Hollywood veteran Jeff Daniels is no stranger to playing headstrong, divisive characters, but his latest might just be the most polarizing.
In Netflix's A Man in Full, Daniels plays the brutish Charlie Crocker, an Atlanta property tycoon who is facing his financial downfall thanks to the dogged pursuit by two bankers with their own agendas.
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Created by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal) and co-produced by Oscar winner Regina King, who also directed some of the episodes, the new series is based on the classic Tom Wolfe novel of the same name. It features a star-studded cast including Diane Lane and Lucy Liu.
While remaining fairly faithful to the source material, "David certainly took some liberties," Daniels admitted in an interview with Newsweek, including what will no doubt be a very contentious ending.
"It's the ending that you don't see coming, and you can't believe it. But it's plausible," he said.
Daniels expects the ending will be polarizing and viewers will be "shocked" with the final scenes.
"Some will be offended," he explained, quickly adding: "But in a good way."
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"This is a show where the lead character is larger than life and so, the ending tops everything," he said.
The over the top ending was a deliberate choice from Kelley and necessary because otherwise, A Man in Full "would be a disappointment," Daniels said.
"You don't want people to say, 'Well, the best scene was in episode five and that's when it finished.' No you want to go out with a bang," the actor added, chuckling at the pun which references the ending.
Daniels had no idea what was coming when he signed on to the six-episode drama because he "put all of my faith in David E. Kelly," and simply required "unpredictability" from the plot.
He also helped eased the apprehension of co-star of Tom Pelphrey who plays Raymond Peepgrass, a disgruntled banker with his sights set on ruining Crocker.
They appeared in the bombshell ending together, with Pelphrey not sure if it would work, so Daniels shared some wisdom with him.
"I said, 'Tom, I've been in Dumb and Dumber. You know, you just have to go there. I will be right there with you.' So, that was fun. We had a ball," Daniels explained.
The acclaimed actor has had an impressive career spanning more than 40 years and across multiple mediums from stage to TV and film. Daniels has been nominated for Tony and Golden Globe awards, even snagging two Emmys along the way.
He became known for playing stubborn lead men ever since his turn as a belligerent news anchor on Aaron Sorkin's TV drama, The Newsroom, and followed suit with similar characters in The Martian, The Comey Rule and The Looming Tower.
But Daniels is not worried about being typecast and even if he is, "the phone's still ringing," as an in-demand Hollywood star.
"I've got enough diversity in my career, certainly from Dumb and Dumber to playing Atticus Finch," Daniels said referring to his Tony-nominated performance of the lead role in the 2019 Broadway adaption of Harper Lee's iconic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.
"There's a lot of leeway in my roles. So, I'm okay with it," he said.
A Man in Full premieres on Netflix on May 2.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
