‘The Patient’: Domhnall Gleeson’s Takeaway Is That He Wants ‘to Be More Like Steve Carell’
TL;DR:
- Domhnall Gleeson and Steve Carell play complex roles in Hulu’s The Patient.
- According to Gleeson, he wants to “be more like” his co-star.
- Gleeson recalled feeling inspired by Carell while working on set.
The Patient is weaving a dark and gripping story as it continues its run on Hulu, and series stars Domhnall Gleeson and Steve Carell are a huge part of the appeal. The actors breathe life into The Patient‘s Sam Fortner and Alan Strauss with an impressive amount of nuance. And according to Gleeson, one of his biggest takeaways from filming the Hulu series is that he wants “to be more like Steve Carell.”
Domhnall Gleeson tackles a complex role in ‘The Patient’ on Hulu
Before The Patient, Domhnall Gleeson was known for roles like Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter movies and General Hux in Star Wars. Those who have only seen him in those projects will witness a different side of his acting skills during The Patient.
The Hulu series sees Gleeson playing serial killer Sam Fortner opposite of Steve Carell’s psychotherapist, Alan Strauss. Sam kidnaps Alan at the beginning of the series, hoping therapy will curb his violent impulses. Of course, that’s not the best way to go about things. But as Gleeson told TheWrap, that’s what makes Sam so interesting: the fact that he can do such things and still consider himself a ““good person.”
“He’s obsessive, and he is controlling in a huge way,” Gleeson explained. “He just doesn’t understand that if he just hands himself in everybody else’s life would be better — his mother’s life will be better, his ex-wife’s life will be better. The people who he won’t kill — their lives will be infinitely better.”
Gleeson added, “He doesn’t even consider it because he’s incapable of it; because if he does, he’ll be confronted by his own lack of responsibility [for] true goodness.”
Sam’s mentality certainly makes him a layered character. And it no doubt takes a lot of work stepping into his shoes. However, that’s not the biggest thing Gleeson took away from the role. It seems working with Steve Carell left an impact on the Irish actor.
According to Domhnall Gleeson, he wants ‘to be more like Steve Carell’
That’s right, of all the things Domhnall Gleeson experienced while filming The Patient, he pointed to working with Steve Carell as a highlight of the project.
Speaking with FabTV on the show’s red carpet, Gleeson recalled how Carell inspired him on set:
“I think working with Steve was a real reminder of how important it is to continually develop and to continually be nice while you’re doing that. That, no matter how deep you go, you can’t shut out other people and be an a******. That was a really nice reminder of that value of humanity and of generosity and kindness.”
That kind of attitude isn’t always easy to come by, but it speaks volumes about Carell’s approach to acting. And it left such an impression on Gleeson that the actor counted it as his biggest takeaway from The Patient.
“And what I learned about myself is I want to be more like Steve Carell,” the actor told FabTV.
After so much time together — trapped in Sam Fortner’s basement, no less — it’s hard to imagine the duo didn’t rub off on each other. And now, we get to enjoy the final product of their time on set together.
New episodes of The Patient debut every Tuesday on Hulu.
