Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: bet

Bet: Hunter Cardinal on Honoring Source Material, Simon Berry & More

Bet star Hunter Cardinal spoke with Bleeding Cool about Simon Barry's Netflix live-action series, respecting the manga Kakegurui, and more.

Hunter Cardinal is always ready to take on new challenges as an actor, and his latest is the Netflix series Bet, his first foray into the scripted drama for episodic television. From Warrior Nun creator Simon Barry and based on the Square Enix manga Kakegurui by Homura Kawamoto and Tôru Naomura, the series follows the students at a boarding school for the global elite, where underground gambling determines the school's hierarchy. When Yumeko (Miku Martineau), a mysterious transfer student, arrives, her gambling prowess puts her in the crosshairs of the powerful Student Council, while her secret quest for revenge threatens to upend the school's status quo entirely.

Kakegurui was already adapted to an anime series that ran from 2017-2019, a prequel series spinoff manga, Kakegurui Twin, and three live-action projects from a TV series that ran from 2018-19, a 2019 film, and a 2021 film called Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette. Cardinal, who's also appeared in the sketch comedy series Caution: May Contain Nuts and shorts A Raven's Song (2014) and A Teaching Game(2012), plays Michael, a student at an elite boarding school that uses gambling to move in the school's ranks. He spoke to Bleeding Cool about taking advantage of "a real gift of an opportunity" after nailing his audition, honoring the source material, working with Barry, and his co-stars.

Bet Star Hunter Cardinal on His High-Stakes Live-Action Netflix Drama

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about 'Bet' and how you got involved?

What intrigued me was the opportunity in the first place. I auditioned for this show, and there was no testing or chemistry reads. I was cast and then dove into this interesting story, and it was a real gift of an opportunity, but it also presented a fascinating larger question our show was orbiting around to explore and try to think of some answers.

Did you read the original manga that 'Bet' was based?

'Bet,' being inspired by the manga 'Kakegurui,' is super important for me. As an actor, I wanted to honor the already perfect source material without flattening its spirit by trying to imitate it for this show. I feel we were always gravitating to that central question and focusing on when the odds are stacked, what are you willing to risk for revenge? Power or freedom. I was focused on the story. There was part of the research process where you understand the inspirations and whatnot, so you can understand tonally where you're coming from, but ultimately, 'Bet' grows from the same soil and it's something that stands on its own and always tries to honor where possible the source material where it comes from. Most importantly, we continue to pursue and orbit that question we felt important to explore.

What's it like working with Simon as a creative?

Simon was incredible. He created this culture on set, one that focused on trust and alignment. He helped with this and Larissa Mair, the casting director, they focused on casting this team of actors from the inside out, who were the people playing these roles that had an alignment with that core inner world of each character, and then creating space and trust for each unique actor to bring to the table, who they thought their character was, and how they would impact the rest of the story and other characters, too.

How does a role like this differ from your other work and the challenges it presents?

Huge difference. I don't have that much other work in the first place. That's the first one. I've done theater, like Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet.' I love those complex characters that exist in those clear worlds, so there's a level of rigor that's required, but ultimately, the biggest difference is that the other opportunities are very small in this one. There have been few, rather, this one being a thing in the first place was the major difference.

Coming from a theater background, was there much of an adjustment period to acclimate to TV acting, or was there a liaison who helped guide you through the process?

I'm lucky to have had access to incredible coaches, like Salvatore Antonio and Sam Stiglitz; those folks helped me scale performances to camera, and I've been doing that for several years prior to this audition. Ultimately, I feel like it's all about how you explore a character and make it something that is real, multidimensional, and nuanced. I love, as an actor, pursuing complexity and authenticity, regardless of whether it's super binary. It exists in that gray zone so people can feel that sense of belonging. In some ways, it was a different game, but in other ways, it was the same game.

Can you talk about some of your co-stars, what it's like to work with them, and if there's anything you learned being on set?

So many things. First, the cast were all workhorses. They were extremely dedicated to doing as well as they could with this story. They really wanted to honor the trust that Simon put into them, bring that rigor, and that love for this opportunity every single day. Everyone, when the cameras weren't rolling, was also the coolest people to hang out with and connect with. It often felt like we were siblings in the back of a van on a road trip, laughing super hard at things that, when you're trying to recount later, make no sense.

Was there a particular standout scene for you that might have taken a little bit while to get through, as Michael?

One of the first standout scenes I got to film early on in the process comes to mind. That was the first scene where you get to see Michael and Yumeko (Milu Martineau) connect, and what I want people to pay attention to is "What is Michael listening for? What is he looking for? How is he receiving this character he is getting to meet for the first time one-on-one?" And also, vice versa with Yumeko. When people see that, please let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts about what you saw as well.

Season one of Bet, which also stars Ayo Solanke, Eve Edwards, Clara Alexandrova, Anwen O'Driscoll, Aviva Mongillo, and Ryan Sutherland, is available on Netflix.

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