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Interrogation scenes are central to NetflixsMindhunter,a series structured around the interviews conducted with convicted serial killers.
(Note: Some minorMindhunterspoilers lie ahead.)
And thats saying a lot because we have a lot of powerful scenes.
Obviously the stuff with Manson is very powerful.
The stuff with [David] Berkowitz is fascinating, too.
Its an embarrassment of riches in many ways onMindhunter.
I had watched Kevin Brights interview, the real Kevin, when he spoke at Dennis Raders sentencing.
[Rader was eventually identified as the BTK killer and pleaded guilty to ten counts of first-degree murder.
He is currently serving ten consecutive life sentences in prison.]
I was so astonished because he really felt so much like that character.
You canlook it up on YouTube.
That particular scene is a good example of that.
For me as an actor, the scene posed certain, specific challenges.
So much of what we understand about our environment and the people in it comes from visual cues.
When you dont have that, you have to rely on other things.
And trying to learn as much and ascertain as much and process as much from that as I can.
I noticed in that scene that Bill isnt really taking notes, which he normally does.
He had already been interviewed multiple times, right?
So what Im really looking for is anything new, anything that I havent read before.
It would be different if it was the first time that he was being debriefed.
But if I had, my strong instinct is that David would have asked me to put it aside.
As you know better than I, Mr. Fincher is known for doing a lot of takes.
How many takes of this scene did you do?Oh my God.
Many, many, many, many, many.
David likes to do these things properly, so youre not breaking it up in pieces.
Youre doing the whole scene every single time.
It does require a lot of concentration.
You want to verify that youre super-prepared.
But this is whats so exciting about working for him.
Its because he really cares about the work.
I mean, guys get one or two [takes] that they like and they move on.
As an actor, you’re able to sometimes say, Hey, can I get one more?
But you cant ask for more than one more.
Im the one more guy.
But you cant say, Hey, can I get ten more?
Because Im used to working with Fincher and I dont think you have it.
I would imagine that youre discovering different things the longer that you work on the scene.That is absolutely correct.
It becomes more relaxed, and it becomes more real.
Thats a big part of doing it.
Which is not to say that were improvising.
Thats a very different thing.
Because David likes things to be very precise.
So we do an extensive rehearsal and in that rehearsal youre allowed to ask questions.
Youre allowed to present ideas.
How would it be if I did this kind of thing, right?
But once something has been set in rehearsal, then thats it.
But you see, that doesnt mean that what youre describing wont occur.
Because you will continue to understand certain things.
To realize, you know, that there may be a more subtle way of playing a particular moment.
A more interesting way of processing a certain piece of information.
Whats striking about this scene with Kevin is that Bill is such a paternal figure.
Hes asking really good questions, but hes very gentle with him.
Bill is absolutely haunted by that kind of self-doubt.
And what I sense in Kevin is this deep regret that he might have done more.
That his sister would still be alive if he had only fought harder, you know what I mean?
If he had only understood how to operate the gun.
That hell spend his life playing over and over that day in his mind.
But you did the best that you could and thats all that any man can do.
Youre right, there is a paternal aspect to it.
And then the other thing is, of course, that the scene is exceptionally well written.
What theyre exploring is the confrontation of two opposing ideologies.
Two different philosophies of life, two different worldviews.
And this is something that really interests David.
And very adept at having an instinctual understanding of somebody and their psychology and their weaknesses.
How did you collectively decide that this was the moment?What did I say about Kevin Bright?
So I leave the room.
Because Im afraid of what I might do if I stay.
