The actor gave insight into his role with the highly anticipated new season.
‘In Treatment’ is back for another session. Ten years after it went off the air, the hit drama returns Sunday, May 23 at 9 pm EST with a new season. The revival follows Dr. Brooke Taylor (Uzo Aduba), a therapist who becomes intertwined in the complexities of her patients’ lives while bearing her own struggles. Season four revolves around modern, relevant themes of today including social justice issues and mental health awareness. It’s a major step from the reign of Gabriel Byrne as Paul Weston in the first three seasons.
Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, Hagai Levi, Jennifer Schuur, Joshua Allen, and Melissa Bernstein serve as producers with Joanne Toll and Noa Tishby serving as co-executive producers. Aduba stars alongside Anthony Ramos, Liza Colon-Zayas, John Benjamin Hickey, Quintessa Swindell, and Joel Kinnaman. Kinnaman, who is best known for his roles in The Killing and House, plays Adam, the longtime love interest of Brooke.
The Knockturnal spoke exclusively to Kinnaman about the new season, his characters, and upcoming projects.
The Knockturnal: When did filming begin for this season?
Joel Kinnaman: I think it was at the beginning of December. Late November, early December. I don’t remember exactly. It was at the height of the third wave.
The Knockturnal: What was it like filming during the pandemic?
Joel Kinnaman: It sucks cause everyone’s wearing masks on, so no one really gets to know each other. We have few social interactions and so it becomes a pretty lonely experience. I felt like it was very different from when I’m shooting the third season of my show ‘For All Mankind. The whole crew knows each other there so it’s very different. It’s just hard to get to know people when they’re wearing masks. It is interesting because I didn’t realize how much it affects the environment on set. We still got the work done and it turned out fantastic.
The Knockturnal: What would you say would be the biggest difference in this revival?
Joel Kinnaman: I think the sort of integrity of the show and the thought behind it remains the same, but then, of course, it becomes a completely new iteration with new characters. I think this iteration also reflects our times in a different way. The unique thing about this show is that it comes out so shortly after we shot it. This was shot in the middle of the pandemic, and we’re still releasing it before it’s over. The show really is about our time right now with demonstrations, Black Lives Matter, and all these themes are very prevalent in the show. I think it’s even more important that it comes out so quickly. It really becomes a part of the conversation.
The Knockturnal: Did you watch the older seasons to prepare for the show or did you go in completely blind?
Joel Kinnaman: No, I definitely watched it. I didn’t see all of it. But, I saw a few episodes, and it’s very good. It’s very well written and has very strong performances. That’s why I wanted to jump on board because it really would give room to really play. I’ve been meaning to go back on stage for a long time. I was about to before the pandemic hit. I was gonna go to New York and do a play. Then, the pandemic had other plans. This is the closest I could get to that.
The Knockturnal: You’ve been in a number of thrilling television dramas throughout the years, including ‘The Killing,’ ‘House of Cards,’ and ‘For All Mankind.’ Would you say this series has a tense and high-stakes tone?
Joel Kinnaman: There’s an even more straight-up Drama. This is very much almost like TV theater. This is very much theater in my opinion. It’s two people talking and that’s where the tension lies. It’s not trying to be anything else. That’s the beauty of it and the simplicity of the concept, but then the sophistication of the dialogue, that’s what makes this show special.
The Knockturnal: On the show you portray Adam. Could you talk about his importance to the narrative along with how you prepared for the role?
Joel Kinnaman: Adam is an actor that had very moderate success. I didn’t need to do a lot of preparation because that is just kind of a version of myself in some way. It’s a tricky profession because you’re always looking for a new job and it’s that feeling of being at the school dance and no one wants to dance with you, that’s not a good feeling. It feels like you as a person are being rejected or that you as a person aren’t good enough. It’s tricky to navigate. We all have ups and downs on every level, but I think it’s a particularly hard profession to have. It’s almost one of those jobs where you have to have a certain level of security to be able to not become anxious and insecure. For the story, there’s an interesting and unusual relationship where you have two people that have just been on and off for decades, and never really commit to each other. She can’t really commit to him. Then, she is struggling with certain things and it’s that thing where you love someone, but they might not be good for you. That’s the kind of relationship that they have.
The Knockturnal: Everyone on the show has a motive. Many of the patients want to get help. What would you say is Adam’s motive?
Joel Kinnaman: Adam is not a patient so that’s the one unusual storyline that’s apart from the rest because it’s about Brooke’s personal life and it’s the struggle of their relationship. For Adam, the goal is to get Brooke to commit to him. It’s pretty simple.
The Knockturnal: You will reprise your role as Rick Flag in James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ this Fall. Are there any other projects we can look forward too along with what fans can expect from the new film?
Joel Kinnaman: Well, I’m shooting the third season of ‘For All Mankind’ right now. The second season was just released in its entirety and we’re well underway with shooting the third season. So looking forward to that being released. ‘The Suicide Squad’ is coming out in theaters and HBO Max on August 6, and it’s very different. James Gunn took over this franchise. It’s very silly, very fulfilling humor. He just has a unique handle on this genre and knows exactly when to be silly, when to be serious, and how to get people invested in it. It was a comedy clinic and it was very liberating for me personally because I felt like in the first film I was a bit of a plot donkey and here I got to play a lot more and spread some comedic wings with the guidance of James Gunn.
This week, HBO hosted a special virtual premiere to celebrate the show. The evening featured a special panel discussion in partnership with the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI). HBO also made a donation to NAMI. Guests were gifted with a fabulous Luna Blanket and Diptyque diffuser!
| Season four of ‘In Treatment’ lands on HBO Sunday, May 23rd at 9 pm EST. |