We’re talking ‘Preacher’
AMC offers up a quirky mix of horror, sci-fi, comedy and plenty of gore
A popular quasi-biblical passage from the Book of Tarantino states that “the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.” Whether West Texas pastor Jesse Custer is righteous or not, walking in the steps of a conflicted man of God is a challenge for Preacher’s Dominic Cooper.
Playing a man possessed by a powerful entity that allows him to command people and let his repressed darker side loose, Cooper figures he’d struggle mightily. “He’s truly from his heart trying to do the right thing, and that desire to right the wrongs of his past is who he is.”
Best known as a movie star ( The Devil’s Double, Warcraft), the British actor, 37, has his biggest small-screen role in AMC’s
Preacher (Sunday, 10 p.m. ET/ PT). Custer, the title character, returns to his hometown, Annville, to honor a promise made as a child to lead his dad’s former church, though he has a hard time getting past his vices and the bad influence of his rule-breaking love, Tulip (Ruth Negga).
“Everyone’s telling him he’s not as good as his father, he’ll never be the man his father was,” Cooper says. “It’s a barrage of abuse and he’s not very good at it, which is why, when this entity turns up and he thinks that maybe for a moment there’s a glimmer of hope and he might be the chosen one, he tries his hardest to do what he thinks is best. But unfortunately it’s not the thing he thought it was.”
That inner conflict is what makes Cooper’s Jesse such an enjoyable if unconventional hero, says executive producer Seth Rogen. “He loves doing bad things and is truly at peace when he is engaged in some sort of disruptive activity.”
Adds executive producer Evan Goldberg: “Through all the movies we’ve done, I’ve never seen someone have to untangle a Gordian knot like Dominic did with that character.”
Cooper revels in the little details he’s able to include with his performance. In Sunday’s premiere, Jesse gets into a bonebreaking bar fight with one of his more imposing churchgoers and, after trying to turn the other cheek, wears a sly smile as he clocks the guy.
That moment “is a real distinctive clear representation of what he really is and what he really enjoys,” Cooper says. “That’s the addict in him who’s been suppressing this desire to do what he loves most, which is to get revenge on this revolting person the best way he knows how.”
So, is Jesse a good and righteous man? Ultimately, yes, he says, after a long pause.
“His childhood was awful and he lost his way. He would have been a wonderful man had he had the love and care and nurturing of a good family. He has huge regrets and mistakes have been made along the way, but he’s really trying.”