Michael Hyland transitions from an arc on Jane the Virgin into a lead role opposite Michael Shannon in Paramount Network’s anticipated Waco miniseries that aired January 24th. He’s also appearing in the Spinning Man thriller with Pierce Brosnan, Guy Pearce, and Minnie Driver.
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Michael about his latest projects. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Michael! Congrats on your lead role opposite Michael Shannon on Waco! You play Walter Graves. The series is based on real-life events. Do you recall the events of Waco?
Thank you very much! I had the time of my life playing Walter and working with Michael Shannon. It was a real dream come true for me. I remembered the tragedy of Waco dominating the news back in the winter of 1993, but I didn’t know much about the complexities of what was really going on there until I started my research. My character and Michael Shannon’s character are based on real FBI hostage negotiators, so I watched and read everything I could find on Waco and hostage negotiation. Luckily, one of the books that the series is based on called “Stalling For Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator” by Gary Noesner tells the entire story of Waco from the negotiator side and the author, whom Michael Shannon plays in the series, was really, really supportive of me and he was always available to answer any questions we might have about tactics and procedures and what it was really like trying to negotiate with someone like David Koresh, who was the leader of The Branch Davidian Cult (played beautifully by Taylor Kitsch) and who thought that he was the second coming of Christ. It was all so interesting and so complicated and in the end, terribly tragic because while the real negotiators did get a lot of people to exit that compound, many more men, women, and children would perish at the end of the 51-day standoff.
Do you feel that this film is true to life?
That is a great question and I think that people will be really divided about that when the entire series airs. I believe that the screenplay by John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle is extremely true to life, as are the performances by the phenomenal cast, but it will be a controversial telling for some viewers because of just how polarizing this historical event turned out to be. Many people who watch the show will remember Waco as it appeared in the media 25 years ago. I remember the message being “This is a cult, filled with crazies and a leader who is engaged in some strange sexual behavior and possibly abusing minors and that the FBI went in and used tear gas which ended up starting the building on fire.” Now some of that way of seeing it is true: David Koresh did have a “revelation” that he should be the only male in the religious sect to not be celibate and he had underage wives and those things are obviously abhorrent to me. Some of the other assumptions though were not true: The Branch Davidians were comprised of all kinds of people, most of whom were quite intellectual and looking for belonging and harmony in the group. The process of getting sucked in to that group is told in the other book the series is based on called A Place Called Waco: A Survivors Story by David Thibodeau and in it you can see how a regular person was swept up in the moment and in the feeling that for the first time in his life he could be special and chosen.
I am also of the belief, based on my conversations with Gary Noesner and affidavits that were submitted to Congress that The Branch Davidians were the ones to start that fire on the last day of the standoff, but many people will disagree with me on that.
What should the audience expect?
Viewers should expect to be on the edge of their seats as this series gets going. There was so much stress between all of the egos and personalities that clashed during this saga and human lives hung in the balance every day and night for 51-days. Human lives that were deprived of sleep and food and all the players were just so raw and desperate and looking for solutions and getting stymied at every turn. The cast is so good in this show and the script and direction and vision behind it is so crackling good that I think people won’t be able to turn away from watching! I wish I could binge the whole show today in 6 hours because it is going to be that exciting and addictive.
In Spinner Man, you appear in the thriller with Pierce Brosnan, Guy Pearce, and Minnie Driver. Tell us about your role and character.
This movie is really tightly under wraps, so I can’t say too much. I’ll just say that it was another excellent experience and the cast was a huge treat to work with.
What has been your most exciting role to date?
Oh, this role of Walter Graves is by far my most exciting role. This was the break of a lifetime. Getting to work with Michael Shannon is like getting to work with Marlon Brando or Daniel Day Lewis. He is one of our all-time great American actors and I learned so much from him and he was very generous to me with his time and guidance. That combined with the size and scope of my role and the beautifully written script made this my greatest experience as an actor to date. I am really so grateful to have been a part of such a meaningful and important project.
After a successful film and television run, you’re appearing in short films, too. Tell us more.
I love the short film medium. They can be so intimate and be bonding with the creators and other actors because they usually have small casts and small budgets and I end up feeling like such a major part of a team. I once rode in a van from Los Angeles to just outside of Portland, Oregon with a director and crew to shoot a short film for a week. It was a 16-hour drive each way and everyone slept in sleeping bags on the floor of the director’s parent’s house, but it was one of the greatest bonding experiences ever and the film was a total blast.
You continuously hone your craft. What keeps you inspired?
I’m not sure where or when it started, but it must’ve been from a really young age because I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel this way, but I get a little depressed when I am not working on a project or a role or have my hands in some kind of artistic expression. Being an actor, a collaborator and an artist gives great meaning to my life and to continue working in such a competitive field, I have to stay sharp and prepared and honed. Obviously, meaning in life can be found in other things in life too; love for family, giving back to the community and working for spiritual growth are important parts of my life as well.
Thus far, what has been the best experience working in the industry?
Well the two I have mentioned are at the forefront, Waco and that short film, but I also had a mind-blowing experience when I had the chance to work with Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman and Robin Wright on the motion capture version of A Christmas Carol directed by Robert Zemeckis. That was my first opportunity to work with massive A-listers and it really bolstered my confidence as a young actor to know that I could play on the same field as those people whom I had such admiration for.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
Oh yes! I have a really fun and hopefully funny bit on Angie Tribeca for TBS. I won’t spoil it, but I play a very normal-seeming guy who turns out to be nooootttttt so normal after all. That’ll air later this season. Episode 7.
Complete this sentence, if I had an opportunity to do anything I want, I would do ___________.
A film adaptation of a Cormack McCarthy book. I am really obsessed with his writing and I have always loved westerns. He’s got a few that aren’t westerns too, like a book called Suttree, which I love. Really I just want to keep doing meaningful work. Finding meaning. Meaning in life. That is obviously a big thing in my life at the moment and I guess it is for all of us, right? People find it in so many interesting ways. It really makes me love people in all of our seeking and bumbling ways.
Connect with Michael:
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405094
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Odessy Barbu.
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