One Mississippi is an Amazon original created by Tig Notaro, expected to premiere on September 9, 2016. The Knockturnal talked with three of its actors, John Rothman (Ghostbusters, The Devil Wears Prada) and Noah Harpster (writer of Transparent), and Casey Wilson (Gone Girl, Julie & Julia).
This first interview is an exclusive with Noah and John.
First off, what are your own interpretations of the title “One Mississippi,” in relations to the show, other than the fact that it’s set in Mississippi?
N: To me it’s nostalgia. Like “one Mississippi, two Mississippi, ” it’s what you count when you’re a child playing hide-and-seek. It’s a look back into your childhood, or remembering who you were.
Okay, so you think there’s a somewhat of a childlike quality to the show.
N: Yeah, and that’s what a lot of the show is about. Even practically, there are a lot of flashbacks. It’s the idea of coming back home; especially after losing a parent, you’re forced to remember your time with that parent, your time as a child, and reflect on who you are now.
J: And I think the hide-and-seek—frankly, I hadn’t thought of this before—I think it’s a great question, thank you. One of the plot points and drivers is that there are family secrets and there’s a lot of hiding from each other, and finding, and I think it refers to that too.
How was filming this series more challenging, or perhaps easier than any other film or show you’ve partaken in in the past?
N: I would say in general, it was not that challenging—it was wonderful. The directors were all great and welcoming. It was a creative environment where you were allowed to take risks and try things. If anything, it was the practicality of having to wear a whole Civil War uniform in 100 degrees weather with humidity out in the field; literally the heat.
J: For me, it was playing the stepfather opposite a real father. His behavior in many ways is extreme and easy to make fun of—but there’s a real guy underneath, with reasons for his behavior. And sort of finding the real person, and convincing his stepdaughter that their relationship is the real relationship that she has with her stepfather.
So you thought it was conflicting to put on a cold front for Tig?
J: Yes, not conflicting, but that was the challenge and that was the fun of it. It was the acting part of it, creating a character that was not me, but hopefully was Bill. But while watching (the show) after, the crazy thing was realizing that it (the role of Bill) was me. I say this to Susie—
N: Susie’s his wife.
J: Who I think of myself as, the sort of hip cool guy, is in many ways not who I am. You know the scene where the guys come to look for the cat, Bonkers; and the Dixie Mafia is all joking, but Bill doesn’t fit in. Somehow I thought, oh my god, that is me. In this whole thing, there’s been a lot of self-discovery. It was fun. My first movies were Woody Allen movies and he only casted for who he thought you were. No acting. He wouldn’t give you the script because he was afraid you would invent something, and that’s kind of a challenge in its own way. But this was not that—this was character acting.
And going off of that, what other character in the show other than the one you currently play, would you want to experiment with? Disregarding gender and age.
N: That’s a good question… there’s some really great characters. I like her real father on the show, that’s a great character. ‘Ding Dong’ would be funny. I can do the worm so.
J: I would want to be Remy.
N: I think we all have crushes on Tig, too. So maybe one of the many women she hooks up with on the show.
Which two characters’ relationship do you find the most entertaining or find yourself most drawn to? Other than the one between your own character and Tig.
J: The one between Tig and Remy. I have brothers and sisters and I recognize the particular sibling relationship. It seems very real, and the way they relate to each other and the way they’re protective of their stepfather and real father. The story of their lives together and their love for each other—and seeing if Tig will return home now that they’ve lost a parent. I’m hooked, I want to know where that relationship is going. I also want to know about Remy’s romantic life.
And are you all done filming?
N: Yeah
J: Until they tell us we have another season.
And what about you Noah, which relationship in the show do you enjoy the most?
N: I know you said a relationship other than my own with Tig, but I really like the one between Tig and Remy. It reminds me of the side-eyes and conversations I would have with my sister—the church giggles, the funeral giggles or whatever you want to call them.
What was the best scene to shoot?
N: I like anytime the three of us (Tig and Bill) are together. Some of those kitchen scenes when we’re together—it’s just such a great dynamic. I also really like the car scene in the pilot, when we’re driving together to the funeral when Casey’s in the car too. That was a very fun scene and it was also air conditioned. It was great being in New Orleans.
J: Yeah, that car scene was a lot of fun.
Can you capture the essence of your character in one sentence?
N: Oh wow, I don’t know if I can do it in one sentence
Okay, we’ll scratch the one sentence limit.
N: I’d say that there’s a disconnect with who he is in his mind, and who he is in his body. I feel that a large part of the first season is about those two realities coming together. Remy thinks of himself as what he was like when he was 17 or 18, when he was very athletic and was treated a certain way. He refuses to deal with some of the pain of growing up and that has manifested in ways, like not taking care of himself physically and mentally—and over the course of the first season he’s being confront with this. The pain is very real and his own neglect of self-care is hurting him.
J: There’s a line that Bill says, “You turned out just fine.” And the other character says, “well, what is fine to you?” I think he wants everything to turn out fine. He wants everything to be okay. He needs to have his ducks in a row—impose a kind of order in the world—and he thinks he’s succeeded and he’s trying very hard to make everything fine.
If you were an audience, what would be the number one reason you’d keep watching the show?
J: How about Tig Notaro.
N: Yeah, that’s going to be immediate draw—Tig has a huge following and has a big group of loyal fans.
J: She’s really hell of an actress. Noah and I have been life long actors, she’s not. But we’ve watched her acting…
N: I was blown away by her performance. She goes to a very dark place, and she was incredible. I was very impressed.
The Knockturnal then attended a rountable with Casey Wilson and two other writers from different outlets.
As Tig’s girlfriend you obviously have a lot of influence on her, what aspects of Tig do you think you bring out, that no other character can?
C: I think my character really loves how funny Tig is, and that she’s someone in the spotlight. She (Brooke) is selfish, and not as empathetic unfortunately, so I’m not sure if I bring out many great qualities in her.
She thinks she’s emphathetic.
C: Oh deeply, deeply. Brooke thinks of herself as vivacious and fun and kind of charming, but ultimately probably a little bit selfish.
You filmed in Texas and Mississippi?
C: Yeah, and in LA. We filmed all over. We did the pilot right outside of New Orleans, where Tig grew up, and the rest of the episodes in LA.
So what was that like? You’re from Virginia so you’re used to the South.
C: I loved it. I just had my son and he’s three months old and we went out there for three weeks and I took him all around. It was awesome.
How much of the show was improvisation?
C: Actually none of it, not even a word. Every show has its own way and this one was so carefully and thoughtfully written, and there was no improve.
Did you find that the show helped you in ways?
C: Yeah, I think it’s wonderful to watch other people go through things if its any mirror to what you’re going through. You feel less alone, and especially to laugh. Grief is such a huge part of people’s lives and so I hope our show is relieving for people to watch.
