Based on a true story, American Murderer follows Jason Derek Brown (Tom Pelphrey), a charismatic con man bankrolling his extravagant lifestyle through a series of scams. On Brown’s trail: Lance Leising (Ryan Phillippe), a dogged FBI special agent determined to put Brown behind bars.
When Brown’s funds run low and his past catches up with him, he plots his most elaborate scheme yet, pitting himself against Leising in a deadly game of cat and mouse - and becoming the most unlikely and elusive fugitive on the FBI’s most-wanted list.
Last week, we sat down with Pelphrey to discuss his role in this riveting thriller that sees the Iron Fist star deliver an absolutely unmissable performance.
During the course of our conversation, the actor talked about getting into the mind of the twisted Jason Derek Brown, how it feels knowing the wanted killer might be out there watching his performance, getting jacked for the role, and his approach to playing such a twisted, manipulative character.
We can't say enough good things about what Pelphrey brings to the table in American Murderer, and you can watch the interview in the player below.
Jason Derek Brown is still thought to be at large, so without having him to speak to like some actors often do, did that affect how you approached this project and is it strange to know he might be out there somewhere watching what you came up with?
[Laughs] You know, the thought did cross my mind a few times and that is a strange thought. It really is. It’s strange all around because he’s gone, but there are still so many real people involved in this story who are very much here and definitely, probably going to see it. It’s strange.
It’s crazy seeing the way Jason so easily jumps between these different emotions, such as when he’s on the phone lying about his “brother”’s death, but how challenging was that for you?
Yeah, it’s actually a lot of fun! It’s especially more fun than normal…I don’t even know if I can fully articulate what I feel about it, but because it’s ‘play’ and he knows it’s ‘play,’ we know it’s ‘play,’ and I know it’s ‘play,’ it’s just not grounded in anything and is strangely easy to move in between. I would have to think about it longer to give you a more articulate answer, but it actually became very fun. It was very easy to move through the different feelings because you know it doesn’t mean anything to him either. You know?
I’m guessing the role was also quite demanding physically as well because you are jacked in this movie…
[Laughs] We had a lot of photos of Jason, and in a lot of photos, he has his shirt off, and in a lot of others, he has his shirt unbuttoned and you see the six-pack and everything. I just thought that was an important clue into who he was and how he was living. It’s a very particular thing and I wanted to have that and that body to be able to use that in the way he would. The partying, the clubs, the boats, and showing off himself and his body and all that, that’s a very particular kind of guy, and I thought it was important to do that.
The audience get to see Jason from all these different perspectives, so when you read the script, did that make it easier to find who this guy is at his core or did you prefer to focus more on seeing things from his point of view?
No, 100%. I think some of the most telling information was in how other people felt, especially when it came to people being surprised by what he did. That tells me that we’re either going to make it seem like all ten of these people are dumb, which I don’t think is true, or that this person was very good at convincing people he was what they thought he was. That tells me, as the actor, ‘We’re not going to show him trying to manipulate. He is what he is in each moment or scene or in front of each person.’ That’s so much fun. He’s so good at it, we shouldn’t be looking at it and seeing the play or the game. When we step back and see all the scenes together, it’s like, ‘This guy is like a different person every time he’s with someone new.’ I don’t have to worry about that as the actor as each scene is like, ‘Now I’m this guy.’ It’s so much fun.
American Murderer is only in theatres on October 21, and arrives on Demand and on Digital on October 28.