In Truth Be Told, Octavia Spencer stars as true crime podcaster Poppy Parnell, who risks everything – including her life – to pursue truth and justice. Based on the novel by Kathleen Barber, the series provides a unique glimpse into our obsession with true crime podcasts and challenges us to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage.
Season 2 of the Apple TV Plus series sees the addition of some truly great talent to its lineup including Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant, Greenleaf), Jason O’Mara (The Man in the High Castle, The Good Wife), Alona Tal (The Spy, Seal Team), Christopher Backus (Jett, Big Little Lies), and David Lyons (Seven Seconds, Revolution).
We caught up with David Lyons, who plays San Francisco Police Inspector Aames, for a conversation about what it was like joining the cast of Truth be Told as well as how he went about preparing himself for the part.
Umapagan Ampikaipakan: So there is something of a standard trope in these Murder She Wrote type shows where there’s always a detective who is something of a foil to your protagonist. Did you take inspiration from any of the greats when you were crafting this character?
David Lyons: It’s a really interesting thing and you’re the first person to mention it. The show does tip its hat to that element, but where I think Nichelle (Tramble) has been really clever is that instead of just smashing against each other, and lock horns, both these characters kind of dance with each other in a way that you would expect real people to behave, not pushing, not shoving, but gently prodding. And then when they need to, they start to use a little bit more force.
In terms of trying to find this guy, I didn’t so much look at other characters that have played similar foils to main characters. I just tried to look at him as a person, as a detective who is very much on the outside of his department. He’s very much maligned within his own police department. And I think that with that, you start to see why he might be attracted to someone like Poppy (Octavia Spencer), who is a societal disruptor. She’s there fishing, nipping at people’s heels, trying to get information, and trying to discover the elements behind people’s motivations.
There is absolutely a lineage with something like Murder She Wrote. So many times, when people are solving crimes outside of the police department, they need someone like me in that story. This is, after all, a series about a group of outcasts who are somehow banding together in order to get to the bottom of this murder mystery.
UA: How then did you prepare for the part? How did you get into the mind of a police officer?
DL: I’ve played a couple of police officers in the past and not all of them have been nice police officers. In fact, a couple of them have been demonstrably horrible individuals, and in all of the time that I’ve been working, one of the greatest resources that any actor has are his eyes and his ears.
For me, it’s always about primary sources. It’s about looking at documentaries and other primary resources involving detectives that are going through similar things. Documentaries on Netflix, like Night Stalker, for example, is a great reference point. There are also incredible books, and I’ve just lost the author’s name, he’s an incredible filmmaker himself, but it’s called Homicide, and it’s all about homicide detectives in the New York area.
There’s so much research and resources out there for people like me looking to delve into the shoes of these kind of characters. I’ve also got a couple of mates that are in the force. So you start to talk to them about the way someone behaves in certain environments, because all we do is just a study of behavior. And as close as we can get to the original source, the closer we can get to a character that feels real.
UA: It was David Simon. Who wrote Homicide.
DL: Yes, It’s incredible. He’s incredible. You’ve read the book and it’s an incredible resource because it delves into it from from both a director and a writer’s perspective. It delves into their psychology… into their pores… you know, on a molecular level. It’s really great.
UA: Now that you’ve taken a deep dive into this world, I was wondering if you had an explanation as to why we’ve become so obsessed with true crime.
DL: Well, there is the old adage, that the truth is stranger than fiction. And truth, well told, is one of the greatest stories anyone can ever hear. Sarah Koenig and Serial was an incredible foray into that whole world. And for me, that’s when I kind of went: ”oh, wow, long form journalism that doesn’t just look at the facts as to what happens with crime, but the motivations behind it.” It gave us this incredible insight into a world of psychology that we wouldn’t normally inhabit.
We’re all fascinated by why people do things, especially nefarious things. Why would someone do something so horrible? We need to understand that in order to understand the human experience. And it’s at a base level for all of us.
I think that what this show taps into is that fascination. At the heart of everyone’s actual lives is a very real and very pertinent story when told. And I think that whether that story is dark, or insightful, or comedic, we relate to it because it shows us the human experience.
UA: It’s the same for me as well. I’m obsessed with this stuff, and I watch a lot of it – far too much of it. What happens in these true crime stories may be something that you would never do, and you’re curious to get into the mind of this other person, which you, as an actor, have the opportunity to do a lot more directly.
DL: You’re right. We get to step a little bit further into that, and we get to experience what it might be, and what it might be like in those environments. It’s an incredible privilege, because there is a precipice from which you can look into those voids, and then step back. And that is a real privilege. And it needs to be approached with a really great amount of respect, especially when we’re telling someone else’s story.
UA: David, you’re a new addition to this second season. And I have a question for you as an observer of the first. Now, I was looking back at some of the reviews of Season 1 of Truth Be Told, and they weren’t very kind. But I also think they were focussed on the show’s depiction of journalism, and even what they claim to be certain unrealistic depictions. When I was watching it, I think I was caught up enough in the show that it didn’t really bother me as a journalist. And I think there are times when we lose sight of the fact that this is still a piece of entertainment. I wanted to ask you about this divide. Because what you’re doing has a message, and an important message, but it’s also made to entertain audiences. And I think we can get a little lost in the weeds when it comes to bridging those two things.
DL: You’re absolutely right. And it’s a tough needle to thread. It’s a really tough needle to thread. Because a little movement in either direction, either towards a more realistic interpretation, or towards a more exaggerated interpretation, can throw that threat right off.
But I think what’s interesting about it, and it’s certainly true in the second season of Truth Be Told, is that its real strength has always been in the quality of the people that are involved. And the performances they are able to pull out from these people. I think that what they’ve done in a really beautiful way this season is to delve into not only the true crime element of the murder mystery, but further into Poppy’s back story, and further into Poppy’s family. And by doing that, they don’t just look at the motivations behind the murder, but also Poppy’s motivations, who she is, and why she behaves in the ways she does.
But to answer your question. Everyone is trying to find that balance. It’s like butterfly wings, you know, that elusive balance between entertainment, and truth, and depiction. But at the end of the day, I think what Truth Be Told, really brings to the fore is a rich tapestry of storytelling around the especially in season two that I’ve been involved in, I’ve been very closely involved with this. I think what that really brought to the fore is a really, really rich tapestry of storytelling around the Scoville family. Because we understand motivation. We understand what it looks like as it becomes generational. And we understand that the lens through which Poppy saves the world is not unlike our own, and it’s born out of tragedy, and her ability to to transcend. And I think the viewers are really going to enjoy it. I certainly did.
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