ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Jon Beavers, Nicole Brydon Bloom, and Krys Marshall about Dan Fogelman’s new Hulu show Paradise. The three of them discussed working together on set, exploring the comedic side of their characters, and more.
“Paradise is set in an upscale community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals,” the synopsis for the show reads. “But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high-stakes investigation unfolds.
The first three episodes of Paradise are now streaming.
Brandon Schreur: Jon, I want to start with you because Billy Pace is such a cool character. I loved him so much. I wasn’t prepared for how funny he was going to be — I don’t want to spoil anything, but Wii Tennis made me laugh loud. You get to be so funny in here, I’m just curious what it was like being able to play Billy and bring him to life. How much fun were you having bringing this guy off the page and onto the screen?
Jon Beavers: Thanks for that question, man. Honestly, I can say this is my favorite character that I’ve ever gotten to play. Dan and this incredible writing team are putting together this murder mystery with a twist every two seconds and, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going to happen now? What does that mean about what we’ve already seen?’
But they’re writing these full-fledged characters, and I think the drama of the show ultimately comes out of these people, what they want, what they are trying for, and what’s in their way. So, yeah man, I got to play a guy who has a complicated past, he’s arrived in this absolutely crazy situation, but he’s really loving this moment because it’s the closest to normalcy that he’s ever been able to be. He’s a dangerous person, in some settings, but he’s also a really good uncle and he’s never got to try that before.
I felt, oftentimes — I’ll give you the honest answer, on any given day, with a character like this, you don’t have to do as much acting or maintaining a character because it’s so diverse, the expressions, that you really just kind of get to be who you are in whatever situation the script is presenting you. And, then, watching it back, it’s really awesome. It’s like I got to live for a moment in a person that I admire, I empathize with, I judge, and xyz. So, thank you, man, I feel the same way and I’m grateful to have been able to do it.
No, totally, it’s so much fun to watch. All three of you are — Krys and Nicole, there are so many secrets in this and so many twists, but I also just loved your characters and how they develop over the course of these episodes. The more you learn about who you guys are playing, the more it’s just like, ‘Oh. You guys are harboring secrets.’ It’s so cool to watch it all play out. What were you most excited to play regarding your guys’ characters?
Nicole Brydon Bloom: I liked the report between [Krys’ and my] characters.
Krys Marshall: Sure, yeah.
Bloom: Robinson doesn’t really like Jane. She thinks she’s bad at her job.
Marshall: I don’t dislike Jane, I just don’t respect her.
Bloom: Oh! That might be worse. No, I was excited — I think both characters are really complex and nuanced. Both have good hearts, it would seem. Yeah, it was very fun. Very fun to explore.
Thanks to Jon Beavers, Nicole Brydon BLoom, and Krys Marshall for partaking in our Paradise interview.
