Colin Firth's Michael Peterson Performance Creeped Out Staircase Cast
Colin Firth’s performance as a convicted murderer in HBO Max’s The Staircaseis so uncanny, it genuinely disturbs other cast members. The true crime show focuses on the life of Michael Peterson (Firth), a crime writer who was convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). Created by Antonio Campos, the miniseries is based on the 2004 docuseries of the same name. Other cast members include Sophie Turner, who plays Peterson’s daughter, Dane DeHaan, who plays Peterson's son, and Parker Posey, who plays a district attorney involved with the case.
While Firth is a prolific actor who has worked in a variety of genres, he is probably best known for his romantic and comedic roles in movies like Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, and the Mamma Mia movies. Since he often portrays charming and slightly awkward characters, Firth playing such an unsettling figure has impressed many who are taken by his disturbing performance; specifically, his voice. Not only did Firth have to take on Peterson's American accent for The Staircase, he also had to master Peterson’s specific mannerisms and speech patterns.
Related: Colin Firth and Jeff Bridges Don't Think CGI De-Aging Works
According to an interview with Posey in The New Yorker, it’s not just viewers who are creeped out by Firth’s performance, but his fellow cast members feel genuinely disturbed as well. At the pre-production read-throughs, Posey says the cast would momentarily forget that Firth was just an actor temporarily stepping into a character. His acting was even so convincing that they gained empathy for Peterson. Check out quotes from Posey’s interview, below:
“We all freaked out at the Zoom readings. I just got creeped out because
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