Nine Perfect Strangers, which premiered on Hulu August 18, is a drama about how the desire to heal from heartbreak can sometimes lead humans down a dangerous path. No one embodies that more than the Marconi family, headed by patriarch Napoleon (Michael Shannon).
Based on the novel by Big Little Lies’ Liane Moriarty, the story follows nine people who enter a wellness center at the same time to seek refuge from their emotional turmoil. Shannon spoke to Screen Rant about how connected he feels to his character and how he hopes to reach audiences through this role.
Screen Rant: Can you talk to me about why the Marconis ended up in Tranquillum and headed to see Masha (Nicole Kidman)?
Michael Shannon: The Marconis consist of Napoleon, Heather [Asher Keddie], and Zoe [Grace Van Patten]. Napoleon and Heather are married; Zoe's our daughter. And Zoe used to have a brother named Zach, but Zach, unfortunately, committed suicide. And it's something that the family has been struggling to deal with ever since. They've tried everything under the sun to get over it, and now they're going to give Tranquillum a shot.
Napoleon is the most optimistic member of the family, at least on the surface, but he's masking a lot of pain there. Can you talk about what attracted you to the character of Napoleon and what you wanted to bring to the role?
Michael Shannon: I feel like it's not an opportunity that I've gotten before, really, to play this kind of person. I loved Napoleon's humor and his heart, and the sense that he wasn't willing to just give up in the face of tremendous pain and trauma; that he was a fighter.
I was very moved by him, so I thought it was a great responsibility to try and get it right. Because there [are] a lot of people that have actually gone through this in their real life, and I hope that when and if they watch the show, they'll feel like we treated this subject with the dignity and the sophistication that it deserves. And that maybe it's cathartic somehow for them.
Episode 4 literally brought me to tears. Can you talk a little bit about the relationship that Napoleon has with his wife, Heather, played brilliantly by Asher Keddie?
Michael Shannon: It's always a daunting prospect to meet a total stranger and say, "Okay, you're my wife. I'm your husband. We have two kids, and one of them is dead. Let's go." It's kind of being shot out of a cannon into a wall.
My first day on set, it was just Asher and myself doing a scene where we're talking in our room, and we were both terrified. But Jonathan [Levine] is such a wonderful director, and he's so warm and friendly and patient. He just gave us the time we needed to wade into the pool, as it were. And lo and behold, a month later, we're busting each other's chops like we've been married for 20 years.
I don't know how it happens. I think it's just a mutual sense of desperation to make it materialize, and the fact that it's so important to us. A lot of these experiences and feelings are things that reside in everybody's consciousness, so if you just get out of your own way, they'll come to the surface.
New episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers premiere Wednesdays on Hulu.