Posted in: Hulu, streaming, TV | Tagged: Cheryl Strayed, exclusive, hulu, interview, kathryn hahn, Quentin Plair, Tiny Beautiful Things

Tiny Beautiful Things: Quentin Plair on Embracing Dramatic Challenge

Quentin Plair (Roswell, New Mexico) spoke with Bleeding Cool about the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things, working with Kathryn Hahn & more.

Quentin Plair is certainly no stranger when it comes to dramatic roles, but few have stumbled upon an opportunity to play something as nuanced as his role as Danny in the Hulu series Tiny Beautiful Things. The series follows Clare (Kathryn Hahn), who reluctantly takes over as an advice columnist at Dear Sugar while struggling to make sense of her own crumbling life, going to therapy with her partner Danny and working through their dysfunction while trying to be parents. The actor, who also appeared in Hulu's Welcome to Chippendales and starred in The CW's Roswell, New Mexico reboot, spoke with Bleeding Cool about what about the series based on the Cheryl Strayed novel resonated with him, working with Agatha: Coven of Chaos star, and more.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Quentin Plair's Challenges in Hulu Series

Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about "Tiny Beautiful Things"?

Plair: The script was grounded and real. It hit me in a guttural place, it felt messy in the sense, and I was attracted to that. I wanted to get to something and do acting I felt was being. The people involved, I respected and, through the audition process, got close and thought we would work well together.

How do you describe your dynamic with Kathryn [Hahn] on set and how you guys got through some of those intense scenes?

We were close. We met together beforehand off-set, discuss some things, ask some questions, and figure out what backstory we wanted to bring into it and who we were as people. [Kathryn's] such a giving actor, she is there with you and presents with you in all the scenes. I was able to feel comfortable and safe to try anything and be whomever I wanted to be, or however I wanted to be, and know she would be with me. I also felt supported by Liz [Tigelaar] as well as a showrunner, knowing she was going to be right there, we could have discussions, and I could improv feeling free while taking ownership over my character. It panned out into this great working environment where I felt free to do whatever, honestly, and support it.

Were there any figures in your life that inspired your performance as Danny?

I'm blessed in that my father is a huge part of my life, coaching me in everything and always there whenever I needed him. I looked to him when I was crafting how I wanted to be a father to Rae [Tanzyn Crawford] on screen. Outside of that, I went with what was there on the page. There was so much in the scripts, and so much there for me, I was able to, once I had a back story, chemistry, and relationship with the other actors, be able to live realistically and truthfully in the circumstances we were given. As I said, I felt so supported by everything, it was just freeing.

How do you compare the role of Danny and the nuance of the character compared to your other work?

There are nuances with this. For one, I haven't played a person in a deep relationship on screen before. That was a new challenge for me, and with that, in all my decisions, I had to take someone else's point of view in mind while I was doing them, two people's point of view and mine when it was scenes that were with the entire family. There's a lot more nuance when you say something to someone, and you're worried about, in the back of your mind, potentially losing that person. It's one thing when you're operating from the point of view of "It's me by myself, whatever." I can be whatever I want, whomever I want, and however I want. When you care about someone else and take them into account, it alters some of what you do and some of who you are. Taking in another person helped the nuance of the character and taking it to other people, especially with a daughter. It helped me find Danny maybe in a different way than I might have otherwise.

Was there some additional backstory that maybe not seen onscreen that helped you in your performance and chemistry with your co-stars?

Kathryn and I worked out together what was a lot of the things that drew Danny and Clare together because, like for a lot of the series, it's primarily the two of us going at it. It's arguments, we're upset, and it's the time during therapy. We had to make sure that our back story in the times we are offscreen we're so connected, so fiery and electric, and understood that it made sense why we were still together. We worked through those things, got connected in real life, and learned about each other. In the end, those things were always there, reminding me of the good times.

While the times weren't necessarily the greatest. I remember a lot of times I would write little things to myself before we went into a scene. One time Kathryn asked me, "What? Are you writing down all the reasons you hate me?" I was like, "I don't hate you." As Claire, she's asking. I'm like, "I don't hate you. I don't hate Clare at all. I was writing down little reminders of just things in our back story, things to remember. Things that fuel this from a deep, loving point. Not that 'I'm mad at this person' point."

Did you film in chronological order? What would you say was the most difficult scene?

We filmed chronologically. We did it in blocks like episodes one and two together, then episodes three and four. Some stuff we filmed afterward, but not far. The most difficult scenes were in therapy because we were dealing with some real emotions, and some were inner things that were being revealed to a person outside of the relationship. The scene in the restaurant where we finally connect on a vulnerable level and I reveal some stuff to her about how I feel about myself at the time. Those [scenes] were challenging, but also some of the most fulfilling I had personally.

From executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern and showrunner Liz Tigelaar (The Morning Show), Tiny Beautiful Things, which also stars Sarah Pidgeon, Owen Painter, Merritt Wever, Elizabeth Hinkler, and Michela Watkins, premieres April 7th on Hulu.

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