Netflix’s The Politician will draw yuge crowds, with very fine viewers on both sides.
Star Ben Platt talks us through the cast of characters in Ryan Murphy’s outrageous new drama
“IT’S ABOUT an arguably sociopathic kid who is very egomaniacal.” That’s how actor Ben Platt, star of The Politician, describes the latest addition to the list of groundbreaking shows from creators and producers Ryan Murphy and Bard Falchuk.
Platt plays the massively precocious and extremely driven Payton Hobart, who at a very early age decided he was going to be President of the United States and drew up a life-plan to get him to the White House — which he plans on sticking to, no matter what. And when we first meet him, he’s ferociously campaigning to be become President of senior class in high school, aided by his two hugely geeky mates who are constantly checking social media and algorithms to see how Payton’s doing . With a whip-smart, seriously funny script, a stellar cast and plenty of the brilliant bonkersness that viewers have come to expect from Murphy and Falchuk, The Politician looks set to be another sure-fire hit for Netflix.
Here, Platt talks us through the show’s main characters — including, of course, his own — and tells us what he thinks of his co-stars.
BEN PLATT PAYTON HOBART
“He’s very ambitious, very self-serving, and wildly intelligent, probably beyond the realms of his years. He has this warm and close relationship with his mother, who I think he trusts above all others. He doesn’t really know to connect with anyone but himself, and he struggles to deal with any feelings to do with other people. He wears great outfits as well.”
GWYNETH PALTROW PAYTON’S MUM, GEORGINA
“Georgina is the ultimate glamorous, worldly mother who loves to give back. She’s trapped in this cold marriage and cold life, even though she’s got this empathy and warmth. She is the only one that sees the good in Payton — well, all the good that there is. The reason that we get to see him as a human being is because of the way that she treats him, and the way that she loves him. Obviously his ambition and what he is willing to do to get ahead is quite
frightening to her, and she tries to rein it in. It’s a very self-aware performance from Gwyneth.”
JESSICA LANGE ROSE “DUSTY” JACKSON
“She’s the grandmother of Infinity, who Payton is trying to convince to be his running mate. She’s someone who knows what she wants, and is trying to make a life for herself and Infinity. Jessica Lange is an absolute genius and a brilliant comedian, which is something we don’t always get to see because she’s such an amazing dramatic actress. I’m excited that she’s so hilarious. She’s just incredible.”
ZOEY DEUTCH INFINITY JACKSON
“Infinity’s been sick [with cancer] from such an early age and she’s missed parts of growing up. She’s very optimistic and a lot more of an open book than Payton is. It’s part of the reason he wants her to be his running mate because she can be completely transparent in the way that he’s unable to be. And Zoey is very, very brilliant and I’m so happy she did the show.”
LUCY BOYNTON ASTRID, PAYTON’S OPPONENT
“She’s almost as ambitious as Payton, she’s a really worthy adversary and she’s out to prove – particularly to her father [played by Dylan Mcdermott] how powerful and self-sufficient she is. She feels a great deal of pressure to retain her coldness, and, like Payton, struggles with empathy.”
TREVOR AND TREY EASON PAYTON’S TWIN BROTHERS MARTIN AND LUTHER
“They are like the ultimate male power duo who are entitled and privileged. They’re like, “Just by showing up and looking this good we should get what we want.” They’re a fire under Payton’s butt and an amazing motivation for him because he has intelligence and works hard, and they just get everything, even if they don’t deserve it. They’re deliciously terrible.”