Damson Idris OF ‘SNOWFALL’ ON FX

Did the layoff from the pandemic make for challenges getting back into the character when filming resumed?

Well the fortunate thing is because of the pandemic and the situation we’ve all been in, I wasn’t able to go off and do another role so I actually just stayed in it, which I’m sure other actors wouldn’t recommend you do. And given the stuff that Franklin goes through this season, you shouldn’t do. But I just thought it’d be helpful and because we were in such a limbo, I never really knew when we’d be specifically going back so I just stayed in it, stayed in the headspace.

Franklin has this horrible limp this season because he’s been shot three times. The whole season I was walking with a cane and I tried to walk with a cane at home (laughs) but I lost it in about a month. I was like, “I can’t do this for a year, man.” ... But yeah, just staying in the headspace really got me in tune to coming back and it kept me excited to finish the job that we started.

What’s been your favorite part of playing this character?

When you play characters who are drug dealers and criminals, you look at some of the characters in “The Wire,” “The Sopranos,” “Breaking Bad,” the general consensus is that these are bad guys, psychotic guys who have no soul and will blow someone’s brains out without even thinking about it.

The exciting thing about Franklin is when we first meet him, he’s a relatable kid who has similar interests to any kid. And throughout the seasons, his soul is being chipped away so the exciting thing is to just go on that journey, to really feel remorseful and identify with some of the actions that he has to take. And maybe he does something horrible but he doesn’t want to do it or he wishes he wasn’t doing it. I think that’s the interesting side and that’s what separates Franklin.