After rising to stardom with his villainous turns in The Practice and Lost, Michael Emerson is back on the dark side of the world with Paramount+'s Evil. Created by The Good Wife's Robert and Michelle King, the series centers on forensic psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard, Catholic seminarian David Acosta and technical expert Ben Shakir as they are tasked by the Catholic Church to investigate a variety of potential supernatural events in the New York area, all while finding themselves under threat from seemingly demonic forces.
Emerson stars in Evil as Dr. Leland Townsend, first introduced as a rival to Kristen before being revealed to hold ties to multiple demonic beings and working against Kristen and David and influencing those close to them to commit evil acts. Starring alongside Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, and Christine Lahti, the series has enjoyed critical acclaim across its first three seasons, gaining a season 4 renewal.
Following another acclaimed turn in season 3, Emerson netted a Critics' Choice Awards nomination for Best ing Actor in a Drama Series in Evil. In honor of his nomination, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Emerson to discuss the show's success, his return to villainous roles, the future of the show, and more.
Michael Emerson On Evil, Awards Recognition & Show's Future
Screen Rant: Congratulations on your Critics Choice nomination for Evil, that's quite the awesome thing. If I correctly, this is your third one. How does it feel to be nominated yet again?
Michael Emerson: Well, I've never been nominated for Evil, the show I'm on now, so it's especially good, because I love the show. I want them to get as much attention as they can, and I was really honored to be included on a list of such formidable actors, so it's all good.
You've been nominated for so many shows throughout the years — Lost, Person of Interest — what is it about Evil that you find so many people continue to resonate with, especially with Leland, of all characters?
Michael Emerson: I don't know, I think it's something about the writing. It's so smart, it's thrilling, and frightening, and yet often funny at the same time. I think the subject matter, the way they deal with the things we worry about, the things we are sleepless over in the world, and the show asks the question, "How did these things happen? What if they happen for reasons that we don't know, for worse reasons than we think?" It's stimulating.
You were a protagonist with Person of Interest, which I was a big fan of throughout its run. Now you're back on the other side of the field with Leland. What is that like, going back and forth between these very different roles?
Michael Emerson: It's fine with me. It's always good to play the villain, because there's a lot to chew on there. There's a lot of layers, there's a lot of falseness in disguise and role playing and all of that stuff, which is fun for an actor like me. It's good character work, and I really enjoy it, and it's not a show where I have to carry the show, either, which is kind of good to just show up and do my ing thing and sit back and enjoy it.
Does part of you wish that Leland would be a little more involved with some of the storytelling?
Michael Emerson: No, I'm happy at the amount of exposure he gets, because the thing you worry about when you play a villain, or what is hopefully an interesting villain, you worry about overexposure. You're worried about the audience getting too used to them, or running out of material or angles. So I'm good, I'm happy with leaving them wanting a little bit more, that suits me fine.
Especially since Leland's past and motives are so ambiguous, we don't want to get oversaturated.
Michael Emerson: Yeah, it's good that he's obscure, he doesn't really have a solid backstory, which makes it kind of a mystery, and I'm all for mystery.
I regard to backstory, have you had any proper talks with them about what Leland's actual backstory is, or is it still kind of fluid?
Michael Emerson: No, we have never had a conversation like that. I don't foresee us ever really having one, unless somebody in the writers room decided to make it an important element in some future episode about where Leland really came from, or about some plot to expose his true background. It would have to be a pretty interesting biographical note, and hopefully, it would still be as mysterious as what we already know, or don't know. But no, we haven't talked about that, which is just fine.
I like keeping the door open for both explaining it or not explaining his background because you don't want to be written into a corner.
Michael Emerson: It makes it a little more mythic. I think it's good to think of him as not fully human, maybe. We'll have to see.
I'm curious if there is any one star in the show, whether it be a brief appearance or ongoing, that you've really enjoyed getting to work alongside.
Michael Emerson: Anytime I have a scene with Andrea Martin, that's going to be a good one. She's in a deep character mode, and we're both character players, so those tend to be fairly rich. And, because we're mortal enemies, and combative, I think the stakes are usually high.
But I've recently had a number of important scenes with Kurt Fuller, who plays Dr. Boggs, and he and I have a good time because he's a character player too. He's fast and funny, and they have an interesting dynamic between them. It brings out the worst in Leland in a way, or the best, if you think of him as a warrior or a strategist. So yeah, stay tuned for more between those two, because that stuff's good.
I love to hear that, I enjoyed seeing Leland sort of breaking him down in season 3. When we last spoke, you had said that filming might begin in November. Are you guys properly filming season 4 now?
Michael Emerson: Yes, we are. We were delayed a little bit, I'm not sure what that was about [as far as] scheduling. So, we started December 1, we're deep in, we're shooting 403, the third episode of the fourth season right now.
That's awesome. How are the scripts and the filming looking in comparison to your prior seasons?
Michael Emerson: The scripts are great, I think the writers room is firing on all cylinders now, because the show has gotten tighter, they've found the rhythm, they've found how much backstory, how much exposition, is required to get the thing really running hot, and they're doing that. Last year, what was the opening and closing themes, it was the book or the story of something, this year it's a book of lessons, how to do this or that. There's some kind of priceless imagery, we're getting out into some interesting location work, and there's more animals, somehow, this year, you'll see. [Chuckles]
What can you tell me then about what's to come with Leland this season?
Michael Emerson: Well, he's still up to his usual games, he has a sort of on-again, off-again partnership with Sheryl, and they are competitive, and there's a lot of boardroom intrigue at the demon corporation. So, that's a thing that's happening, and his über agenda of bringing an infant Demon King into the world, so we'll see where he goes with that.
I've loved the way this show has depicted a lot of supernatural entities both with a mix of practical and visual effects. What is that like for you on set seeing these designs up close and personal and having to act against them?
Michael Emerson: It's always a little shocking when you first come on the set and there's [monsters]. I had a scene recently with The Manager, who most humans see as a ruggedly handsome corporate figure, but those on the inside see him as a seven-eyed demon. That's kind of a shocking getup that Marti Matulis wears for that character, but it's funny how quickly you just adjust, and pretty soon it's the most natural thing in the world that you're in a room with an eight-foot tall, seven-eyed, hairy demon, and the eyes are blinking, and the ears are twitching, and it's looking at you, and looking at other people.
Soon, it's nothing at all. [Laughs] Marti Matulis is our guy that plays inside those demons getups, and he's a big guy to begin with, and then there's usually something that makes him much taller. So, he's always eight feet tall, or whatever the demons are, they're just impressive.
About Evil
EVIL is a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion. Season three of EVIL began moments after the end of season two: when a newly ordained David and Kristen kiss. The two not only have to navigate this fraught new reality, but contend with David’s involvement with “the entity,” an espionage unit within the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, Ben finds his brain breaking from their unsolved cases and turns to his sister for help.
Check out our previous Evil interview with Michael Emerson.
The first three seasons of Evil are now streaming on Paramount+.