“We learned a lot on This Is Us about trafficking in flashback,” Rabbit Hole co-showrunner and executive producer Glenn Ficarra revealed during a TCA panel for the new Paramount+ espionage thriller. While the show is a tonal departure from This Is Us, viewers are given relevant backstories for the characters in each of the eight episodes, which premieres today. “Often, we would write the past just to understand our characters. But in this, it's a very real and important part of it, because we're seeing a story unfold in the past, or several stories unfold in the past, that lead to this moment and they inform that moment. And some of them are very critical to John Weir's character and how he is the person he is. I find it a fun challenge in the writing, directing, and editorially.”
(Randy Shropshire/Getty Images/Paramount+)
The cast is headlined by 24 star Kiefer Sutherland, born out of his interest in tackling another TV series. “The character was as interesting to me as the overall idea,” Kiefer explained about his role as John Weir, a corporate espionage operative who spreads disinformation for a living, only to find himself a target when he is framed for murder. “We are living in a world that, not since Pulitzer and Hearst went at each other over the dominance of North American journalism (and Hearst obviously won), have we had the level of misinformation and disinformation. And by disinformation, I mean misinformation on purpose in our society. It's a perfect storm of technology and people working for not the best interests of the greater good but for themselves and people's willingness to want to belong. People have been kind of estranged from each other for so long. The pandemic didn't help. Loneliness plays a huge part in this. And I think all of these things have converged on our society at the same time. They've gripped young people and old people alike and have created a news cycle that's catering information to what your wants are, to what you want to hear, to what your desires are… We have information coming at us from so many different areas. The idea of being able to be a part of a show that was examining that in a real way and an entertaining way was very exciting. And to be able to play the character that was using this to manipulate other people and have it finally be turned on him, you can't ask for more as an actor.”
“It's a smart show and that's really fun to be part of,” shared Meta Golding, who plays Hailey Winston, a character with something to hide. “When I read the first script, I didn't know what was going to happen next. So that's exciting, as an actor, to not know what's next. But it's also great because as an actor, you can be doing a scene and just be playing the subtext, or having a secret is so delicious.” The physicality of the role required a lot of preparation for Meta, including learning Krav Maga, but she also got some tips from her costar. “Having my partner being Kiefer, he's sort of an icon of action, was super helpful because he'd be, like, ‘No, do it this way…’ But it was fun.”
While Meta learned a martial art for the role, Rob Yang learned the art of “trunk acting” as Edward Homm. “It's my best acting,” Rob joked. “When [I] was shut up and then my hands were bound.” But in all seriousness, viewers will find Edward to be the most relatable character in Rabbit Hole. “He's the outsider, so he's somewhat of a stand-in for the audience, so I'm not an expert in the spy game or anything. I just had to sit there as an actor with a character. There's a part of Ed that doesn't believe this is happening… I met everybody doing this show, so, in a way, it was like Ed and myself getting to know Kiefer and Meta in the scenes, as the character too. I was very much a doe-eyed young pup trying to keep up and not get a cramp in my calf.”
“Jo Madi is such a great part because she's so smart and also so ambitious, and she's a mom, which, I think, is a really fun thing about the show,” Enid Graham shared about her character. “And she doesn't take no for an answer. She's not afraid to break a few rules, so then the question is how many rules is she going to break? [She’s] straightforward in a way, but we'll see. And it's always fun to play all those layers and levels, to be a ball-busting FBI agent, and to have a teenage daughter in the backseat of your cop car is a great mix and a part that you can't turn down.”
“We kept saying in the writers' room we want people to sit forward when they watch the show,” concluded co-showrunner and executive producer John Requa, who had the initial idea that gave birth to Rabbit Hole. “We don't want them to relax and feel comfortable. We want them to sit forward and be questioning where is the reality and drawing their own conclusions. That's what we really wanted. We wanted people to feel like they're in front of the show. We wanted them to think, so we can potentially lure them down that road and then pull the rug out from under them. And that's the game and the fun of the show.”
Play the game along with Kiefer Sutherland as John Weird in Rabbit Hole. The first two episodes will be available to stream on Paramount+ beginning Sunday, March 26th, with the remaining six episodes released individually on successive Sundays.
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