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I didnt go to high school in Des Moines, but I went to undergrad in Des Moines.
Which instruments?I started on the cymbals and I graduated to the glockenspiel.
But you didnt tell the Kings about that?No!
I dont know where it all came from.
The next time I see them, I should ask them.
It cant be an accident that they chose Iowa.
Like a lot of the supernatural stuff inEvil, it could be imaginary or it could be totally real.
Thats his shrink and hes impatient with his shrink.
Hes tired of being pushed and prodded and told to do things.
Hes like a kid.
Its like, Yeah, okay mom.
Except, in this case, it gives the impression of Satan.
We have the impression that he had great powers and that he was maybe the evil genius behind everything.
To find out that hes not even that high on some infernal pecking order, its delicious.
Even when you agree to work with the devil, you still dont get any respect.
Did you know the Kings well coming intoEvil?I had met them, of course.
They said, We have this script; wed like you to read it.
I read it and I liked it and that was it.
That was how hard it was to sign me up, because theyre the Kings.
Nothing trite or predictable about it.
You get John Glover and you get Darren Pettie and Jayne Houdyshell.
He was really good.
He was really professional and well prepared.
Hes quite young, but man, you havent heard the last of him.
To me, that was the most villainous and unforgivable thing that Leland did this season.
We had a good conversation about that and there were some little changes of tone.
What kinds of changes?Just some language.
Were relieved to have a chance to talk to you and get your perspective on it.
It turned out to be a good conversation.
If you tackle certain themes that are very topical, youre a little bit playing with fire.
you could be misunderstood.
To them, Michael Emerson didnt exist.
Only the character existed and there he was walking the streets of New York City.
So yes, I do think about those things.
People would cross the street in Honolulu to tell me how much they hated me.
Some people would tell me that I had ruined the show, as if I had written it.
We liked it when it was likeSurvivor.
We dont want all this meanness and danger!
I would be loath to play a character who was a racist agitator.
I dont want those words to come out of my mouth.
I think evil is like a potentiality in the human brain.
We can lose track of our better natures and do perhaps unthinkable things.
Although, I do think about ghosts and aliens.
Its like the mere discussion of it in the show has brought it into play in my own mind.
