Hamish Linklater, who portrays Father Paul in Netflix's Midnight Mass, reveals the scene from the series that he finds the scariest. Midnight Mass was written and directed by Mike Flanagan who is best known for films like Doctor Sleep and Oculus, but has also had a long-standing relationship with Netflix that has seen success in The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Midnight Mass stars Flanagan's wife and regular collaborator, Kate Siegel, and an ensemble cast featuring Zach Gilford, Rahul Kohli, Annabeth Gish, Michael Trucco, and Henry Thomas.
The plot of Midnight Mass focuses on an isolated community living on Crockett Island. After the arrival of Linklater's charismatic Father Paul, miraculous events begin to occur, which draws the community deeper into their religious beliefs before the underlying horror creeps its way to the surface. The series features numerous scenes meant to horrify and shock audiences, but those scenes can also be intense for the actors involved, even when the terror stems from more dramatic moments.
In a recent interview with Vulture, Linklater was asked about a scene that featured a turning point for his character. While elaborating on the scene in question, Linklater revealed what he found to be the most terrifying scene for him. The scene Linklater mentions features the town's Sheriff and his son, Ali, who are the only Muslim characters. It comes at a point in the story where Ali rejects his father's beliefs in favor of Catholicism and the miracles he's witnessed. While that may not be the most visually jarring scene, as Linklater put it, "that's real horror." Check out Linklater's comments below:
"I do cry a lot in my life but I don’t actually cry easily as an actor. But when I, Hamish, was reading these scripts and I got to that part with the Sheriff and his son, I was like, oh my God, of course, inevitably, it has to come to this point of what this series has to do. It’s telling this story. That’s real horror — the son rejecting his father’s faith."
Given that Midnight Mass is a horror-themed show with some truly scary moments, it may come as a surprise that Linklater mentions a more dramatic scene as being terrifying. However, Midnight Mass is also a profound examination of religion and the pitfalls that can come about because of blind faith. Therefore, a scene that features a son rejecting the religion he was raised with his whole life for miracles he's only experienced over a few days speaks to the core of the true horror on display throughout the series. Audiences may point to scenes like Riley and Erin on the boat, or even the actual midnight mass from the end of the series, as being more horrific, and from a violence standpoint, that argument would stand firm. However, Midnight Mass postulates deep questions about faith and the practices that coincide with it, and in that regard, Linklater's opinion also carries weight.
Linklater's performance as Father Paul has been praised for his engaging and energetic sermons that are riddled with subtext. Still, he's also responsible for the atrocities that occur, making for a complex character that adds to the overall nature of the horror Linklater discussed. While there are currently no plans for a follow-up to Midnight Mass, Linklater's performance may stand as a career-best. For those looking to check out Midnight Mass, it's currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: Vulture