In television they ‘Trust’
FX Networks’ 10-part series “Trust” premieres Sunday. Donald Suther
land, star. Danny Boyle, director. Simon Beau
foy, writer. “Trust” reprises 1973’s kidnapping of the grandson of superrich J. Paul Getty.
Sutherland: “I play Grampa Getty. I read the book about him. I’ve read his ’76 obit. I’ve seen all the family’s historic houses in LA and England.
The man was brilliant. He learned six languages. He even learned Arabic in order to deal with Ibn Saud. And he had at least 14 grandchildren.
“Not known to everyone is that the story deals with this one grandson who, with two girlfriends, actually set up his own kidnapping. He then disappeared but, forgetting he’s kidnapped, kept showing up places. Things next went wrong.
“See, when I made ‘Fellini’s Casanova’ in Venice in the ’70s our team placed a bag over my head so I wasn’t identifiable. That was because of the Mafia. They were throughout Italy in those days, and it was these rough guys who then took over the Getty kid’s kidnap caper.
“Thinking it a scam, Getty believed if he gave in, he’d put his whole family at risk. He f inally went to Rome and negotiated the release for 5 million.”
OK, so coming back to today’s reality, when did Sutherland arrive in New York?
“Just. I landed, ate, brushed my teeth, changed clothes, sent stuff to be pressed, put on a dark suit and came to this screening. I rarely watch my movies. The way they get cut up upsets me.”
He unfortunately remembered I once reported his junky fur jacket as “roadkill.” This time, we hugged. So now I’m making it up to him. His coat was supercashmere. Softer than a baby’s behind.
Boyle, “Slumdog Mil- lionaire” Oscar winner and director for Daniel
Craig’s next 007 job, since he always read Ian Fleming and bonded with Bond as a kid: “But of all my films and everything, the actors on this series are the best I’ve ever directed. And Sutherland’s the most brilliant actor I ever worked with.”
After this pronouncement, Sutherland’s bright red socks walked away. Then: “This series is about a family with staggering wealth. The project drew me because you watch it the same way you can’t tear your eyes from a car crash.
“The story’s uniquely suited to TV. Because it’s about families. Family relationships. And television is what’s watched by families. “I tried doing this with utmost respect to the family given whatever actual facts are known. Some bits you simply have to imag
ine. “The clan being heir to the Getty oil fortune, one great scene we did was on an oil rig.”