As shooting in Rhode Island continues, AMC offers a first glimpse into mysterious new show ‘NOS4R2’
A supernatural horror TV show slated to premiere on AMC next summer has Rhode Island in a starring role.
“NOS4A2,” a program based on the novel of the same name by Joe Hill, was picked up for 10 one-hour episodes and will film in Rhode Island through January. The story centers on Vic McQueen, played by Ashleigh Cummings, a young woman with the talent of locating lost things. Her journey brings her to the “evil and immortal” Charlie Manx, portrayed by Zachary Quinto. “NOS4A2” has been shooting across the Ocean State, from Woonsocket to Hope Valley, but houses its operations in Quonset.
The show also stars Jahkara Smith, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Virginia Kull and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Lauren Corrao, a Rhode Island native and Brown graduate, told a press junket last week that she brought the book to AMC, searching for the ideal show-runner. She found Jami O’Brien, who lauded the cast and crew as “phenomenal.”
“I view my job as, I answer questions for them and I help kind of facilitate collaboration and I try to support them where I can and to keep explaining to them what I think the show is,” O’Brien said. “Because it’s got a complicated mythology.”
Both Corrao and O’Brien
spoke with the press after the conclusion of a set tour, along with co-executive producer Tom Brady and Smith.
O’Brien, who grew up in Billerica, said that she sent the pilot script to Hill and noted that he has been nothing but helpful and supportive. Hill, who is the son of legendary horror writer Stephen King, has even visited the set and provided some ideas of his own.
“I wrote the script, sent it to him and he very kindly has just mostly been a cheerleader since then,” O’Brien said. “He did come to set. Whenever he’s around he gives his thoughts, which is always welcome. He’s mostly just been an enthusiastic, ‘I’m so glad you guys are doing this’ kind of voice, which has been great.”
Smith, who portrayed librarian Maggie Leigh on the show, was a shoe-in for her role. Her character possesses a mysterious Scrabble bag, and she grew up playing that board game among others. Her character also has a stutter, which Smith also had growing up before going to speech therapy.
She said she got “very lucky” in the casting process because she relates to her character.
“I love books and I spent hours upon hours in libraries when I was a little kid, but I think there’s a lot more to Maggie than initially meets the eye and we’re lucky enough to have a show runner that was interested in that and wanted to explore that,” Smith said. “So there’s a lot more to her than she’s willing to present at first glance, which I can relate to.”
Smith’s first acting role turned out to be serendipitous. She joined the Air Force when she was 17 years old and signed on for four years. Once her four years were up, she didn’t know whether she wanted to continue, go to school or pursue another direction.
Thankfully for her, O’Brien had seen a viral YouTube video she posted called Contouring 101. O’Brien said Smith has a collection of “whipsmart satirical, hysterically funny feminist” videos that brought her to her attention. It popped up on O’Brien’s Facebook feed, and she knew she had to have Smith in the show.
“I was blown away by it,” O’Brien said “So I was like, ‘I just want to meet this girl. Can we audition her?’ Our casting director, who is amazing and who I trust very deeply, [I said] ‘I just like her, do you think I’m crazy?’ And the casting director watched the videos and was like,’ Nope, she’s got it. Let’s bring her in.’ And here we are.”
She noted that the casting couldn’t have come at a better time.
“This sort of really fell into my lap,” Smith said. “The biggest blessing. And I was like, ‘All right, I guess we’re doing this!’ Then they were like, ‘You’re going to be on TV.’ And I was like, ‘OK!’”