SHOWBIZ: Revisiting Hannibal – Interview with Hugh

Hugh Dancy talks about his character development in the second season of the hit series Hannibal in a phone interview with Nur Aqidah Azizi

THE dark and haunting series Hannibal returns for a second season, with more shocking revelations and bizarre psychological games.
Hugh Dancy reprises his role as Will Graham in the series, which is based on characters and elements from the novel Red Dragon, written by Thomas Harris.
“I read the novel to understand Graham better, and only agreed to play the role after I understood it. I also read books of other writers who focused on Harris’ journeys and interviews with the people he talked to, when he was creating the character,” says Dancy during a phone interview with Life&Times.
But no amount of preparation is enough.
“The reality is that giving life to Graham on screen is much more depressing. I have to rely on what Bryan Fuller, the writer of the series has in mind,” he adds.
The second season picks up from the show’s last season when Graham is incarcerated in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, accused of Hannibal’s (Mads Mikkelsen) crimes.
Now that Graham sees Hannibal for what he truly is, he faces a fight to prove his own sanity and convince those closest to him he is innocent of murder.

The show also stars Laurence Fishburne, Gillian Anderson and Caroline Dhavernas, Dancy shares more:

Is it difficult to play a character that, no matter how intriguing, it is always overshadowed by Hannibal?
I haven’t found that. The reason why the show works is that it has three leading men. For me, it’s nice to come on the radar, whereas in the book, Graham is not pictured the same way. What I like about playing Graham is that he undergoes a massive shift from season to season.

Your character went through much in the first season and things are dire for him now. Where is he at psychologically?
He is at a very isolated place — psychologically and he’s in a cell. The only thing that he has going on for him is that for the first time, he realises who Hannibal is. He also realises that all his friends have turned their backs on him. Initially it is a desperate situation, but as the series moves forward, he finds a new determination that he has never found before.

The second season will only see you playing the role in the cell. Is it a difficult transition? Did you have to change the way you play the character?
Yes, certainly. Many of my scenes are behind bars, in a room smaller than a child’s bedroom. As an actor, very quickly you run out of things to do, you only stand up, sit down, walk up and down, so it is almost like an exercise for me. I have to find a way to communicate differently. I enjoy that but at the same time, I miss being out in the world. But Bryan (writer) is very clever. He ‘takes’ me out through imaginations which you will see in the series.

Now that you’re into the second season of the show, how has it affected you personally?
I am working hard for the show. Basically, everyone is very involved and we cooperate well to ensure its success. But at the end of the day, I don’t go home carrying the burden Graham has to carry. I am not that kind of actor. Usually, I go home feeling happy that I got to work with a fantastic team and basically I just go straight to bed! (laughs)

Graham has this twisted dynamic with Hannibal. Do you think he’s capable of a normal, healthy relationship?
I don’t think so. They have deep connection with each other. The problem is that, in the first season, Hannibal’s not revealing all of himself to Graham. But Graham will be more honest with Hannibal in the second season.

When you look back at the first season, do you feel like you have accomplished everything you set out to do?
When I looked back, I am very proud of surviving — you worked at a high speed series. The fact that I was able to maintain the character and make the relationship with Hannibal believable was truly a proud achievement for me.

Are you surprised at how quickly Hannibal has acquired a dedicated fanbase?
It’s been an incredible and new experience for me. I love the sense of support and love the viewers have towards the show. I also love that people are engaged to the series and I hope we don’t let them down. I hope we are going towards the direction that will keep them (the characters) growing.

Are you selective when accepting acting offers?
I don’t have any particular rules. I know what my strengths are but I don’t have a sense of any particular rules of characters that I should or shouldn’t do. I don’t examine too much and I just let it all happen.

Hannibal airs every Tuesday on AXN (Astro Ch701) and AXN HD (Astro B.yond Ch721) at 10pm.

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