like with any role, you have to immerse yourself in the character and, like you say, you kind of observe others. I felt like it was very easy for us to sort of become a family on set. We all had a really lovely time together, in spite of the intensity of the subject matter. I feel like we bonded very quickly, and I think that comes across on screen. And I think like what you were saying, you really believe that we are a family.
CHRIS: It was the first time
I’ve been able to play a parent and I loved it.
I think there’s body language there, there are postures, there’s so many things that – at least I drew from my own childhood of what a dad looks and feels like. I think being a parent, I would imagine, unlocks depths of love that you didn’t know you were capable of. And I think that only raises the stakes and makes things more interesting. So for me, it was a fun place to start off that kind of blinding love at times, and how far you would go to keep it pure.