The world witnessed the tragic events at the Olympic Games in 1996, but few know the true story of Richard Jewell’s innocence – something Manhunt: Deadly Games aims to change. The Spectrum original premiered at the start of the year as part of the Manhunt anthology, starting with the tale of the Unabomber, but now it will have a wider audience through CBS.
Actor Cameron Britton spoke to Screen Rant about the research he did into Jewell’s life and mannerisms, and why he thinks the story is relevant today.
What research did you do into Richard Jewell, and what did you know before getting into the show?
Cameron Britton: With Jewell, I took a lot of the essence of the self-doubt that he carried in his early 30s, leading up to the events. As you watch him in early interviews, you see this pretty self-conscious man. But what's interesting is, as the country starts hating him and as the media starts blaming him, over the course of those months, he finds some grit, and he finds some self-worth. The world might not know he's a hero, but he is.
And when you watch those interviews three months after the event, he'll be on national TV and just have a lot more confidence. I found that to be inspiring, because I don't know if everyone would come out of a situation like that stronger. It was great to prep that; to start with this person who really is overcompensating for their lack of confidence, and then slowly growing into someone who finds that they deserve to be respected.
What do you hope the show reveals about Richard Jewell that hasn't been uncovered in other dramatizations?
Cameron Britton: I think since we have 10 hours, we're able to show more of the arc of the story. We're seeing where he was before, during, and after these events. We're also telling all the sides of the story, so we get to see what the bomber Eric Rudolph was doing and why.
The differences between Jewell and Rudolph are pretty fascinating. In real life, Eric Rudolph was a genuinely good looking guy, kind of Hollywood handsome, and he hated law enforcement and was quite brilliant. Then you have Richard Jewell, who doesn't have that jawline and that movie star personality, and he loves law enforcement and respects them endlessly. It's a nice reminder of what a hero actually is.
We've started to make a lot of films where our idea of a hero becomes someone with this chiseled jawline and nice, pithy comments, and kind of a perfect human. It's interesting that in real life, the guy with all of that was a psychopath and the other guy was a part-time security guards. It's just a great reminder of what the hero actually is: someone who just heads towards adversity, whether or not they're scared.
I didn't know when I took the role that I would feel all this stuff. Usually, what happens is I take a role because I want to do it, and at some point, I find out I need to do it. There's some greater lesson to be learned here.
What do you think is the most shocking thing people discover about the true story of Richard Jewell?
Cameron Britton: I think it would be on Eric Rudolph side. You see this person who blows up an abortion clinic, but that wasn't his real target. His target were the first responders who showed up to the clinic; he had a second bomb waiting for them in the parking lot. I don't know if I can think of a more heinous act than that.
I took the role only having read a couple of scripts, so a lot shocked to me as more scripts came in. I think watching the interrogation will shock people.
My heart was breaking for Richard in those moments. What were some of the most emotionally draining scenes for you to shoot?
Cameron Britton: Well, that interrogation scene would be right up there. The way we looked at it was that, not only is Jewell finding out that these people have actually brought him in because they think he's a suspect and that could lead to the electric chair, but I think his entire identity is turned on its head. No one has ever considered him the villain before, and now his heroes are the ones who are considering him the villain.
It's a very emotional moment for him as well, and I liked that we took the interrogation in that direction. It hurts his feelings deeply that these men would think of him that way and treat him that way. So, that one was really difficult. There's another scene in the later episodes, where Jewell confronts his mother. I just had a hard time shooting that scene, where he goes into her room and says, "I just want you to be proud of me." That one hit me like a ton of bricks.
I've played some dark characters, but this was the hardest shoot to get through. Usually when I play a character, I focus on their strengths. I think most actors do, when you're building a character, you focus on their strengths. But with Jewell, I focused on his doubts, and I think that leads to some pretty heavy places.
Can you talk to me about the relationship Richard had with his mother, from an actor's perspective?
Cameron Britton: I think they have an incredibly close relationship, which is a good thing, because who doesn't want to be close to their mother? I also think that they didn't have many other people to spend their time with, which can mean they're spending a little too much time together. You get quite sick of that, and they can bicker with each other quite a bit.
I think, as far as the tension on the show - while they love each other, it's really hard for Bobi Jewell to see how Richard didn't do this. She wouldn't have thought he would do it, but with the FBI storming down their apartment, she genuinely was worried that he did this for a minute. When both the Jewells are locked in their apartment for three months together, and one is being blamed for a mass killing while the other thinks that person might have done it, I can't even imagine what that was like.
Talk about heartbreaking, that your mother's suspicious that you may have blown up the Olympics. I truly can't imagine. But what is amazing, and what says a lot about who they are as people, is that they came out closer and stronger because of that. I think she's an amazing mother, and I think she raised a great son. She did the best she could.
You talked earlier about playing real life characters. Is there a difference in your method when you're playing a real person versus a fictional character?
Cameron Britton: I kind of think my method changes with every character. Recently, I've been working on a guy, and I looked up what astrology sign he was. I'm finding all these great nuggets of things I can do to put a character together.
As far as playing real people versus imaginary, I recommend that if the character's not a real person, to try to base them off someone who is. It just reminds you not to make a performance and to make a person. I think from that standpoint, playing real people helps me realize that no matter what, I need to find someone to ground that with.
In the opening scene, we get the recreation of the 1996 Olympic Games. When you get there on set, do you have a surreal feeling that you're gonna reenact this tragedy?
Cameron Britton: It really was [surreal]. We spent two weeks on that shoot, and it felt like we all lived there. They built this set with such great detail that you not only felt you were at the Olympic Games event, but you also felt like you were in the 90s. There were all these booths selling different merchandise. You look at what the 96 Olympics actually looked like, and the set did a lot to grab that accuracy.
I've seen Jewell in that outfit so much, so putting it on and looking in the mirror was surreal as well. I've never really done that, re-enacted something that actually happened. This was one of those cases where there were cameras around the property, and it's so large, that pretty much everywhere you look is in the world of the story. It's really helpful as an actor.
Sidenote: huge props to the extras. There was something like 300 extras for two weeks. It was pretty rainy, it was Pittsburgh, so they were standing in the mud. Some of them had the mud seeped into their shoes, and they're just standing in this cold wet field and dancing like a rock concert was going on right up till five in the morning. It was pretty cool. These people were really committed to the story, and in a way, we had fun. It was surreal, and sad and fun.
I find it really cool that Manhunt is sharing the perspectives of different people that surrounded the event. What are you excited for audiences to kind of explore the most with this show?
Cameron Britton: I think, all in all, it's the human element. We're talking about two of the most revered occupations in the country, journalism and law enforcement. Sometimes we expect them to be above the rules of citizenship, because they need to be bigger and better than that. Sometimes they need to that they're just human beings who make mistakes. I don't really know when to expect what from them all the time; it's a really tricky situation. But it's something that people should be taking into and be aware of.