Daniels draws on small-town past for ‘American Rust’ role
For many years, Jeff Daniels was known for his roles in movies like “Dumb and Dumber,” “The Squid and the Whale,” “Fly Away Home” and “Pleasantville.” But all that changed because of the late actor James Gandolfini.
“Jim Gandolfini made it happen,” says Daniels. “‘The Sopranos’ (in which Gandolfini starred) changed television, as did HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon. All of a sudden, you’ve got all these other places to go . ... It’s not TV versus movies.”
Television used to be regarded as an inferior art, says Daniels. “Back in the days of Redford and Hoffman and De Niro, you didn’t lower yourself (to TV). And I’ve always done TV. I thought that’s where I’d end up. I never thought I’d last in the movies. And then to get to do things like ‘Newsroom’ and ‘Looming Tower,’ with Bill Camp, who went on to do ‘Queen’s Gambit.’ I don’t know that Bill or I would get the roles that we would get if it weren’t for places like Showtime and others. That’s where all the writers went.”
As the demand for original material increased with cable and all the new streamers, writers did flee to TV. Among them is Dan Futterman, known for his award-winning screenplay for the movie “Capote.” He has transposed his writing talents to the Showtime series debuting Sept. 12, “American Rust,” based on Philipp Meyer’s novel and starring Daniels.
TV is far less indulgent than movies, Daniels said. “Television doesn’t allow you to do 10 takes so you can feel good and warmed up,” he says.
“… In television, you get one or two takes. You can either be scared of that and fight it, or you can figure out a way to embrace it. And so ‘Newsroom’ taught me: Know it, and know what you’re going to do with it, and then be open to what your partner is going to do, and then react.”
Television offers the actor far more breadth, he thinks. “Yeah, maybe you have to do it more quickly. And we’ve developed an acting style on ‘American Rust’ that embraces that versus being frightened of it. I think it’s great. I think it’s the Wild West, and it’s led by the writers. And I couldn’t be happier because it has kept me in this business, being able to challenge myself like I’ve been able to from ‘Newsroom’ on. And that happens to be because of the influx of cable networks that want writing, want story.”
In “American Rust” Daniels plays a police chief in a small decaying town in the Rust Belt. He’s torn between his duty as a cop and his feelings for a woman whose son might be implicated in a crime.
“A lot of what we’re going for in this is real people, they’re good, and they’re bad, they’re strong, and they’re weak,” he says. “Just like people in real life. This is less of a Hollywood-polished
version of southwest Pennsylvania and more of this cast trying to blend in and become one of them.”
Daniels grew up in a small town and knows the turf. “I grew up working class. I worked at my dad’s lumber company. I drove a truck during the summers. I unloaded stuff,” he says.
“That’s what I did. And I knew these guys. I am one of these guys. I am from a small town. And I know how this kind of isolates you, that kind of provincial ‘This is our whole world. We know there’s another world out there, but this is the only one we live in and care about,’ ” he said.
“So, I knew that kind of claustrophobic kind of small-town thing. And I knew that sometimes these folks are considered less, inferior, not as smart as those on the coasts. And, you know, we feel it.
“I know I did as a young actor going to New York with a chip on my shoulder, going ‘Well, I’ll show the guys from Juilliard and drama school and RADA. I’ll show them!’ And we feel that. So I knew these guys.”
Showtime will make the premiere episode of “American Rust” available for free on streaming platforms and on demand.