Fans are hooked on Netflix's series, The Watcher. What has fans especially intrigued, is the fact the suspense/thriller is based on real events. However, it should be noted that not everything from Ryan Murphy's series is entirely true, and a large portion is fabricated. Nonetheless, the enticing series has fans talking, and it comes with quite the cast. We'll take a look at the casting that went on for the series behind the scenes.In addition, we'll take a look at Bobby Cannavale's motivation for his role as Dean. According to the actor, he faced similar circumstances in real-life. Cannavale also used different forms of tapping into his character which we will also further explore.
Ryan Murphy Getting Attached To Netflix's The Watcher Enticed Most Of The Cast
At the moment, fans can't stop talking about Netflix's series, The Watcher. The show is an enticing thriller, and based on a true story.
The cast in particular is loaded with star names. For the most part, a major portion of the cast agreed to work the project because of one name, and that's Ryan Murphy.
Speaking alongside Collider, Naomi Watts admitted she was instantly hooked once Ryan was attached to the script.
"They were all good, but for me, the initial thing was, when Ryan Murphy calls, it’s a good day. It’s a good moment, no matter what he’s calling about. Hopefully, if you’re an actor, he’s calling with an offer, and indeed it was."
Watts wasn't entirely familiar with the story, though she was instantly hooked.
Similar to Watts, Margo Martindale also didn't think twice about the role given Murphy's name was attached to the script.
"What convinced me was that Ryan Murphy called me and said, “I have a great part for you. You get to be very glamorous.” Well, I guess that went out the window when I put on the tracksuits. But I trust him."
Margo related to her character, given that she's also a busy body. As for Watts, she didn't reach out to the actual victims for motivation, instead, she entirely trusted Murphy's vision for the character.
Bobby Cannavale on the other hand, tapped into a real-life situation for his role in the series.
Bobby Cannavale Had A 'Somewhat' Similar Experience To The Watcher, Which Turned Out To Be A Prank
Now let's be clear here, Cannavale's experience was nowhere near as traumatizing as his character and the real-life events that took place. However, he did have a certain experience to fall back on, as he detailed alongside Madon Standard.
According to the actor, he once found a letter in his backyard.
"Two years ago we got a letter on our back yard, on our terrace… it looked like it was written by a child saying, ‘If you keep up the noise, you’re going to have a problem. It freaked me out.”
He continued, “When I first got it, I freaked out privately. I didn’t let Rose know I found this letter, I was just really debating it – do I go to somebody, what do I do, what the hell is this? If I tell Rose she is going to freak out and she’s going to want to move, and I really went through it mentally.”
Thankfully, Bobby later realized it was all a prank from a neighbor. "Long story short, it turned out it was the neighbors' kids as a prank.But for that moment I was a bit freaked out, and then we cleared it up, but there was that feeling, ‘Does somebody know we live here?"
The actor further stated that the feeling of losing control was tough to deal with for a moment.
Bobby Cannavale Studied The 'American Dream' For His Character In The Watcher
Although he had the real-life experience to somewhat fall back on, the actor further revealed that he had a vision for his 'The Watcher' character. One that was devoted to following the 'American Dream'.
He explained alongside The Hollywood Reporter, “I worked very closely with Ryan in coming up with this guy. It’s a portrait of the American dream, so you talk about it and decide on what version of that you’re trying to tell. The kind of themes Ryan is trying to explore go beyond the actual story of what happened at that house.”
Truly a deep role for Cannavale and one that has many layers to it.