Based on the best-selling book series byCharlaine Harris(author of the novels that inspiredTrue Blood), the NBC seriesMidnight, Texasis a supernatural tale that’s set in a remote town where nothing is what it seems. When Manfred (François Arnaud), a psychic who can communicate with spirits, finds himself in Midnight, he quickly realizes that it’s a mysterious safe haven for those who are different, and that while they are all dealing with their own secrets, they must also band together if they are going to fight off the evil that is threatening to take over.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, actor François Arnaud talked about whyMidnight, Texasappealed to him, whether he read the books that the show is based on, how the show is a big thrill ride, getting a filmmaker likeNiels Arden Oplevto set the tone with the pilot, what Manfred sees in Creek (Sarah Ramos), all of the supernatural creatures in this town, where the threats and dangers are coming from this season, where things could go in the future, and what he looks for in a project.
Collider: This seems like it must be a really fun show to make.
FRANCOIS ARNAUD: It was a trip!
Could you tell, when you read it? Did you know just what you’d be signing up for?
ARNAUD: You only get sent the pilot when you first audition for something, and I didn’t imagine it would keep being that big. It keeps getting bigger and bigger, during the first season, and I thought it would be on a more intimate level. As the relationships develop, I’m not saying there’s a lack of intimacy, but it’s such a big thrill ride, and it keeps being a thrill ride with every episode. My character goes through so much. It was very fun, but it was also grueling because, it being a genre horror show with vampires, a lot of it was shot at night and we’d wrap at 7 or 8am, five times a week. That was difficult. I’m not a day-sleeper. By the end of it, they didn’t have to do much make-up on me to make me look tired. But, it was fun. New Mexico is beautiful, the sets are incredible, and the special effects team is great.
Since you only had the pilot to go on, what was the appeal of this show?
ARNAUD: Well, I thought there was room to explore the dark side of this character, beyond the tropes of genre. There was room there to explore something dramatically strong, all while keeping a sense of humor to rise above the situation. I liked the tone of it. It was a bit of a gamble because we’re surfing that fine line between comedy and drama, but you have to trust the team. The director attached to the pilot, Niels Arden Oplev, is a filmmaker who’d doneThe Girl with the Dragon Tattooin Sweden and theMr. Robotpilot, which was very strong, so you just take the plunge. You just hope that the other directors that come in are willing to make the most of that.
All of the residents of Midnight, Texas have secrets. Did you want to be filled in on any of that, or are you okay with not having all of the answers?
ARNAUD: I wanted to know as much as possible, for my character’s background, and then keep everything else a surprise. There’s a big shift after the pilot. Originally, they were going to drag out the murder mystery with Aubrey throughout the whole season, but then NBC decided that they didn’t want a murder mystery. They wanted a more supernatural show, so that got a little scary. I was like, “Oh, I don’t know what we were doing anymore.” But, what I liked that they did is that they didn’t make it a monster-of-the-week show either. There are new obstacles every week, but they’re always character-driven. Every episode of the first season, at least for the first half or two-thirds, before it all comes to a conclusion, all focus on one character’s past. Episode 2 is the were-tiger. Episode 3 explores Lem’s background more, as a vampire who’s been alive for hundreds of years, and it goes back to 18thcentury America. Also, you’ll see Manfred’s involvement in those characters’ lives, in the present. And then, later on in the season, you go back to Manfred’s childhood and see him as a little kid, and you’ll see his grandmother when she was alive. There’s a lot of strong drama there to feed the weekly thrills.
Manfred really does have the ability to see, summon and expel ghosts, so why do you think he calls himself a con man?
ARNAUD: He doesn’t want to be known as that in Midnight, I don’t think. Beforehand, when he was in Dallas and when he was on the road, he very much sold that image of himself as a successful psychic. In Midnight, it’s taken a toll on him and he’s trying to walk away from it all and figure things out. But he’ll need money and be back at it, soon enough.
Does he pretty quickly regret going to Midnight, considering everything going on there?
ARNAUD: Yes, of course! And he leaves a couple times, throughout the season. He always thinks about moving out, but the one thing that keeps him there, later on, is Creek. But then, with what happens when they find Aubrey’s body and he has that vision, he’s forced to stay there by the police. No one’s allowed to leave town. The ball gets rolling and he gets caught up in it. And he feels for these people. He hasn’t known them for long, but he senses that they are more alike than he would have thought.
Manfred is clearly drawn to Creek, but what is it that sparks his interest?
ARNAUD: At first, when he reads her palm and says, “You’ll find your soulmate,” I think it’s a big adolescent crush, although they’re a bit too old for that. I think it’s just summer camp syndrome. When there’s so few people, you find your arch-nemesis, your crush and your best friend, very quickly. I think that’s what it is at the start, and then they develop a more serious relationship, later on, that isn’t without its ups and downs. They’re both non-committal people. She’s very protective of her family and her secrets, and he’s running away from himself. Everyone talks about the sense of community with this show, and it’s part of Manfred’s journey to find that, but that’s not what he’s looking for, going to Midnight. He just wants to check out. There’s a punishing element to it all, as well. I don’t think Manfred has very high self-esteem. He has a problem with painkillers and pill addiction, and he isn’t in control of his abilities, really. He’s running away from someone who wants him dead, but he’s also running away from himself and he isn’t expecting to find love. So, when he first meets Creek, the light turns on, but it’s just flirty, at first. I don’t think it’s anything more than that.
How does Manfred feel about learning that there are so many different types of supernatural beings and creatures living in Midnight?
ARNAUD: I think he’s definitely surprised that there are vampires and supernatural creatures, but the fact that the dead can share a bed with him and scare him at all times of the day is something that he’s used to. He’s used to being the only freak in the room. He went to Midnight because of his grandma’s advice. She must have known where she was sending him, right?
Did you have conversations about just how big you wanted to play those scenes where Manfred is taken over by a spirit?
ARNAUD: I feel like I went pretty big, but everyone seemed to approve of it. Now that I’ve seen what they’ve done with it, I know what it looks like, but when you’re doing it, you don’t really know. When you have to let the spirit take a dive into your mouth, it could look like anything. You get to dictate where they’re going to go with it because they’re stuck with what you’ve done, so I just took the plunge. They did alter my voice a little bit. There are some really funny ones because the spirits aren’t always men. It’s a very playful aspect of the character. It’s about juggling that tone and the different genres. What was great about it, from the start, was that the dialogue was always good and set the tone, and Niels being European and Nordic had this dry sense of humor that he infused everything with. There’s real fear and real pain, but it doesn’t undermine the humor of it all. It’s important to use humor to rise above your situation.
Where are the threats and dangers coming from this season?
ARNAUD: There’s that rumbling underneath Manfred’s house. Midnight sits on a veil between the worlds of the living and the dead, and that’s where the veil is thinning. Everyone with supernatural powers is naturally drawn to Midnight, and they’re less and less in control of their evil impulses. So, the threat comes from within. Basically, when you have a town populated with monsters, we’re gentle monsters, but if we stop losing control of our demonic impulses, then we become the threat. A lot of it is about not ignoring your inner demons, dealing with them, and taming them while being accepting of them. And there are new people on the show, every week. There are people passing through Midnight, and we all have common enemies. Manfred’s arch-nemesis is definitely Hightower, who keeps calling him. You don’t know much about him yet, but he’s after Manfred. Manfred owes him money. Hightower is also from a powerful line of mediums. Eventually, Manfred’s past will catch up with him. Everyone has their own enemies, but they will all join forces to fight that common evil, which is the main force under the town.
Have you had any conversations with your showrunner, Monica [Owusu-Breen] about where things would go for Manfred, beyond this season?
ARNAUD: All the major themes of the season come to a conclusion in the final episodes, but there’s also this cliffhanger that hints at what could be a potential main plotline for Season 2, and I think it’s very good. It’s brought to line in a very clever way. But beyond that, not really. It’s based on a series of books and there are elements from all three books, even in the pilot. I think the show is faithful to the characters, but not necessarily to the storylines.
Have you read all three of these books?
ARNAUD: I read the first book before we did the pilot. And then, I was waiting to see if we would get picked up to read the other two because I had very little time. I was one of the last people to get cast in this. They sent me the script on a Thursday night. I went on tape in New York on Friday morning. On Friday afternoon, they were calling me to sign something before I had to fly to L.A. to test and meet with Niels. And then, three days later, I was in New Mexico, getting ready and prepping to shoot. I read the first book then. And then, when the pilot got picked up, I had a chat with Monica, and she told that she didn’t recommend that I read the other ones. I was fine with it because you get attached to certain plotlines that don’t happen, and then you resent not going in that direction, or you start playing things that didn’t happen. Monica is very open to our input, as well. I can’t think of one specific thing, but there are things that we came up with together that were incorporated into Manfred’s story, even though they weren’t in the books. They’re also very responsive to what we do, which feels good.
You were terrific inThe Borgiasand you were a real stand-out inBlindspot, and both of those were so different fromMidnight, Texas. What is it that you look for, when trying to find your next project? Do you intentionally look for something very different from the last thing?
ARNAUD: I definitely attempt to do different things. I don’t have a career plan, or if I did, it failed miserably. I’m just happy to be doing different things. It’s a bit of a relief to play a character like Manfred because, in a lot of ways, his demeanor is closer to myself, as a person. Not that that’s what I’m looking for, but I feel like I have an incredible freedom in this show. I’ve never felt so at ease with a character.The Borgiaswas a gift. That character’s journey was incredible. But afterThe BorgiasandBlindspot, it felt good to play a character that’s not so skillful, and that can be a bit of a goof and a little bit clumsy. It’s fun to play a more laidback character, after all of the horse riding and sword fighting ofThe Borgias. Cesare was an anti-hero, in his own way, but more of a villain-hero. It’s just truly a lot of fun to play this guy who’s definitely a reluctant savior in this town. He doesn’t think of himself as that good of a person and he’s quite selfish. And there’s this prophecy that says he’s going to save the world, and he’s like, “Yeah, I don’t think so!”
