Posted in: AMC, TV | Tagged: anne rice, mayfair witches

Mayfair Witches: Harry Hamlin & Ben Feldman on S02, Crossovers, Fandom

AMC's Mayfair Witches stars Harry Hamlin and Ben Feldman spoke with us about the second season, "Immortal Universe" crossovers, and more.

Harry Hamlin has been one of the most venerable leading men in Hollywood for the better part of six days since starring in film and TV classics like Clash of the Titans (1981), L. A. Law, Movie Stars, Veronica Mars, Law & Order, Army Wives, and Shameless. He's also scored a memorable role as Jim Cutler on AMC's Mad Men. He's returned to the network as playing family patriarch Cortland Mayfair in the Anne Rice Immortal Universe supernatural series Mayfair Witches. Joining him for season two is Ben Feldman as Sam "Lark" Larkin, CEO of a genetics company and ex-of-lead Dr. Rowan Fielding (Alexandra Daddario). Hamlin and Feldman spoke to Bleeding Cool about how the season one finale set the tone for Courtland this season, how fate intervened for Feldman's behalf in his casting, showrunner Esta Spalding, Immortal Universe crossover possibilities, and how from within the fandom community has unrealistic expectations of adaptations.

Mayfair Witches Stars Harry Hamlin & Ben Feldman Preview Season Two & Immortal Universe Crossover Possibilities

Bleeding Cool: Harry, what's been the biggest change for Cortland in season two, and what has the reception of your character from the comic and TV series fans, and have they been different?

Hamlin: In The first two episodes, Ted Levine, who plays Julien [Mayfair], my father dressed me down and put me in my place. That informed how Courtland behaves during the first five or six episodes of the second season because I become contrite and do a lot of self-examination based upon my father telling me what a piece of shit I am. I think that altered a lot from how I played Courtland in the beginning. [As far as fan reception] My character in the books dies in the '60s and they've resurrected me and made me a part of the long-standing running family dynamic. No fan told me, "I wish I had seen you playing the character that was in the books." People like what they've done with the character enough.

Ben, how does it feel to enter the Anne Rice Immortal Universe, and how is playing Sam Larkin different from your other roles?

Feldman: I love entering this world, which means a lot to me. My mother was a massive Anne Rice fan. She used to go to parties and considered herself a witch. This show came along in my life about a month after I had spread my mother's ashes, so it felt like the universe asked me to do something for Mom. Wow. It's cool, strange, creepy, and bizarre. Specifically, when it comes to playing Sam, all the fun stuff about being in a horror movie without any of the stuff I find exhausting, like running around, screaming, bleeding, and calling for help. I get to be a viewer, but I'm in the show in a way. That was a fun way to come in, and it's different. Is Sam tremendously different than other characters that I played? Not necessarily, but the world I'm in is vastly different than the stuff I've done before.

What was it like working with Esta as a showrunner? How well does she and Michelle interpret the Immortal Universe, and why does it translate so well on TV?

Feldman: I know Esta cares much about this show and about the text, and she surrounds herself with other people who do as well. She also understands what works on television and what works on AMC, specifically with what fans want to watch. Esta understands how to tell a story tonally that fits into a greater picture. She's good, and I trust her to bring any book into a television series. Your thoughts on that, Harry?

Hamlin: There's no way I can top those thoughts. That was well put, and I could add nothing that makes any sense. I'll second what you said and that. Esta, though, this is the tone and the vibe of Anne Rice's 'Mayfair,' which is not the strict interpretation of the story. She is taking liberties with the story, taking the characters, and being able to weave new stories that, in a lot of ways, are equally as interesting, if not more interesting, than what Anne Rice did originally. Of course, [Esta] had to do that to get many seasons out of what already is a huge tome [of a book], which probably could have gotten as many seasons as AMC wanted out of not having to create new stories. I love the new stories that she's created, but as you said, I'm going to take that.

Feldman: That's a great point, and it's a point that speaks to a lot of people where there's always a debate about should the movie or the show be so strictly dedicated to retelling the same story as the book. I don't understand that question because if you've read the book, you've read the book! You've had the greatest thing in the world to help you with the visuals in the book, which is your imagination! The combination of your imagination and the original text – that's wonderful. If it's now on TV, I don't understand someone who wants to see the same thing. We've got a new medium and people telling the story. Let's see something new!

Hamlin: That's an interesting perspective on that. No, seriously, because people's imagination is a much more amazing canvas to work with than cinema, even though we've seen some amazing things on film, tape, or whatever. Digital is great. It's amazing. It can't hold a candle to where you can go in your head.

Feldman: I wonder if that's why people get…Sorry, Tom, this is me and Harry taking over…But I wonder if that's why people get so emotional about it and fight it. There's a big issue for a lot of people, and I wonder if part of it is because they've done so much work on their heads. They've taken this information and created everything in their head, and when they see it, it's almost an insult. They almost feel like Hollywood people are saying, "You got that wrong. Let me show you what it is meant to look like! I wonder if that's what it is, but I'm sure.

Hamlin: It does happen with some people, the people who are fixated on Anne Rice, and if they know these stories from the book, like the back of their hand.

Feldman: And we're telling them they're wrong.

Hamlin: What are you guys doing right? Anyway, so far, no one's talking about that reason. As far as I know, that's all I care about now.

Have you guys been informed at all about anything like greater worldbuilding with a possible crossover with 'Interview with the Vampire' fans can look forward to? There's also another series in development [with the Talamasca], but what is the bigger picture we should look out for? Should we, as an audience, just focus more on appreciating what's there?

Hamlin: I don't think there are any strict boundaries between those three shows: 'Vampire,' 'Talamasca,' and 'Mayfair Witches.' The boundaries are there, but they're crossable, and we've heard that before from some of the higher-ups at AMC that could happen. I don't know.

Feldman: I'm surprised it's a universe. What good is a universe if the boundaries are set in stone?

Hamlin: We can go from galaxy to galaxy, and all we need is a hyperlink.

Feldman: Yeah [laughs]

Hamlin: We need a wormhole.

Feldman: That's it! Just a wormhole.

Mayfair Witches, which also stars Jack Huston, Alyssa Jirrels, and Thora Birch, premieres January 5th on AMC.

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